A new Super Rugby season has started and once again I find myself questioning why I support the Hurricanes: the greatest team never to win a title.
In the offseason, coach Mark Hammett allowed the other New Zealand Conference teams to invade, raping and pillaging our team in such a way that even ancient Vikings would have said: “Wow, that was brutal.”
For those of you who aren’t aware, the Hurricanes decided to “trade” the following players: Aaron Cruden, Hosea Gear, Ma’a Nonu and Piri Weepu.
The term trade is defined as “the act or process of buying, selling or exchanging commodities.” We didn’t trade, we simply gifted these players to our biggest rivals! It was at this point I realised that Super Rugby has one vital flaw: a complete lack of a fair salary cap, trade market or draft system.
Come with me on a hypothetical and far-fetched journey as I implement an American style salary cap, trade and draft system.
The lack of a salary cap system results in crazy situations for the New Zealand and South African teams. The Crusaders have two All Black front rowers, one of the Franks Brothers and Corey Flyn sitting on the bench!
The Crusaders are the New York Yankees of Southern Hemisphere rugby. This does not seem right.
Here is my proposal for the Super Salary Cap, Super Trade System and what they will probably call the Super Draft, see the theme?
Super Salary Cap
Have a standardised salary cap. Each team has a salary budget of $A5 Million for the top 25 players. That is a starting 15 and 10 bench players. If each player is paid evenly that equates to $200,000 a season. However this isn’t a communist system, not everyone gets paid the same.
Teams can assign two “Franchise Players”, one forward and one back.
For example, the Crusaders could franchise Richie McCaw and Dan Carter. These players’ salaries do not count to your salary cap at all and you can pay them what you like. Bankrupt your organisation by paying their wages if you feel that strongly about them.
This way you can still have local legends that play for one team their entire career.
Teams can sign as many minimum level contracts, say $60,000 per year, as they like to fill out the lower portion of the roster or to help boost the payments for high profile players.
No third party player payments, if you can’t fit the player into your cap, trade him, cut him or just ruin his credibility by making him play in Japan.
If you release a player to play in Europe because he is sucking the life out of your team, then that player’s salary for that year still counts but cap space will be released at the end of the season. If you are smart you will ask the European team for compensation.
Super Trades (aka pillage protection)
Players are free to play for any team in the three countries and can still be selected to represent their home country. If you don’t like living away from home, go do something else, I think $200,000 is adequate compensation.
The trades require that the team obtaining a player must fulfil the remainder of that contract, a new contract can not be written
Trades can be made prior to the draft and before week five of the regular season. Players can be traded for draft picks (see the draft system I am about to create).
If a players contract expires, then its open season, an absolute free for all. A prize is awarded if an official can pull off a five-way trade without their heads exploding
Super Draft Day
Three round draft system and players of any age can nominate, even those who think they will be the next Sonny Bill Williams by converting from league to union.
The picks run in reverse order. However, to try and combat tanking I would employ something similar to the NBA’s lottery system. There is an equal chance of the bottom five getting the number one pick.
Just draw it from a hat, or have a sack race. I don’t care how they figure it out.
Overseas players can nominate for the draft. Imagine if Sebastian Chabal suddenly nominated.
I would simply draft him to sit on the bench and stare at opposing players for the entire match, then unleash him for the final 10 minutes, sitting there and enjoying the ensuing legalised aggravated assault. It may not help the team, but it would be awesome and the fans would love it. Remember this is a business, apparently.
There, simple, problem solved. Let’s take a look what happens to my boys, the Hurricanes if we trade rather than cut players.
The background to this is that the coach, numerous veterans, plus up and coming players weren’t happy with each other. The rational response, apparently, is to cut everyone that doesn’t like you. But what if we had used a trade system. Who could we have now?
Trade 1:
Ma’a Nonu to the Blues for Benson Stanley
This is just a straight swap. He is a handy midfield player and would provide great cover if the ageing Conrad Smith falls to pieces. This trade would also clear up some cap space because there is no way Stanley is getting the same as an All Black regular.
Trade 2:
Piri Weepu to the Blues for Daniel Braid and a second round pick.
This could be conceivable given Piri’s cult status. The Blues have decent reserves, with his younger brother Luke able to take over. Suddenly this gives a loose forward trio of Karl Lowe, Victor Vito and Daniel Braid. Not a bad result.
Trade 3:
Aaron Cruden to the Chiefs for Robbie Robertson and a first round pick.
