One of the most discussed issues between Australian rugby fans is the lack of a third tier.
Many ideas have been suggested, such as introducing another professional national club competition or expanding the Shute Shield competition, but the latest idea has been to create a sophisticated university rugby setup.
The Rugby Union Player’s Association is pushing for an under 23s varsity competition.
Apparently, Greg Harris, the president of RUPA, has been visiting different parties involved with Super Rugby and Premier Rugby to try and gain support for this model.
Varsity rugby in this country hasn’t really gained any sort of notoriety outside of Sydney University; it has always taken the backseat to schoolboy and club rugby.
Perhaps there is potential in a varsity system, just take a look at the huge support American football gets for its collegiate tournaments.
Also, I don’t think it would be extreme of me to suggest that American rugby’s college level has more support than our university level with the USA Rugby Collegiate Seven’s Championship getting national television coverage on NBC.
Granted, our universities don’t have the long complex sporting histories, traditions and rivalries like most American colleges, but why not start creating these now.
There’s already a bit of petty rivalry between uni students, try building on it, you can have rivalry games such as Sydney Uni vs UNSW, ANU vs UC or Griffith vs UQ.
New ARU chairman Bill Pulver has stated that a third tier for Australian rugby is on the agenda, so could university rugby be the next attempt to solve Australia’s depth issues?
The Great G Nepia
Guest
What a brilliant idea! Good thinking Carl Unger, I think a uni rugby comp is great, and will give rugby that point of difference in a crowded sports market
sheek
Roar Guru
biltongbek, Thankyou. I broke my own rule that generally after 100 respondents, it's not worth you're while responding.....!
As respondent 171, I just thought it would be good you are notified someone read your comment. ;)
sheek
Roar Guru
Obviously as the 170th respondent, a lot has been said on the subject, not to mention by some respondents to each other. I think the proposal is an utter nonsense & sooner forgotten, the better. For a start I don't understand this Australian obsession between rugby & universities. Is this the only way some people think they can develop rugby union in Australia, through Sydney & Brisbane GPS, & Sydney & Qld University??? On another level, I can't help but think this proposal has more to do with helping universities than it does rugby. The sooner this proposal sinks beneath the waves & disappears for ever, the better..... ;-)
simmo green
Guest
DS, I haven't looked at the detail, but I'd imagine a modest start with four teams is a sensible route. I don't see flights/accom being much of an issue, Qantas spend more in one week on radio spots than they're likely to ferrying teams around and putting a roof over their heads. The raw data on inbounds is shrieking for a local airline to get a much bigger slice of that Kiwi market. Pretty easy to package up some decent supporter deals as well. Slow at first but a niche market that would develop over time. Wouldn't you love a long weekend in ChCh to support your team? I see Foxtel grabbing this with both hands, particularly as October/November is a flat time for subs. It's the perfect third tier..........
Bakkies
Guest
Australia needs to work on the base it has. Grassroots are growing. Hosting another RWC is one way of increasing numbers but O'Neill admitted that they couldn't afford the fees and there is no guarantee it will get the support that 2003 had got. The players in Australia's 7s squad need to regular Rugby to outside of the IRB circuit events. The home unions have the British and Irish Cup which is a great comp for second XV players as it gives matches for academy players too. I am not sure how it is financed as it doesn't have real tv coverage and a major sponsor. There is an under 20s Six Nations, a national club side in Ireland (Ireland club XV is playing English counties). There is loads of Rugby for second tier and fringe players rather then just playing club Rugby so they get to perform at a higher level. Watched a AIL club Rugby match between Young Munster and St Mary's on tv last season and the standard is similar to Shute Shield. The forward play was definitely more proficient then Shute and the back play had good structure.
mania
Guest
Dadiggle - no thanks i already do a low job working at parliment. the stench of corruption here is worse than the abbatoirs
chris
Guest
As BB says time is the number one issue. As for expanding, in other words having more than about 8 teams, you run out of markets. South Africa has millions of rugby fans, but remain a pretty poor country so you need large populations to maintain a professional rugby team. Realistically there are only six population centres with large enough economies to sustain pro rugby teams. Theoretically Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban can support multiple pro teams, but with the exception of Johannesburg, the existing brands in each of these cities are way too settled to allow for start-up to be successful.
peeeko
Roar Guru
exactly jez, like the al eague, teams came from nowhere, not existing nsl clubs
Johnno
Guest
sounds good Dadiggle, I need a new gardener, and someone to clean by boots and shine my shoes a new butler would be handy on my estate . LOL.
