Rugby hasn’t learned anything from cricket.
Cricket Australia is to be complimented for not expanding the Big Bash League in the foreseeable future despite huge crowds this season. They must have been tempted, but sensibly resisted.
Not so with rugby and the expanded Super 18 draw for this season with Japan’s Sunwolves and Argentina’s Jaguares included.
SANZAR’s interim chief exec Brendan Morris was almost doing cartwheels when he said “as we stand eagerly on the cusp of a new era of Super Rugby, fans can look forward to the upcoming season with a great deal of optimism and enthusiasm.”
“We are in the envious position to be delivering our great brand of rugby to new cities and international markets, unlocking a host of commercial opportunities and delivering the international excitement of Super Rugby to a legion of new and existing fans”.
Those two pars translate to ‘we have raised the bar on our greed’.
No mention of the huge increase of travel wear and tear on the players by admitting the Sunwolves and Jaguars – totally overlooking the fact the players are rugby’s greatest asset.
The tournament has been increased from three conferences to four.
Australia’s the same: Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies, Rebels and the Force.
New Zealand is also the same: Blues, Crusaders, Hurricanes, Highlanders, and the Chiefs.
But South Africa has been split into two Conferences. The first: Bulls, Cheetahs, Stormers, and Sunwolves. The second: Lions, Sharks, Kings, and Jaguares.
Where SANZAR’s new push for greed comes unstuck, the Australian Conference won’t play any regulation games against the second South African Conference, the New Zealanders won’t play any regulation games against the first.
How can that be an equitable draw?
The Force and the Rebels are the worst affected of the Australian Conference with eight away games, while the Reds, Waratahs, and Brumbies have seven away. Those stats will be reversed next season.
The Force, based in Perth, face a heavy travel schedule with their eight away games – the Reds, Hurricanes, Chiefs, Highlanders, Tokyo, Rebels, Cheetahs, and Brumbies. It is a frequent flyers delight.
The Rebels aren’t much better off with the Force, Bulls, Tokyo, Waratahs, Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, and Reds.
The Reds’ away games are against the Waratahs, Rebels, Bulls, Stormers, Crusaders, Hurricanes, and Brumbies.
The Waratahs’ away schedule includes Brumbies, Reds, Force, Stormers. Crusaders, Tokyo, and Blues.
The Brumbies will travel to the Force, Stormers, Cheetahs, Waratahs, Highlanders, Rebels, and Blues.
The tournament kicks off on February 26 through to the final on August 5 with June the window for three Tests against England for Australian fans, and three Tests against Wales for All Black fans.
Last year Super Rugby was 120 games in regulation, this year it will be 135 with seven finals games, compared to five last year.
Eight teams will qualify for the finals – five from Australasia and three from South Africa.
In other words the four Conference winners, plus the next three highest on the ladder from Australasia, and the next highest from South Africa.
A mess? You’d better believe it.
Hi thugbyfan. All the best for 2016. I have come to the conclusion that I am becoming more and more selfish these days. I want the Boks to play the way I want, and if I can't get it, then why be passionate about it? Same with Super rugby, I watch it for the Overseas derbies, not the local matches, that is what I have Currie Cup for. So why care about super nonsense? I don't want overseas Boks in the Bok team, I think the conference system is rubbish,.....I can carry on , but why bother?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
If only there was some kind of competition like that...
doubledutch
Roar Pro
Well said.
soapit
Guest
like in some sort of national rugby championship perhaps?
ClarkeG
Roar Guru
Taylorman that is an overly optimistic view you have. I would like to know where that team would be based, where it's support would come from, and I'd like someone to have a crack at selecting this team and then tell me how this would not dilute what NZ already has in these difficult times when support for super rugby is waning
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Really? The Blues won a total of 3 games in 2015. Brumbies (home), Force (home), Bulls (home). They didn't beat any NZ teams, but I think their inability to win away from home had just as much to do with their position as their 4 extra NZ games. They also had a couple of close losses to NZ teams so it's not as though that was the only way they could compete, to play Aus and SA sides.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Thats more because we keep beating each other up Clarke. One of our teams didnt qualify because they had to play all our other teams. NZ could easily field 6 sides capable of not finishing bottom of a tournament where everyone played the same number of overseas sides as eachother. We would have to redraw the franchise boundaries because presently they cover 100% of the country.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Your view just confirms how pointless your comment is. Less people care when their team is in the finals. Country is somewhat irrelevant. You said you'd only watch if the Waratahs. So you have said you don't want to see any team other than your own battle it out. Excluding guaranteeing every side a spot in the finals, people will tune out.
dru
Roar Rookie
because SARU wanted, and have been granted, two home finals.
dru
Roar Rookie
Wrong.
