South Africa's Super Rugby sides set to join Pro14

The cash cow leaves and the japanese cash cow is still dormant.

You are quiet capable of doing that yourself Cameron.

In this scenario NZRU will stronger to hold on to players as their revenue plummet. This means more NZ players playing overseas. This may break the AB and NZ stronghold on professional rugby and Australia ma win a Bleddisloe and a NH tean the World Cup.

Apologies. They do one more more trip over the season which still works out similar to flying to any Pro14 nation. So what if they are short distances? They still have to fly 12 hours to London to then go any of these short distances which is the point you cannot seem to understand. Every Australian team is 1 hour away from Sydney. What does that matter. Do you think the fact that Aus to NZ is a 3.5 hour flight that is done once is the back breaker? By your logic it would be just as easy for them to form a competition with Australia. Why are you looking Cape Town to Rome? Right now there's no Pro14 team in Cape Town and there's no team in Rome. What good is that? The teams are in Parma and Treviso. The trip isn't over in Rome...

I agree partly, but the money is the real issue

I think 7N wouldn't dilute quality sufficiently to decrease interest. I think that the Boks are a big enough draw card that it would make the competition even better.

40 hours to Italy? .17-18 hours to get to Rome from Cape Town when I searched (i looked a Momondo for a minute) Other details you ignore (surprise surprise). is that there are very short distances between all the destinations in UK and Ireland. All the teams in Ireland (and Wales and Scotland) are within a short bus ride. Somehow you seem to forget that Jaguares is in the Saffa conference also which means no Saffa teams only do one long trip per season.

Addition of South Africa to the Six Nations tournament might make a bit of a mess of the Lions. Part of the Lions appeal, has been taking on Southern Hemisphere sides that the individual teams don't often face away, let alone beat. If two, or even three of the Home Nations sides start travelling to South Africa every year for Tests, then the rarity value is sharply reduced.

They will actually spend more time travelling. Minimum 15 hour trip (up to 40hrs to Italy though). But depending on make up, likely at least 2 trips. Right now SA teams will head over for 1 tour, with a shorter direct flight to Sydney, and then at most a 3hr trans Tasman flight, then a 20 hour trip back and never leave SA again. In Pro14 they’ll do similar twice or have a 6-8 week tour.

Average attendance Aviva premier 2017: 13.833 Top 14: 12.824 Pro14 2018: 7.833 SR attendance is in that line taking in consideration that only in Derby matches fans from the teams will show up due to travel distances. May be we should not compare attendance or interest in rugby with other sports. It is what it is.

I really can't blame SA if they do leave SR, they have to do what's right for them but it will be a big blow for SR as a whole, most likely the end of it. However even though the Kiwi's don't want OZ, I still think that as a competition it would be quite successful. The time zones are great with the 5:30/ 7:30 matches on a Friday & Saturday night plus the possibility of plentiful Afternoon games. It would allow Union to compete better against League and the competition would make more sense for the more casual viewer from the other sports too.

When the real prospect of losing someone truly valuable is fully appreciated, you start to understand values.

Let’s take the Stormers as an example. They play about 8 matches away from their home and player base in 15 other ugly time zones currently. By joining up with the Celtic’s 100% of their matches will be in the same time zone. So they will see more of their players automatically. What that means is that there will be about 500 hundred to 800 thousand extra Stomers fans watching their team play 8 more matches in prime time television slots than as it is with Super rugby.

"the continuous effects of Govt policies," OB, I would judge that is the biggest factor which is driving people out of SA...and the latest land issues will only accelerate the problems. I would think that people leaving are not only from one racial group either, if the Zimbabwean situation is any guide. And it is the critiaclal group who are well educated, and should be the future base of the nation who tend to "sniff the wind" and move their families early before the situation deteriorates further.

The SA rugby market has been subsidizing Aus rugby from day 1 of SuperRugby, subsidizing Celtic makes way more sense because 100% of the matches played will be in the same time zone.

Good post, CP...I fully agree with all your points.

No=one have sad the travel will be easy. The travel will be a bit shorter and with no jet lag.

It is not ironic TWAS. It is very plain and simple. Kind of sad that you don't get basics when they have been written on a big wall with large letters for some time now.

It will be good for SA rugby because their teams and fans will not have to suffer a 17 time zone SR competition which is dead. It will be good for the Celtic nations to have the huge SA rugby market join their market in a new single time zone competition. NZ and Aus will also be saved from a 17 time zone competition unless they decide that a few South American and North American teams will be a good to have in their new franchise competition.

There is no way Mitre 10 can get enough revenue to support the current NZR setup with all AB's players at home.