A Melbourne based Barbarians style Super 15 team could be the compromise solution to expanding Australian and Southern Hemisphere rugby union.
SANZAR have made the decision that there will be a 15th Super Rugby team and that the new team will compete in an Australian domestic competition alongside the existing four Australian teams.
SANZAR has, however, come to a stalemate on whether this team should comprise Australian or South African players.
The South African Rugby Union are promoting the virtues of the Southern Kings with the aim of expanding rugby within the ethnic majority of South Africa. Based around Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, this less developed region of South Africa promotes itself as the birth place of Nelson Mandella.
The Southern Kings would, however, be based in Australia for almost half of the Super 15 competition and the tyranny of travel may impact on the teams performance.
An African team based in an Australian domestic rugby competition would also limit the marketing potential needed to grow grass roots rugby in Victoria.
The Australian Rugby Union is very conscious that it has been losing the battle with other sporting codes, which is evident in the declining spectators and potentially declining revenues from broadcasting rights.
There are concerns, however, that Australia does not have the player pool necessary to sustain a fifth quality team.
Since the arrival of the Western Force in 2006 only one Australian team has finished in the top four (Warraths, 2006) of the Super 14 and the Wallabies have backed up a terrible world cup with two of their worst years on record.
As SANZAR enters mediation to resolve the origins of the 15th Super Rugby franchise, it should be conscious that there are other options.
A compromise solution could be to have a Melbourne based team, but allow this club to draw players from around the world, not just Australia or South Africa.
For example the team could be required to have a player roster comprising of 30% Australian, 30% South African, 30% South Pacific players, and the remainder sourced from the rest of the world.
A combination of players from Japan and Argentina should also be considered.
There is the potential that this team could outclass the rest of the competition. To balance this, SANZAR could impose restrictions on the Melbourne team, such as requiring them to turn over 30% of their player roster each year, impose an average age limit or salary cap, or have them coached by John Connolly.
This compromise solution would satisfy the ARU’s desire to grow rugby in Melbourne, provide an avenue to develop players from neighboring rugby nations and South Africa without impeding the existing Australian Super 14 teams.
It may also draw quality European players seeking a southern sabbatical resulting in Super Rugby becoming even more spectacular.
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