Henry: Argies need a Super team

One option would be to allow Arg players to be counted as local players for super teams. This would give potential 30+ top players to current teams, adding strength. This would then enable expansion to include a 6th NZ team, (central districts???), a 6th SA team. Then do the same for PI players, making sure they have already represented their own national team, enabling Aus to have an extra team. The benefit would be enlarged player base across SH, meaning national team players of PI and Arg would get exposure to higher levels. With 6 teams in each conference, playing home and away in conference (10 matches), plus 3 from each other conference, would still give 16 match season, less overall travelling, max of 3 matches across Indian Ocean for SA teams. Play off would be for top 2 in each conference (national finals, e.g. Currie cup), with the winners into semi finals and the best loser (record from regular season). Semi finals then week off before super final at a pre set venue, like NFL super bowl

+1 with you Mike Pumas suggests the national team, not players potentially for SR

So it Jap, and that's not commonly used, so will defer to Will.

Thought the addition of Argentina was more concrete than the Japan addition - seem to recall there was talk of an Island presence as well.

Really???? You would sacrifice long term sustainability and growth of the game for some short term wins? Because this is what this would happen if we ditch the Force and Rebels. Not to mention the huge waste of money getting this far. The ARU is on the right track by trying to implement a third tier that will act as a feeder to each Super Rugby team. They also need to get SR back onto free to air television to broaden the supporter base, which will increase viewers and the dollars the game can attract. Then we will see growth and sustainability. The Argies need to come into SR, but it is likely to be through the conference system, seeing them have potentially 2 sides combined with an expanded SA presence (to 6 teams, 8 for the conference). We will play against NZ (expanded to 6 teams) with perhaps the addition of a Japanese side (12 teams in total) that will not only add more money to the competition, but will broaden the appeal of the game, and give Japan some good training before they host the RWC in 2019. The two conferences would play off in the finals which would likely attract even more viewers than the current system. The long term plans are in the making. Lets just hope that politics doesn't get in the way of the right outcome.

What's pejorative about it? Its a shortening of the name, nothing more.

Argies is a pejorative term and not suitable for use by educated people. Pumas please if you don't know how to spell Argentines or even Argentinians.

Superb idea KCR, only because I thought it myself too! But seriously, Argie players should be encouraged to play in Australia, all Au Super teams need a bit of forward backbone and the argies can show how thats done, it's a win win.

Exactly. The biggest issue in world rugby is the lack of a sensible, co-ordinated worldwide structured season. As the game grows worldwide it will have to grasp the nettle on this. I'm not confident of it happening any time soon though. The top two club/province competitions in the world - Super Rugby and the Heineken Cup - are both being redesigned but are only changing because of parochial,money-grabbing, political players forcing the change for short term gain. No vision. Essentially Super Rugby is being changed only because South Africa promised 6 provinces that they could play on it even though they only had 5 places and the Heineken Cup is being destroyed because the English clubs sold the TV rights that they didn't own to BT Sport and both now have to deliver on the promises that were, essentially, lies. Even though I can see that there are good arguements for change in both competitions no-one is taking a long-term strategic view.

the greater problem is indicative of not having a universal playing calendar. The SXV should bring a couple of Argentinian teams and a couple of Japanese teams in the fold too.

It could take a while to finalize an Argentine SR team, in he meantime having Argentine players in existing Super Rugby teams would help both Argentina and Super Rugby. Players from Argentina should not be counted as foreign, this could encourage them to play in Super Rugby where their schedule would not conflict with NH club duties and lift the standard of many of the teams. Realistically many of their players would remain in Europe but having a stable core of players in Super Rugby would at least provide a base team to add to rather than having to bring a team together just before the start of the comp.

I can recall something like "family reasons" being talked about with some French based Fijians.

Be honest Ra, you only come here for the rumours, backstabbing and innuendo. Where else could you find so much of it? ;)

"Henry: Argies need a Super team" What, so they can get even better and really do us over in the tests? Not bloody likely! ;)

Yep and it was rumored that a lot of Island players did not come back for RWC duties because of NH clubs putting financial bonuses in front of them - I'm not one to take too much notice of rumors, but they abound aplenty here on The Roar

I think ANZ / NSA and Argi / Aussie conferences are more plausible

When Argie did well in 2007 Wcup the path to the Rugby championship was set in motion. I expected at the time at least one Arg sxv to be there by the time they joined last year, ideally by 2012. The was the most obvious supporting factor as the sxv directy feeds ALL of the RC sides except for few oveseas bok players. To talk about it now is plain shortsightedness by those in control of things Agie rugby.

When Argie did well in 2007 Wcup the path to the Rugby championship was set in motion. I expected at the time at least one Arg sxv to be there by the time they joined last year, ideally by 2012. The was the most obvious supporting factor as the sxv directy feeds ALL of the RC sides except for few oveseas bok players. To talk about it now is plain shortsightedness by those in control of things Agie rugby.

To those short sighted people that think that selecting overseas players is a good thing. Read this article. According to GH Arg suffered at the eoyt because the French clubs wouldnt release players. Also de Villiers is saying that SA rugby is now suffering because of it. Yet you harp on about how it would be a good thing. The only teams that it would be a good thing for is the Japanese and European clubs, all of our teams would suffer and that includes the international teams. I am amazed you cant see that.

This whole thing is getting irritating. Isn't there someone out there with a paid position in Rugby capable of putting something workable on the table? In the mean time, if you add Argie teams into a conference (let's presume you remove two existing teams) that conference just became the toughest in the comp with a completely skewed quantity of off shore touring. If this is to happen their really needs to be parity by sharing the new teams through the conferences, or like now simply having a fourth conference. Unfortunately Aussies need to get to grips with National depth. On this basis Boks are effectively suggesting there is already a "skew". And a southern rugby "vision" still needs to think about the Islands and Japan. $ becomes an issue. Presumably there is a cost base available in Argie. Japan as well. If you added 1 x Argie team in the NZ conference, 1x in the Aussie, 6th RSA to stop the girlie bitching. The "skew" isn't too bad. BUT the Argies will be playing practically all games on tour. Or perhaps we ditch the conference system?