Robbie will be sitting on the bench and soon Cruden will be one of the two best five-eighths in the country (and he only just hit puberty). With no obvious choice at the Hurricanes (I’m not sold on Tusi Pisi or Dan Kirkpatrick) this would be a good fit. He can also play fullback to cover injuries. Suddenly your backline is Chris Smylie, Robbie Robinson, Tim Bateman, Conrad Smith, Julian Savea, Corey Jane and “insert fast bloke to play on opposite wing here”.
Trade 4:
Andrew Hore to the Highlanders for Jason Rutledge
This trade would open up some cap space and would mean that the only Danny DeVito look-a-like in sports would be on my team. I hate to use the term underrated so I will say that he is under appreciated. He is a nuggetty, hard-nosed battler who isn’t particularly skilful, but has a knack for turning balls over and making try saving tackles. He is also easily the most intense man I have ever seen and a cult hero in Southland; this is a man who I would have led the Hurricanes forward pack.
Trade 5:
Hosea Gear for either the first or second round draft picks
Could easily get a first rounder given his dominance in the Wellington 7’s recently. However a second round pick would be just as good, considering we just picked up Danny DeVito.
By actually implementing a trade system, rather than gifting rival teams your best players the Hurricanes and other teams could actually build a reasonable team. Teams would also attract some talent through the draft to fulfil the urge teams have to build a team through “youth”.
Jordan
Guest
Cory Jane is the man!
Daniel James Lessley
Guest
What do Super Rugby players, on New Zealand Super Rugby teams, get paid? Crusaders, Blues, Highlanders, Chiefs, and Hurricanes? Are there minimum salaries for players on New Zealand Super Rugby teams? What is the best way to become a professional Rugby Union player, for a New Zealand Super Rugby team? Meaning, the player is paid, to play Super Rugby on a New Zealand Super Rugby team. Thanks.
Lee
Guest
To be fair, the Hurricanes did not trade Andrew Hore, Ma'a Nonu, Piri Weepu, Hosea Gear and Aaron Cruden. Hore ans Nonu were told they were not wanted, while the other three chose to leave the franchise.
Kevin Higginson
Guest
I think the idea of a salary cap and the ability of any player playing for any of the teams is a great idea and will create a more competitive league. Also, when the comp is expanded to 18 teams, then have the inter-conference matches played as seeded matches, so strong teams play stroong teams and weaker teams play weaker teams, meaning a teams schedule enables them to move up higher. e.g. Reds would play Crusaders, Blues, Highlanders, Hurricanes, Stormers, Sharks, Bulls, Cheetahs, while Rebels would play Highlanders, Hurricanes, Chiefs, New NZ team, Bulls, Cheetahs, Lions, Kings
sixo_clock
Roar Guru
maybe, but one-eyed sharks usually go hungry.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
sheek you should write more articles as a post like this could easily be one. Hasn't the Roar been quiet this week?
MattD
Guest
Any idea on how much the average coaching staff makes? Head Coach? Assistants? Director?
MattD
Guest
Thanks Vanilla G. that's actually MUCH better than I thought. If we could pay our rugby players half of that average here in the states, we'd be a monster in the sport. Our "Olympic" team is apparently getting $2,000 a month, which covers housing and maybe a meal or two. Every talented high schooler we have ends up going on to play college football because there's no money in the sport. I don't blame them. But the day we start paying players here and offering college scholarships is the day the rugby world needs to start taking notice. Until then enjoy beating us by zillion points every time we take the pitch. Cheers
steve.h
Guest
Actually the sharks are the greatest team never to win super rugby
sheek
Guest
I've often argued that sport must not be run exactly as business is run in the real world. Three things underpinning sport are - Tribalism, History & Tradition. This is built around the same entities playing each other regularly over a long period of time. Consequently fathers, sons, grandfathers, grandsons, fellow community folk & countrymen can all relate to the same things despite living in different eras & times. Australia has been playing test cricket against England since 1877. That's enough for about 6 generations to have shared the same experience. The Sheffield Shield began as far back as 1892/93. The Wallabies first played the All Blacks back in 1903. While a competition can grow by adding more teams, you want to prevent as much & as often as possible, teams falling by the wayside. One of the great things about the AFL, is that 9 of the 18 clubs started with the original VFL, way back in 1897. A further 3 were added in 1925. These 12 clubs are all still there, although two - Swans & Lions - have relocated. This represents incredible stability. The NRL has been less successful preserving its "originals". Only Roosters & Rabbitohs remain intact from 1908, while Wests Tigers is a merger of another two originals - Balmain Tigers & Wests Magpies. However, other clubs with more than 65 years service include St>George-Illawarra (1921), Canterbury (1935), Manly (1947) & Parramatta (1947). The means of maintaining sameness in sporting comps is essential to its continued success & longevity. This can be helped by introducing things like a salary cap & draft. It ensures that over a period of time, all clubs, all constituents, have an opportunity to be successful. This is why many of us love our version of sport. It takes us away from the real world for a while, each weekend, or whenever. So anything that will help clubs & competitions to survive & thrive is to be encouraged.
