It’s official: the ex-South African Super Rugby teams, the Kings and the Cheetahs, have been included in the expanded Pro14 in Europe as announced on 1 August 2017.
In this author’s previous article, ‘Australia must go back to the future to save rugby union‘, the major concern was that Australian rugby may one day wake up to the news that Super Rugby has ceased to exist with no domestic competition of which to speak.
Although it may be wrong to believe Australian rugby does not have a plan for the end of Super Rugby – maybe that is why the National Rugby Championship was born in 2014. And with the addition of a Fijian team to that championship this year, Australian rugby may be finally going back to the future to discover the answers to its woes.
But Super Rugby in South Africa and Super Rugby as a whole has a problem.
With the Kings and Cheetahs joining the Pro14, it is difficult to see how the standard of South African Super Rugby teams and those of the entire competition will improve.
The whole point of reducing the number of South African teams was to increase the standard of the remaining four teams. Likewise reducing the number of Australian teams from five to four was to foster stronger teams.
Clearly this will not occur in South Africa, as the Cheetahs and Kings will retain their squads for the Pro14 and the remaining four teams will not benefit in any way given the Super Rugby and Pro14 seasons overlap. The best players from the Kings and Cheetahs will simply not be available for the other four franchises.
It appears South African rugby is not taking Super Rugby seriously.
If that is the case, it is paramount that Australian rugby jumps before it has no choice and starts a 12-team, 22-round domestic competition and in the process no longer be treated with contempt by other national unions.
The National Rugby Championship is definitely a launching pad for this domestic competition. The administrators could even consider basing teams in Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin to put rugby union on the map in these towns.
But the migration of the Kings and Cheetahs spells the beginning of the end for Super Rugby – South African teams will become the easy-beats of the competition next year – but in particular the standard of South African rugby.
Winter is here and Australian rugby must be king of its own castle.
GEOTAN
Guest
If the SA teams and possibly the Arg teams going north to join the Pro 14 at the end of 2020, Aus & NZ should also be looking north to Japan and China. This would be a massive market and in our time zone. We should be developing this now by having The Force and an Pacific Islander's team join the Japanese domestic competition now.
usa kiwi
Guest
Most of the "islanders" that play for NZ were born in NZ.
Marcus McErlean
Roar Rookie
Thanks for your comment Tutema. To be fair, the inclusion of a second Argentinian team would have been better and made for a more balanced competition than the inclusion of a Japanese team. I truly believe it will drain the depth of South Africa with the Cheetahs and Kings playing in the Pro14 regardless of where they finished on the Super Rugby table this year and indeed where they would have finished next year if they were still part of the competition. The Kings could have made the finals next year with that team they had this year. Ultimately these players will reach Super Rugby standard but will be playing in another completion. Some of These players will become the best players in South Africa. But you're right - let's see what happens. A national competition in Australia is paramount. We've got to take on AFL and NRL too. Australian rugby is surrounded by issues - some of which are out of our control.
boonboon
Roar Pro
Seems to work for the all blacks
Tutema
Roar Rookie
Hi Marcus, I partially agree with your article. I agree with the fact that each Country should be able to produce a local competition good enough to “feed” the SR franchises, as well as, enough SR franchises to “feed” the national team. For instance, in the case of Argentina, we only have 1 SR franchise and it is becoming clear that it is not enough (I know that NOW is NOT the time to talk about a second franchise while Aus is losing one and SA two). Still, organizing a local PRO competition would enrich all the structure while providing place for many players that would have to go abroad to play. The part I do not fully agree on is that the move arranged by the Cheetas and the Kings will weaken SA’s rugby. The last 8 teams in the general SR table this year were, 4 from Aus, Sunwolves, Kings, Cheetas and Bulls. In fact, the only South African “remaining” team (the Bulls) ended up right in the middle of the 4 Australian teams. I believe that the Idea is to trim down the competition to the most competitive teams (I know that this could open the door to the Sunwolves / Jaguares issue), and it will probably do that. We’ll have to wait and see.
