In case many may have missed it, our new leader Bill Pulver has returned from his expedition to the land of milk and Guinness in his efforts to gauge the temperament of the IRB on his proposed law variations for his Super B brainchild.
Perhaps of little surprise to many, they really had no issue with his alterations of laws that include the removal of shots for goal from penalties and 25 minute halves in a developmental competition.
Which begs the question, why the need to fly when a simple phone or conference call would have been sufficient? Something to be pondered for another day.
The main thing is that it now appears that Super B (not the greatest of working titles) will become a reality from as soon as next season. Love it or hate it, it seems to be our stop gap alternative to a true third tier.
Apparently set to run for eight weeks (two rounds) the entire purpose is to provide the necessary level of competition above that of Club Rugby in an attempt to better prepare up and coming talent for the riggers of Super Rugby.
Many may look at this in scorn and continue to call for a re-visit of the old ARC concept. And fair enough. It’s a vital step that must be addressed. However, it might be worth taking this into account.
At present, rugby isn’t exactly cash rich, it’s not exactly asset rich either. So to take the risk of establishing an eight team tournament is an expense too far.
Perhaps this move can initially satisfy the need in the short term and be evolved in time into a new version of the ARC.
With initially the five franchises entering their ‘academy’ squads it will provide a competition to ply their wares while developing the level of competitiveness within each squad.
Questions surrounding its appeal have been tabled, however, it’s quite evident that apart from being a development tool with the proposed law alterations it is clearly also a product destined for TV.
Its whole purpose is to promote running rugby for the sake of entertainment to new and established audiences. Like this or not its a commercial reality but I think the primary issue for many will be its lack of scope.
Five teams, just five. Well, that’s true at least initially.
After contemplating the issue I come to the conclusion that as a start, it isn’t a bad one. In fact, its a road map to an ARC in time if done correctly and gradually over say a three to five year period.
In year one, the sole purpose is to get it up and running. The idea behind using Academies and playing before Super Rugby games is purely to keep the costs as low as humanly possible.
So to get five teams (hopefully named after the cities in which the are situated) will be the primary objective.
In year two, with the two largest playing pools both NSW and Queensland would look to effectively split their initial academy teams with the intention of running two separate squads to add further depth to the situation.
This would bring the competition from seven to 12 weeks. Too large for the proposed time frame. This is where the new TV deal will come into play.
The third season will fall in 2016 and the beginning of the new TV deal.
As part of the negotiations provisions for the Super B concept to grow into a stand alone competition separate of the Super Rugby season to one after all club commitments should be included.
In time it should be set that each Super Rugby franchise should have two direct squads feeding into its main roster to provide the necessary depth to maintain a strong competitive level.
At this point the Brumbies should look to introduce their second side and the competition look to use the better club grounds to play and broadcast from.
By the fifth year, the number should total 10 teams across nine rounds.
The point is that while the Pulver plan isn’t perfect but if done correctly can evolve into the third tier we have been calling for. And a step in the right direction.
Working Class Rugger
Guest
Super Rugby is an international 'provincial' competition not a TT championship. For it to be a true TT championship SA would need to remove itself from SR completely.
SonofaGun
Guest
There is already a transtasman rugby comp, the Super 15. What next Christchurch High School Old Boys and Glenmark in the Shute Shield?
Stoff
Guest
It is also designed to allow the games to be played as a curtain raiser to Super Rugby matches, fitting in with the existing ground hire arrangements (from 5.30 from what I recollect of Bill Pulver's comments) and concluding in time to allow the ground to be clear 1 hour before kick-off for the main game.
GWS
Guest
Top idea. Without stupid scrum and breakdown penalty shots deciding games there might be some rugby played. This could prove to be more popular long term and could attract new audiences.
Gorgonite
Roar Rookie
Always an interesting read WCR. Do you think Fox will broadcast it next year?
Luke Reds
Guest
I hope that this works. Australian Rugby has needed something like this to happen for quite a while and while this idea does seem to have some flaws (like how is 50 minutes going to prepare them for 80) any step in right direction is better then none at all. I hope that the Super B ( seriously could you not have come up with a slightly more creative name) can also expand in time to include teams like west Sydney, Gold Coast and Adelaide.
Worlds biggest
Guest
I don't mind this concept at all, good to see Bill Pulver on the front foot on something. The ARU must see this through. Rugby needs pathways for the young talent to shine and this is one option. Totally disagree with the comment that Rugby should just focus on it's own backyard / niche market. How on God's earth will you ever grow your product. Righto Bill, what else you got !
p.Tah
Guest
I agree I like the idea of using city names. Why did the Rebels go with Melbourne instead of Victoria?
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
I didn't bring it up in the article but yes, I agree entirely on the branding of the teams. It would do it a great disservice by simply calling them Tahs A etc. and would severely limit its ability to grow into the future.
Johnson
Guest
I think this is a great idea. Our young players trying to crack super rugby will have another layer of experience. Its a great use of resources at minimal cost, which to be fair rugby has minimal resources. I love the fact that the ARU is giving it a crack.
Bay35Pablo
Roar Guru
This has doubtless been suggested above, but I can't be bothered reading 89 comments to check. They need to create a separate identity for each of the B teams, to stand separately to the Super sides. Otherwise if they ever want to use the comp to build a stand alone, they'll have to change all this again. Each should be called for the city based in. So Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth. Perhaps consider calling the Rebels B Victoria instead of Melbourne to differentiate it? For all but Melbourne, they should use the names and jerseys of the previous ARC teams (but not the Queensland sides!), so there is at least some continuity and alleged history (plus no need to reinvent and pay for them again). Sydney Fleet, Brisbane not Tornadoes or Aces (do they have an equivalent of the SRU to run with the colours of?), Canberra Vikings (although arguably this is too closely associated with Tugeranong - perhaps Kookaburras, their old Shute Shield team?), and Perth Spirit. Victoria should play in the old Rebels' hoops, and perhaps just call them the Blues? Bushrangers has already been nicked by the cricket.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
One of the measures to be implemented will be to move the respective club seasons back in order to not come into conflict with the Super B concept.