Charcoal
Guest
The last thing Australian Rugby needs is a University based competition as its third tier. This will only entrench its perception as an elitist private school sporting culture. By all means, have a University based competition, but on a lesser tier. The problem with Australian Rugby is that it has not embraced the broader Rugby community which also includes the public school system and those who don't aspire to a university education. Unless the ARU redresses this situation, Rugby in Australia will struggle to be competitive with the other football codes and will at best be considered a boutique sport. One can only hope that Bill Pulver, the new CEO, will have the intestinal fortitude to resist the current Rugby establishment and set Australian Rugby on a path of true egalitarinism. On the question of a third tier competiton, which has been debated ad infinitum on the Roar, the ARC was and still is the best model. Apart from the fact that it was prematurely cancelled after only one year, the original concept was bastardized by those for reasons unknown by creating teams in Sydney and Brisbane outside of their logical supporter bases (except for the Western Sydney Rams). It's little wonder that it did not attract the support that it potentially could have. I attended all of the Rams' home games and although crowds were not great at Parramatta Stadium (they would have been much better at Concord) the standard of Rugby was a big notch above Shute Shield. I also attended the Rams' game against Sydney Fleet (supposedly representing Southern Sydney) at North Sydney Oval which was a crackerchack game before a sellout crowd. The buzz was electrifying like the old North Harbour v South Habour matches of a bygone era. So the potential is there if they get the team structures right. The most logical structure for an ARC competiion is for 8 teams, with 3 in Sydney (North, South and West), 2 in Brisbane (North & South), Canberra, Melbourne and Perth. As the competition develops, further teams could be added, eg Adelaide, Newcastle, Illawarra, Gold Coast.
Carl Unger
Roar Pro
That's a fair call Andy, something I didn't think of but perhaps it is those traditions and rivalries which keep alumni wanting to put money into it, wanting their college to do well and win against their old rivals. It's a big part of why you have old boys still attending 1st XV matches at their old school, tradition and rivalry, it keeps them supporting and I'm sure many of them would put money into their school's rugby team if needed if they don't already. The more I think about this the more I think this it is too hard for rugby, mainly financially. Don't have the time or money to build rivalries and tradition. I guess this is where the "Let's expand the Shute Shield" debate starts.
Dadiggle
Guest
Mania if you can't go to uni then you work some low job like cleaning johnno's boots and mowing his lawn
Alberton, it is literally just south of johburg, it is in a nature estate, quite safe here. But yeah, my wife and I would love to move to the country, but it just isn't safe to do so.
Dadiggle
Guest
There by Nigel Springs? Hope your not on a farm mate. Been hectic for the farmers
No mate, Johannesburg, I live just south of Johannesburg.
Harry
Guest
Mania you don't need to attend these university's to play for their footy side. Well at UQ you don't, unsure elseware but I would think it would be the same
Dadiggle
Guest
You mean lure Island talent with $$$$
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
What about size ... How many teams from Aust ... You've got 14 NZ provinces (and that number won't budge) so how big do you thin this comp will be ... is there really that much funding to move these teams around ... I cant how anyone could think that a semi pro competition could sustain itself like what's you're proposing .... The only way the ARU could look at using the ITM cup is to do a JV with the NZRFU whereby they fund and draft promising players into the existing NZ sides and pick up their salaries ... Can't see that happening though
Dadiggle
Guest
Biltong are you from Cape Town?