Spanners
Guest
Couple things with Davis Lord's argument. Just to be transparent, my opinion as a rugby lover, the more content the better. If I can get to see an extra 15 games, great! If I can watch the Pumas on a weekly basis (albeit under the guise of the Jaguars), I will be a happier man. And purely from an administrators point of view, the extra content certainly helped the ARU negotiate a 148% increase with the broadcasters. So, I am for the the new series. Back to the article. Lord mentioned that Cricket Australia resisted expansion. Less that they resisted, more that they can't get a working model to fit NZ and SA into the comp (at the moment). Cricket Australia are keen to include a NZ team into BBL, and seriously, who wouldn't want to see a NZ team with McCullum, Guptill, Kane Williamson and the likes mixing it with the Aussie franchises? The issue that can't be resolve at the moment is the lining up the international scheduling. This is going to be less an issue when BBL overtakes Test cricket in revenue raising. The incredible crowds pouring into the BBL, compared to the paltry figures through the gates for the West Indies Series probably suggests that day has already arrived. At some point the BBL will be holding the whip and will dictate terms, similar to how the rich European clubs dictate terms to the English Rugby Union when and if they release players for Test matches. That being said, the BBL will most certainly expand to include NZ for the same reason the Super 6 went to the Super 10's, 12's 14's 15's and now 18's. Demand and profit. Or as Lord puts it, Greed. And come on, it is a bit rich for David Lord to be banging on about "Greed" when it comes to rugby. For what end did David secure the signatures of 208 rugby players in 1983 to play in what would have been the codes 1st professional competition? Was he doing it to spread the love, or to line pockets? Huge increase in travel? That is BS. Using the Reds as an example, in 2016 they travel to play the Waratahs, Rebels, Bulls, Stormers, Crusaders, Hurricanes, and Brumbies.Picking a season to compare apples with oranges, in the 2001 Super 12 season the Reds travelled to NZ to play the Chiefs and Blues, fly back to Australia for a week, back to NZ to play the Crusaders, back to Australia for a match before flying to SA to play the Stormers and Bulls before finishing the comp against the Waratahs in Sydney. Travel has always been hard, always will be, nothing has changed from season to season. The finals consist of four Conference winners, plus the next three highest on the ladder from Australasia, and the next highest from South Africa. Why is that so hard to get your head around? The NFL has 32 clubs in 8 Divisions playing in 2 Conferences and most people don't need a degree in pure maths to work their way through that comp. As always, the most consistent teams will be best positioned to win the competition. Sorry all, I just don't see the reason for all the negative press? It was the same when the NRC was kicking off. Endless stories on here trumpeting that the lack of depth in Aussie rugby would never be able to support a 3rd Tier comp. That the rule changes were ridiculous, the team names were stupid, no-one would go to the matches, the competition would bankrupt an already financially cripple ARU etc etc. Get behind the Super 18, you might be surprised that it turns out to be a hell of a competition!!
wardad
Guest
Derbies suck when I dont know who to barrack for , when its a Kiwi team vs anyone else its no probs.
Owen
Guest
For a start that is 12 teams =11games x 2 = 22 regular season games. Secondly since there are no regions you could theoretically have 2-3 teams each from AU, NZ, SA, ARG and Asia in the top division meaning weekly trips all across the Southern. Hemisphere. That is far more travel and more games than Super Rugby.
Dopplerman
Guest
less games ?! hmm ok it could be a work in progress
Dopplerman
Guest
Ive gotta put in my two bits worth....I believe the best way to incorporate expansion into super rugby is to have two divisions of 12 teams each incorporating teams from Argentina, Japan and possibly Fiji and samoa .(less games means less travel less injuries and an improved international landscape),each team plays each other twice home and away playoffs remain the same except the bottom two teams of division one are demoted to division two whilst the top two division 2 teams are promoted to division one .Much fairer and there is that added dimension of eliminating dead rubbers at the tail end of the season ( bottom teams will have everything to lose just as top teams have everything to win )
Machooka
Roar Guru
wardad... 'derbies suck'? Only when you lose eh!
ClarkeG
Roar Guru
The NZ super rugby conference may constantly be the strongest but that does not disprove my view that there is not an endless supply of super rugby standard players in NZ. I’m not sure what statistics you have access to in regard to player depth but I would doubt very much if a new team of lets say the next best 40 NPC players, not currently contracted to a NZ super rugby team, turned up in this years competition and was competitive. I repeat the point I made above that one of the NZ teams finished 14th out of 15 on the points table in last years competition. But lets for arguments sake say they would be competitive – my definition of competitive would be to solidly challenge for a ¼ final spot at least – it would likely be at the expense of one of the other NZ teams. And again in a time where attendances and tv ratings for super rugby are stuttering where will the support and interest come from for this team.
RobC
Roar Guru
http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/02/14/australian-rugby-going-shute/ Gday gatesy, yet again SA is the SH innovator here, with their Currie Cup running concurrently with Super Rugby. This year for the first time, it has been extended, now going from April to October. This starts and ends two months after SR. Nine teams.
RobC
Roar Guru
Thanks David: Happy 2016 guys http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/10/08/2016-trans-tasman-disguised-as-stupor-rugby/
Owen
Guest
When a player cannot get a starting spot they go overseas. There are only 5 starting open-side flanker spots on NZ Super teams and players will not wait forever to get a start. That is why coaches are finding it hard - because that second tier is being snapped up by European or Japanese clubs more and more.