A five-week window. That’s all that is a required to enable some cracking Mitre 10 Cup (M10) and National Rugby Championship (NRC) tournaments bolstered by draft picks comprising All Blacks, Wallabies and Super Rugby players to take place.
As it stands this is not possible. Test matches are a major revenue earner for the game and New Zealand rugby union and Rugby Australia are not going to release All Blacks and Wallabies from Test match duties in spring to play NRC and M10 anytime soon.
That said, a five-week window opens in late February and March should the Australian and New Zealand Super Rugby regular season reduce from 18 to 13 rounds. Even still, it would take some very good reasons to reduce the Super Rugby season by five weeks. Part one of this article did just that – it featured a mix of 15 trans-Tasman reasons for the All Blacks to play in the M10 and the Wallabies to play in the NRC.
With a schedule change, what could be done with the NRC and M10 to extract the maximum possible value for the broad church of Australian and New Zealand rugby?
Australian NRC competitions
Many Roarers have written on what a future NRC would look like, often in the context of replacing Super Rugby. There is another approach, though, which retains Super Rugby and addresses many of the issues from part one.
In his article ‘NRC sponsorship loss must convince the ARU to return to its grassroots’ Roar expert Spiro Zavos suggested a “‘Super Club’ tournament involving the leading Sydney and Brisbane clubs, with championship-winning sides from Melbourne, Canberra and Perth, would seem to be the ideal replacement for the NRC. The tournament would take place when the NRC does and teams would be allowed to bolster their ranks by taking, say, a couple of players from clubs that have not qualified for the tournament.”
Having gone through what would seem a thousand iteration of possible team combinations, I kept coming back to Spiro’s ‘Super Club’ model as the guiding star. Like tricking out a car, I would, however, make a few modifications.
So here it is. A ‘Super Club’ tournament would involve 12 teams comprising the highest-ranked teams from the Shute Shield in Sydney and the Hospital Cup in Brisbane as well as championship-winning sides from Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, emerging states (Adelaide, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Victoria Country), University of Queensland (UQ) vs Sydney University (SydU), as well as the champion from NSW country Kentwell Cup holders against a country club from a reinvigorated Queensland State Cup.
There would be four conferences in the NRC hosted in the home cities of the four Super Rugby teams.
Reds hosted in Brisbane
Hospital Cup grand finalists and next highest team (excluding UQ).
Waratahs hosted in Sydney
Shute Shield grand finalists and next highest team (excluding SydU).
Rebels hosted in Melbourne
Dewar Shield Champion (Melbourne), Pindan Premier Grade Champion (Perth), Champion team from the emerging states.
Brumbies hosted in Canberra
John I Dent Cup Champion, NSW vs QLD club country champion, UQ vs SydU champion.
This would seem to be the ideal replacement for the NRC, fueling genuine derbies, attracting crowds, generating revenue, providing regular-season games within driving distance for Wallabies and Super Rugby players and, importantly, providing representation and player pathways for all the rugby groups in Australia.
The 12-team tournament would take place at the end of February and run for five weeks. Teams would be allowed to bolster their ranks by drafting Wallabies and Super Rugby players from the Super Rugby regions from the areas to which they are allocated for the tournament.
Teams would draft three backs and three forwards. As is done in the AFL, there would be a salary cap and preferential draft picks for underperforming teams. For the NRC, the number of draft picks for struggling teams from the previous season would increase from six to an appropriate number.
The suggested format would be two pool games per team and one bye for player welfare and logistics reasons. The winner of each pool will plays in the semi-final followed by the championship decider.
For UQ and SydU an epic rivalry is about to be born – who is the best Shute Shield-Hospital Cup university? Since 1999 rarely has SydU not featured in the Shute Shield final, and the University of Queensland (UQ) has played in seven of the last nine Hospital Cup grand finals in Brisbane.
For Brisbane and Sydney, inter-suburban heartland rivalries are flamed by concoctive Wallabies kerosene. Already Shute Shield fans are voting on their feet, with 20,000 fans attending the 2017 grand final. The Shute Shield stands to get even bigger.
In New Zealand the M10 may be far simpler, comprising three competitions: a qualifier, relegation-promotion and the All Blacks M10 Cup.
(Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
New Zealand Mitre 10 competitions
Held in spring the current fourteen M10 Cup provinces would do battle for the ten qualifying positions available in the All Blacks M10 Cup. The four eliminated provinces and two other New Zealand provinces would play in a relegation-promotion play-off tournament.
