Rugby’s big question is why are the South African administrators so difficult to deal with?
The latest, SARU are demanding six teams in Super Rugby when the current format and television deal runs out at the end of 2015.
That has prompted CEOs Bill Pulver (ARU) and Steve Tew (New Zealand Rugby Union) to look at an alternative, the Australasian Conference, and let the South Africans do the best they can with Argentina in another Conference,
The big loser will be South Africa, but that’s their fault through sheer greed.
But the Australasian Conference concept has legs, with three major additions – Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga,
So there would be the Brumbies, Reds, Waratahs, Rebels, Force, Chiefs, Crusaders, Blues, Hurricanes, Highlanders, and the Islanders playing as national sides.
It’s high time the IRB, ARU, and New Zealand Rugby Union paid more attention to the Pacific Islanders, and not just give them lip service.
The IRB should step in by funding the Islanders, sending many of their best players back home from Europe, and the UK, because Fijian, Samoan, and Tongan rugby are as poor as church mice.
That’s why their best players have headed overseas to make a living.
There’s the first big plus in an Australasian Conference – vastly improving their rugby, which is very much part of the IRB Charter. Throwing money at them will never improve them, only tough and regular competition will do that.
The second major plus is the significant drop in overall travel as compared to the current format; and thirdly, Super games between Australian and New Zealand sides attract more television viewers than against South African sides.
So my suggested 13-team Australasian Conference from 2016 would play less games than the current format of 16, with 12.
They would play every other side once – six at home, six away – with much less wear and tear on all players.
If the IRB shifted the international window from June to July, the Australasian Conference and whatever South Africa organised for itself would be over and the semis and final between the two Conferences decided before the internationals.
Super Rugby decided, then home internationals for Australia and New Zealand decided, then the Rugby Championship decided, and finish the year with the usual northern hemisphere tours.
Clear cut, no hangovers, better rugby.
Matt
Guest
Why not just add the 16th SA team and split super rugby into 4 pools of 4? Play 3 games at home, 3 away a bye in between and a top 8 and bottom 8 playoffs? That's 10 weeks and you can start in mid March and wrap up the whole thing in time for the June tests. Follow the June tests with the 4 Nations over July/August and then into the NRC, ITM Cup, Currie Cup in September/October. From there we tour Europe. The value would be reduced from Super Rugby and increased in domestic rugby. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Scott
Guest
Michael Jones was born in Auckland making him a nzer. Where do you get stripping the islands of their players please? just because they of Island heritage don't mean they play for samoa or tonga. They NZers with Polynesian heritage, bottom line they are kiwis born & breed here, some not born but raised early age, its a myth that NZ steal talent you fool. In the 2011 world cup when samoa had 16 born nzers in their team, whos stealing the talent. There are other islander eligible players that play for NZ unions & some NZ super teams hell they prob also NZ born but have chosen to represent a island nation. Country of birth first, raised second, heritage last.
Scott
Guest
in 2011 WC 7 out of 30 were NZers/ samoa had 16 out of 30.
Scott
Guest
Please also stop stealing the white players from Scotland because they have Scottish heritage. We could use a McCaw, read, woodcock, franks, jane, anyone with any white blood in NZ.
Scott
Guest
Benny There are a lot of NZ born players that play for the island nations, but these are ones that prob don't have much of a chance to play for NZ their country of birth. Country of birth/raised should be the main factor in who you play for not heritage. Soon Richie McCaw going want to head to Scotland because that's his heritage.
Scott
Guest
Think they can only have 2 non-NZ players in super squad not sure with provinvial unions. NZ player meaning anyone regardless of heritage being born in NZ or raised there.
Scott
Guest
Japan & America will not be powerhouses until it starts right at the bottom from schools to club, just having player numbers is not the main factor in good teams. Look at England with over 2 millions players.
Scott
Guest
Yip since the island teams are full of NZ born players I think NZ are very generous.
Scott
Guest
NZ have 25 or 26 unions including the NZRU. They should combine the unions like NZ do I think the hurricanes have like 8 unions, highlanders only have 3 unions, Otago/southland & north otago unions make this super team, Southland V Otago games get more support than the highlanders more rivalry but when super rugby starts they join.
Scott
Guest
Yea the movement is because before 2011 or something each super team could protect so many players in their provincial unions then bring in other players that were not guarded by other teams if they needed too. Them rules have been laxed. So highlanders made up of Otago/southland & north otago unions could only select from their provinces then they could select from a draft.