Unanimous
Guest
Link to kings struggling: http://m.sport24.co.za/sport24/Rugby/SuperRugby/kings-face-struggle-to-be-ready-for-pro12-20170725 You balance super rugby in a similar way to a domestic league. Free up player movement across the league and then apply wage controls to even up the teams. Icehocky does it well in an international context with enourmous differences between player production and audiences. The international and dual role of some players (national and provincial) and the uneven concentration of national players requires some adjustments. So salary controls specific to each team but adjusted systematically on an anual basis - if a team finishes towards the bottom, its cap goes up, if a team finishes near the top it goes down. A formula can be used so that there is no politics involved. In more mathematical terms it would be a cap on the average value of new player contracts of each team that is inveresly proportional to competition points from the previous season. Current players have contracts so caps only affect new players anyway. It would be a financial version of a draft, but no player would be compelled to got anywhere they didn't want. It might sound complicated but it is less complicated than many drafts commonly used. By adapting the salary controls you can compensate for the different travel each team has, the different currencies, the tendancy for some teams to retain international players which are paid for by national bodies, in fact for any imbalance. I agree there was no need to include more teams, but new teams can be included with appropriate equalisation measures. SR has done an awful job of expansion teams, as it has with balancing older teams. All expansion teams have had reasonable crowds in their first season. They have been viable markets. The player distribution has just been badly managed resulting in an uncompetitive competition with waning interest.
Notsobrave
Guest
No. The Force still need nuturing from the ARU for about another decade until a good crop of youngsters have tme to come through from their youth develop programs. This Euro competition is really only suitable for the Waratahs or the Reds. Teams with the strong rugby base to finance the move and to draw upon should the move not work out.
Marcus McErlean
Roar Rookie
But how do you balance Super Rugby teams when the teams in the competition allow some of their best players to leave their country? Reducing the teams from 18 to 15 certainly makes for a stiffer drink. In any event, I don't want to see Super Rugby fail but something isn't right! It didn't need to expand to Japan and Argentina. It simply didn't. Speaking of a domestic competition, it will certainly provide a more balanced competition that's for sure - it's proven at NRC level that anyone can win it. And NRC has been going for three years so that's three years out of 15 years down.
Marcus McErlean
Roar Rookie
Thanks for reading anyway gents.
Ian
Guest
I like watching competitive rugby, at any time. What I don't like is watching the game in Australia deteriorate at a rapid rate of knots, which is what is currently happening. I referee primarily u19's rugby and I hear the same feedback wherever I go-the playing numbers are declining, we're losing out to AFL (who have a fantastic AFL recruitment program at schools level) and the ARU are not pouring enough money into grassroots rugby. And you want to reduce the ARU's financial struggles through pettiness, which will result is more decline. Very, very, short-sighted.
sheek
Roar Guru
Who's going to follow a Wallabies team full of imported Islanders? Some of you people are crazy!
Bakkies
Guest
There is back to back not the Heineken Cup Sponsored by Heineken matches in both December and January along with the 6 Nations weekends in February and March will take out most of the SA Summer for matches. The Kings and Cheetahs will have a lot of weeks off which they both need for rest and to spend time with their families.
Nicolai
Guest
AGREE!!!!
Tigranes
Guest
Australian rugby needs Fijian rugby to keep producing more Henry Speights, Kuridranis for the Wallabies.
redbull
Guest
I think Australia could only come up with 8 respectable regional sides (3 in NSW, 2 in QLD, plus one each of ACT, VIC, and WA). But you make a good point if added a Fijian side, get Tonga and Samoa, then add PNG as well? Problem is, if Super rugby falls completely, maybe the Polynesian sides would look more keenly to try to get into a NZ-based competition.
redbull
Guest
Pro 12 normally plays local derbies over Christmas period so maybe there will be no games in SA for December. But December and January would still be pretty tough. Even the locals lads might be pressed to be playing rugby in SA in December.
Bakkies
Guest
They will probably will play the height of Summer matches at night.
Unanimous
Guest
A better product means a high proportion of competitive matches. This means reasonably equal teams, and also, to retain status of the league as a whole the teams need to look viable against any equivalent level teams in the world. A domestic league would not do that, at least not for 15-20 years. You can't talk about raising standards as being the problem and also suggest domestic is the solution. SR is not watered down. The top 4 or 5 teams would compete well with 4th to 10th ranked national teams in the world. SR is unbalanced - too much difference between top and bottom. The solution is to better balance it. All other professional leagues in the world take this approach to this problem.
Marcus McErlean
Roar Rookie
Marius, I hope they are not easybeats for there to be any hope of Super Rugby surviving or at the very least for me to continue to watch the competition. I still don't see how SA will be providing the VERY best teams for Super Rugby with 46 of their most talented playing in Pro14. They will be diluted - undoubtedly - unless they are sending their fifth and sixth best teams or development squads to the Pro14. I doubt the Kings' and Cheetahs' administrators want the leftovers with no disrespect intended to the players chosen. It still leaves me feeling hollow that I won't be seeing all the absolute best SA players playing Super Rugby. Although let's face it, we haven't seen the best from SA for years - they've been in Europe and Japan. We haven't seen the best in Australia either. Let's all pack up and head north.
Marcus McErlean
Roar Rookie
Kane, the thought had crossed my mine. We will see. It is cricket season, that's for sure.