Onor
Guest
i think its already been defined dude... they're just keeping us all in the dark.. heard of the saying.. loose lips sink ships??
Onor
Guest
correction dude.. hawkes bay... hawkes bay produce the real talent.. the franchises pillage the hawkes bay.. before the crusaders it was otago.
Steve
Guest
The average wage in Australia is $244,000 -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
VG I agree with some redistribution of players, but I think that a draft would destroy the incentive for each team to develop its own players locally and spread the game in its own areas. There would be no point as they wouldn't benefit by harvesting the talent. A draft is fine in the NFL however, because the sport is so dominant the game doesn't need to be spread. I would be more in favour of teams being able to hold onto two thirds of their squads, while the rest were redistributed to bulk up the weaker teams. A good and thorough article to read by the way.
Vanilla Gorilla
Guest
Im not so sure that the players will leave for europe if a salary cap is implemented, and in fact, under my proposal they will be getting paid more as a salary cap of $4.4 million has been proposed. Also i think what you will see is that players will take more sebaticals like Dan Carter did and play one season for big money. The allure of playing for your home country is still strong enough that players will stay until they are around 28-30 then they will cash in in Europe or Japan, and so they should. Also in regards to your comments about developing most of their players lets take a quick look. Not all of their players are developed their, israel dagg is a prime example if a salary cap was imposed he would have been in otago. Also i think given the financial trouble a lot of the rugby unions are in in NZ a salary cap would help keep a lid on player wages. The crusaders themselves are in a fairly substantial hole. Also i would not want this to turn into a English Premier League or Major League Baseball situation where only the wealthy can win it and only the same teams win it. Is it ok that only 5 different teams have won in the last 17 years and one team has won 7? (Thank you Rugbug)
AussieKiwi
Guest
Interesting that in Aus the AFL has a draft system, and the NRL has a salary cap system, on the basis of economic viability of the clubs and fairness of competition. I don't claim to be familiar with all the details, but who could forget Melbourne Storm being stripped of its titles because it had some dodgy arrangements in place to get around the salary cap. Many have suggested that the NRL salary cap system is an unlawful restraint of trade against the players, but no-one has ever tested it (yet). I guess for NRL they can get away with it to a degree because there aren't many overseas countires to pick up the players on lucrative contracts (unlike union). However increasingly there is competition between all codes for players, with even ARL stealing top NRL players such as Israel Folau and Karmicheal Hunt. However that does leave the fundamental problem that as a general proposition, without a salary cap richer clubs will get better players.
Vanilla Gorilla
Guest
Hey Matt At the moment only the Australian franchises has a salray cap system the NZ and South African conferences don't. The players that i mentioned in the article are All Black regulars (players who represent NZ) who just won the rugby world cup. To give you an example, Piri Weepu would be like a good QB in the NFL. Not Peyton or Brady but maybe the next level down, more like a Sanchez or Flacco. Im sure the Washington Redskins or some lower team in the NFL would give away a first round pick for them as well as trading away their junk or keeping them as a back up. In regards to the franchise tag this was my own variation on it, it was an idea to keep local heros in the same team, something that was huge in the amatuer era, remembering that rugby has only been professional since 1995. The money in Super Rugby is nowhere near the NFL money given the NFL has a minimum salary around $450,000 per year. The average super rugby salary is about $135,000 per year. I think the minimum is around the $60,000, at least that is what a mate got in his first year a while back in the NPC.
Sailosi
Guest
Yes they are implementing stricter rules. By 2013 I think each squad has to be 65% or 70% 'french'. A player who has been in a French academy for 3 years prior to the age of 21 will not be considered a foreigner. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Rugbug
Guest
Its also highly unlikely that the Reds would have been playing a final at Suncorp last year if they had to share their players. I can see merits in a Salary cap but I can also see the downsides, one thing we do not want is a competition where only 3 or 4 teams ever have a realistic chance of winning the competition. Then again in 17 years of SR we have only had 5 winners and one of those winners a whopping 7 times
Rugbug
Guest
Correct me if I am wrong but are the French not implementing a quota system on foreign players playing in the Top 14 if they haven't done so already?