Scott
Guest
So if a person of island heritage is born in OZ, that don't make him/her a aussie? regardless of heritage? I will call them a Australian samoan or Australian tongan. Same as the kiwis.
Scott
Guest
Yea Nz develop the players who are born/raised in NZ, then when they realise they probably wont make the national team, the go through the heritage pathway to play for a Island team. That's why like 60% of the samoan team at the last world cup was NZ born. The island nations don't have anymore of a right to select NZ/OZ born & breed Polynesians because of the players heritage than Scotland or England with all the whites playing in NZ/OZ.
Bebop
Guest
-- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Bebop
Guest
As a saffer, as much as we hate losing to the Aussies (more so than the kiwis for example), I would hate for that alliance to end. But the facts are just clear - 50million potential supporters, and as the games support base grows and we penetrate that 50m, the potential is huge. We already effectively subsidise aus rugby union, and this kak new conference system was put in place to appease the Aussies who wanted more derbies because they have no local tournie. We effectively part pay for an Aussie home tournament. Our numbers are growing - 900 clubs at recent count, two tiers of currie cup, varsity cup, etc. you can try get the same level if subsidy from pi involvement. Good luck. And btw the crappy kings sold out most of their games. 40000 tickets sold. Lets compare that to the rebels and force and then talk. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Fox08
Guest
Just who exactly has been supporting Islander rugby? The Kiwis and Wallabies have done absolutely nothing for Islander rugby other than strip the islands of any promising players. When did some of you blinker boys last hold a tournament or host the Samoans? Michael Jones was even quick to thank SA for their support of Samoa. SANZAR isn't going to implode. There is to much money at stake. Lets kick the Saffers out and hold our own championship and tournaments??? That really makes a lot of sense. Have you seen what's happening in Europe? I'm sure the powerful English and French clubs who are talking about starting their own league would love to have 5/6 SA teams join them. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Hopperdoggy
Guest
+100%. The Romans didn't need equal numbers of sword swinging dudes to conquer the world. Just have a few who know what they are doing and spend your resources on the pyramid that supports the few.
Hopperdoggy
Guest
Ron, anyone who plays Sydney or Brisbane club rugby would guess the ticket sale value of a Reds/Tahs v Samoa/Fiji/Tonga derby. There's more Manu Samoa rugby lovin, ticket buying supporters in Sydney than Tah supporters and that's a fact. Anyone who was at any NZ v WBs game in the last 10 years in Aus could easily divide the massive AB support base into those who are actually Kiwis, for those who are islanders supporting their "generic culture". Much like Aussies supporting the Celtic nations over England, though there's a bit of "mother England" republican type spite thrown into that mix. Regular Islander National teams would spin the turnstiles - no doubt about that!
richard
Guest
NZ does more for PI rugby than all other countries combined. As many before me have said,the bulk of the PI squads are top heavy with playing talent from NZ.And we also have numerous PI players who are not AB eligible playing for SR and ITM Cup sides.In short,NZ has done and continues to do more for their rugby than anyone else. And yet,we continue to get this guilt trip dumped on us at every opportunity.NZs only responsibility is to its own game.The PI issue is the IRBs problem,not ours.As things stand,we are already bleeding players at a massive rate to overseas clubs,we don't need the extra burden of having to prop up PI rugby as well!
Suzy Poison
Guest
David have you once considered that this competition is not only about dollars and TV rights. I am not sure how old Super rugby is, maybe 20yrs all up? But have you considered how things have changed in South Africa in that time? For the black kid kicking around the footy ball in red African dirt, he aspires to be Bryan Habana. But he has also seen Tana Umaga and Ma Nonu and Lote Tuquiri. That gives him hope, that the colour of his skin is irrelevant, even if still in every day in South Africa it is. Australia and New Zealand have helped South Africa grow, in a way that is beyond just sport. We all need each other, even though we don't like to admit it.
Ai Rui Sheng
Guest
The reason that the Island teams are doing better now is that they are given time together before they play against the third tier Bleatingish nations. Most of the Samoans are actually Kiwis and are already given free entry into NZ $XV sides. Oddly the Tongans use very few of their Kiwi- born players and the ARU steals as many as possible to prop up Humpty Dumpty.