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The deadline is looming for the new broadcast deal for SANZAR, and all we hear are vested interests arguing with each other. This deal is critical for the future of rugby in Australia.
It needs to be bigger and better than what we currently have in place if we hope to attract more broadcasting dollars and have the money to spend on the development of rugby in Australia.
There’s been a lot of talk on the Roar about this, so I thought I’d add my two cents worth.
Here’s my proposal:
SOUTHERN NATIONS CUP [September to October over 8 weeks]
Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa.
Each team plays the other twice (home and away).
SUPER RUGBY [March to August over 24 weeks]
Schedule
* 24 Teams, incorporates current Super 14 teams and North America 4 teams
* Four Conferences over four geographic/time zone regions.
* Each Internal Conference team plays each other twice (10 rounds), ten wildcard games and a bye mixed in, for 21 rounds total.
* Top two teams from each conference enter Top Eight for a final series over three weeks. Current points standings with for and against taken into account for Top Eight seedings.
* Quarter Finals are – 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7, 3 plays 6, 4 plays 5. Winners go through to Semi-Finals, then Championship Final.
New Zealand Conference
Six New Zealand teams (new team is Bay of Plenty–Tauranga).
Australasian Conference
Five Australian teams (new team is Victoria–Melbourne).
One Japanese Team (new team in Tokyo).
American Conference
Two Canadian teams (current teams are Canada East [Calgary] and Canada West [Vancouver]).
Two USA Teams (current teams are USA Falcons [Boston] and USA Hawks [Denver]).
One Argentinean team (new team in Buenos Aires).
One Pacific Islands team (new team in Honolulu).
South African Conference
Six South African teams (new team is Southern Spears–Port Elizabeth).
Time Zones
09:30am AEST (Buenos Aires).
11:30am AEST (Boston, Calgary).
01:30pm AEST (Denver, Vancouver).
03:30pm AEST (Dunedin, Christchurch, Honolulu).
05:30pm AEST (Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington).
07:30pm AEST (Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney).
09:30pm AEST (Perth, Tokyo).
01:30am AEST (Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria ).
03:30am AEST (Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth).
Benefits:
• You crack some very large markets.
• Timezone broadcast schedule is favourable, rugby all weekend!
• Twelve games a week for 20 weeks, plus seven finals is 247 games available to broadcasters in a season.
• Sell Local Games to Free-to-Air and Delayed Local Games plus Non-Conference games to PayTV.
• More money means we can compete for players with wealthy European clubs.
• Teams get at least ten home games, three to four more than currently.
• More local derbies attract bigger home crowds.
• Corporate/private partnerships for teams totalling 49% ownership.
• Secure IRB developmental funding for new Teams (they already fund the America Four teams).
• Start new schedule in 2010, introduce American conference in 2011 if they’re not ready by 2010.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.