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A promotion and relegation system in Super Rugby deserves, more than ever, to be discussed and looked at once and for all. It addresses the two main issues we are currently facing in southern hemisphere rugby: expansion and quality.
Rugby followers, SANZAR members, players or columnists here at ‘The Roar” have for ever been discussing ways to ‘expand”, i.e. include other teams from SA, New Zealand or Australia into the current S15. Then you have people, again at every level, who want to open the game to Japan, the Pacific Islands, the U.S.A., Canada etc…
Let’s be honest: a Super 18, then 24 (30?) unique competition played week in week out is unrealistic at best. It has been discussed on countless occasions so we won’t go there today.
Next, the quality of rugby on display. Again, we have all, at one stage or another criticized the rugby played at Super Rugby level in the last few years. Whether you are Campo or Joe Blow, we all talk about the ‘negative approach’ of certain teams, the lack of commitment, passion or envy showed by players or entire teams, the lack of flair or creativity (especially in Australia).
Basic rugby skills themselves have even been introduced into the equation lately: are today’s players of the same caliber as Howlett, Spencer, du Randt, Larkham, Burke or Matfield?
A promotion and relegation system would not answer or resolve these issues, no. But it could help introduce other teams to Super Rugby exposure, first via a second tier competition. I just want to outline here are the pros and cons of such a system. A system which has been in place in most sports across Europe for decades. Not so much in the New World (North America & Australasia).
The pros:
It just makes sense. You’re good enough; you stay at top level and play with the best. You’re not; you are relegated and play in the league below. Natural selection. Only fair. No dead wood or passengers in a stale, dull league playing dead rubbers week in week out, year in year out from round five onwards.
It keeps everyone on their toes: no ‘off year’ or you risk going down. Playing at the highest Super rugby level isn’t a given; it’s something you have to earn on the fields. You have to fight for it. At management level too: if you don’t have the shoulders to manage or run a top tier SR team, fair enough. Just go down for a while and let others have a go.
What a breeze of fresh air it would bring: nothing is ‘permanent’ or ‘for ever’. New derbies, new matches every year. You play the Lions this year but you might play the Kings next. Two competitions mean more teams, regions and people involved. You may not part if it yet but you could be.
Let’s face it: Super Rugby as it is now has no roots or links with the wider rugby community. It’s a sort of ‘no man’s land’ where only ‘chosen people’ have their say and play their own competition.
In a promotion and relegation system, all teams, amateur or not, are in the same pyramid, some at the top, others at the bottom, and most in between. Super Rugby, the N.B.A., N.R.L. and so on are not part of any system. They are outcasts. Above everyone else, inaccessible. Whether you are good enough or not, you are de facto denied the right of playing against them with your own team. Look but don’t touch.
Relegation battles are the essence of sport: to play for your mates, your colours, your team, your supporters actually means something. We don’t see many tears in the eyes of Super Rugby players at the end of the season do we? If you’re bottom of the ladder: ‘no worries, see you next year folks’!
These battles are where allegiance to a club is tested and history created. In a compact competition, 10-12 teams, you either fight for a place in the finals or the relegation. And it’s also true when you play in the so called ‘second division’: earning your spot in top flight because you’ve won your championship IS the pinnacle.
Many players, in any sport, who have gone through the experience often say that even winning a title is no match to the feeling of winning a promotion.
The cons:
Stability is a chance for teams and clubs to develop and improve without fear of being relegated. You can work on the longer term, take more risks, develop players, invest etc. Financial planning is easier. You have a safety net underneath.
Quality on the field and entertaining the crowds are (should be) your only priority. No need of conservative tactics or ‘win it at all costs’ mindset. You will have a shot next year, and next, and next…That’s why Super Rugby (same as the N.B.A., N.R.L. etc), is, on average, where the best and most entertaining rugby is played.
Players retention is higher as they are less likely to leave their struggling team after one disappointing season. Heinrich Brussow or Juan Smith would probably not be with the Cheetahs if the relegation system was in place. Which also means talent is more widespread with our current system.
Both systems have been in place for years all around the world and in all sports. And they work. What you get in one you don’t get in the other and vice versa. Then it’s all about the philosophy behind the systems, the spirit of sport and its values.
I was born with promotion and relegation systems, as a player and a supporter. It’s impossible to match the emotions you get with it when you play with the other system. In the former, the joys are more intense, the sadness more painful, the passion exacerbated whether you are on the pitch or on the terraces.
England have the ‘most expensive football match of the year’ often dubbed “the 80 (or 90 depending on the year) million match” where 2 teams battle it out during the last promotion game of the season: if you win, you get English Premier League money and exposure. You lose and it’s back to the drawing board. That’s what sport is all about.
Rugby in Europe doesn’t have the same money involved yet promotion and relegation battles are at the centre of most championships, from amateur to professional ranks. In my opinion, that’s the only way to build a competitive mindset.
When you have survived these relegation battles with your club, you are another man. And yes, I do feel that some Australian Super Rugby players would benefit from it. No question about that. They would toughen up.
But is it what we really want? Is it sustainable in Super Rugby world? In an era when SANZAR are talking about ‘expansion’, it might be worth giving it some thought.
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.