AndyS
Guest
And if it doesn't prove popular because of the format, lack of visibility and everyone preferring to see the end of the preceding Super match down the pub - will the ARU yet again kill it as costing too much and spend another 6 years telling themselves that they've proven there is no way anything can be made to work? I can't see how Pulver could think he will be avoiding conflict with the Clubs though. We will talking 44 players on game day, when squads are about 35. All of that second team would have been playing club otherwise, so he's going to get the conflict with this or anything else.
AndyS
Guest
Boomeranga
Guest
Yeah, I thought there might be a reasonable standard in Perth, but wasn't sure. Recruiting locally would mostly become more of an issue if you had a heavy mismatch in the number of professionals available on any given day. If there were 10 Reds or Brumbies included up against 20 local Melbourne players it might get a bit messy, but that's not the end of the world either. Aussie Rules and League mix pro's with amateurs all the time.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
"Surely there could have been some adjustments to the original concept to make it more economical to run???" I'd suggest they get into contact with the blokes behind the AIHL: http://www.theaihl.com/leagues/front_pageAIHL.cfm?clientid=3856&leagueid=11464 These guys run a proper national league with a 112 game season running from April through to September in what is very much a minority sport in this country. They have teams in Melbourne (2), Sydney (2), Newcastle, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast. If these guys can do it then so should we.
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
From little acorns big oaks grow. there will be lots of problems with any extra rugby tier as there was with ARC, but we have to start somewhere. At present if you are a young player that didn't develop at an early age but is developing now in club colts rugby you have got a snowballs chance in hell of being noticed by and Super franchise. 99 times out of a 100 you will be lost in clubland. It's like winning gold lotto to be picked up by a Super Franchise if you are in club rugby, and for all you blokes that rabbit on about oh thats not right well I've got news for you. Come down out of the clouds and get a reality check. If you don't make the 1st XV at school you stand buckley's chance of being noticed. I would welcome any new tier of rugby where young men might get the chance to be noticed and fulfill their dreams of playing professional rugby. At the moment you go from 1st XV to the academy then on to Super rugby, that's the pathway. It's a pathway that you are able to get off but it's damn hard to get on, especially if you are just a tad late in your development in physical stature. The ARC was the best thing to have happened to rugby for this purpose in a long time but JON shortsighted shutting down of this comp after just one year was nothing short of criminal. Surely there could have been some adjustments to the original concept to make it more economical to run??? The ARU didn't save anything by shutting down the ARC they just spent it on a million dollar a year coach and spent millions on top heavy admin as we have now come to see (see Green and Gold summation by Scott Allen on admin expenditure). So in a nut shell they canned a wonderful pathway for young aspiring rugby players so they could pay over inflated payments to superfluous administration at the top end. JON and Deans wages alone would have totalled over 2 million a year. I'm not saying that you don't pay good dollars for top admin people but fair go, is the coach worth over a million a year (not to mention the forwards coach, the backs coach, the attack coach, the defence coach and a plethora of other staff, (that just to run the Wallabies) and is the CEO worth a million a year + like JON received. IMO I don't think so. I'd like to see more money spent on the product instead of the administration of the product. That's a simple as I can make it
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
That's my understanding of how it would work. It would take the EPS guys not playing, the extended training blokes and the best from Clubland to play as a 22 on game day. As for Melbourne and Perth. I think the Perth competition may surprise you in its quality. Kyle Godwin has developed in the Perth Comp and is playing some very nice Rugby in SR this season. By far the Force's best back. Melbourne I'm not too sure about though. However, the positives for players from both it that they will get some very valuable experience from competing at a whole other level and bring it back with them thus hopefully elevating the local scene in both cities further.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
Well, actually another of the variations is the prodigious use of the card system (initially 5 minutes but looks like it will remain the standard 10) to ensure the game continues to flow. It will likely mean anything cynical will be carded immediately instead of mere warnings which will encourage player to back off in terms of infringing. However, I'd actually prefer to see the penalty option remain but make it a drop goal not place kick and give a strict 30 second window in which to take the shot. I'd also like for the advantage laws to be tweaked to that if you kick the ball while on advantage you are adjudged to have given away your right to advantage and play continues on. There's a lot of inconsistency around that with some ref's playing advantage while others calling it back. Another one would be ensuring when advantage is awarded that the team in possession actually tries to make the most of it instead of killing the ball to earn the penalty. I'd reverse the penalty with a short arm if they intentionally kill the play to earn the penalty.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
I think it's being framed in the way it is to ensure it gets up and running. I think the key will be people getting behind it to demonstrate that there is a demand for such a competition. If it proves popular then the ARU can look to possibly add new teams and move it to its own window. Perhaps with it being a shortened time period they could even look to it as a pre-season competition. I don't know. The point is I think Pulver is looking to at least initially avoid conflict with Clubs as was witnessed with the ARC. By linking it with the SR franchises he does this and also establishes a test case for any future movement. This is why I believe that we need to get behind it, when its broadcast to watch in numbers and prove there is an audience wanting to see something like to grow and develop into its own entity. I like many want to see a return of the ARC in one form or the other. It was a great competition. This could be the vehicle to that but we need to back it in order to ensure it does.