For the All Blacks M10 the five New Zealand Super Rugby teams would each be linked to two qualifying provinces. Provinces would bolster their playing ranks through draft picks from the New Zealand Super Rugby Team they are linked to. Provinces would be entitled to three backs and three forward draft picks, with struggling provinces boosted by additional draft picks.
A suggested format might be two pools of five teams playing four games, or three if one bye is preferred to rest players. The top teams from each pool face off for the championship.
Now, should the ‘All Blacks M10 Cup’ and ‘Wallabies NRC’ prove to be a hit and surpass Super Rugby, the NRC and M10 regular season has the potential to be extended and the Super Rugby calendar shortened. A second phase could see the NRC and M10 regular season extended by another four weeks during which teams play each other twice rather than once.
What do you think? Would New Zealand and Australian rugby communities get behind this? Is it a good thing for the Wallabies to have some games at the start of this season within driving distance that are less physically intense than provincial games prior to brutal end-of-year test matches,
How can the money side of the equation be sorted out for mutual benefit between the stakeholders, including national bodies, Super Rugby franchises and the championships-provincial qualifying clubs?
And what incentives should there be for all players?
Leave comments below.
Jock the sock
Guest
The nrc sides are super sides , apart from nsw, they would not compete with the Nez club sides and it would just ruin the mitre 10 comp.
Andrew Joseph
Roar Rookie
Well said jcmasher. “RA need to sort this competition out by making it relevant and the states need to support it by having it as a lead into the Super teams” In terms of quality, with the 6 draft picks per club, this should be enough of a step up from clubland. Wallaby NRC tournament would blood club players where they play with and against both Wallabies and Waratahs, as well as for finalists against other Wallabies and Reds/Rebels/Brumbies. There is also a mentoring aspect to this as well. Players can learn from Wallabies and SR about what they need to do reach the next level. The season and the path becomes clear… 12 ‘Wallaby-SR-Club NRC teams become 4 ‘Wallaby- Super Rugby teams who become 1 Wallabies team. Best marketing for the Super Rugby is having Wallaby NRC teams play in a leadup. Great chance to challenge for positions also. Part of the question for the Super Rugby becomes, which Super Rugby player (or bolter from clubland) should be playing as the Waratahs No. 9, or 10, or 12, or whatever positions are lineball.
jcmasher
Roar Rookie
Mate I think the real issue is that the NRC doesn’t play the role that Mitre 10 Cup does in providing that link between club and Super Rugby and I think it’s something that’s really missing here. For all the joy that the supporters of the Shute Shield have in that competition, it’s not of high enough quality to provide the lead in to the Waratahs. And let’s face it none of those teams would beat many of the top club teams in NZ, certainly not in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington or Auckland. One of the reasons NZ is able to have so much depth is because the Mitre 10 cup provides that next level. RA need to sort this competition out by making it relevant and the states need to support it by having it as a lead in the the Super teams
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
How? We will lose TV income from other tests as part of it. This isn’t completely new income. This is income to replace existing income. Maybe it’s more. Great. But it won’t be $16M more per year.
Andrew Joseph
Roar Rookie
Any word on who the backers of the Nations Championship (NC) are? $10M Euros (around $16M AUD) per NC year is a lot of money to finally get a lot of things right in Australian Rugby. Host of ways to spend the money. Fund a free to air ‘Wallabies NRC’, rejuvenate the clubs, reduce expenses for fans to attend games. The smart long term move though would be to purchase assets and create a revenue stream.
Andrew Joseph
Roar Rookie
16 teams, not sure may be too many. Less is better. Less wait between premierships. Say you did run 16… would be inclined to extend to 6 weeks so there is a bye. Teams; Brisbane – top 3 bris hospital cup and top qld ctry club Sydney – top 4 shute shield Canberra – top 3 and top nsw ctry club Melb. Could be a university conference. Melbourne uni, sydu, uq, uwa If 12, need prequalifiers… Bne two teams and third play qld ctry. Canberra two teams, third nsw ctry v emerging states Syd back to 3 teams. Melb. Melb uni, top two from uq v sydu v uwa
Andrew Joseph
Roar Rookie
Objectives is to address reasons in part one. Club games should feature wallabies and all blacks for reaons outlined in part 1. Top 4 from victoria not the same as top 4 from qld or nsw, so would be lop sided comp.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
If FTA are willing to pay the tournament costs that Foxtel are, sure it could.
Ballymore Brumby
Roar Pro
I suppose I'm just trying to work out what the actual objective of this competition is? It seems cumbersome. Like if its being pitched for media rights or sponsor deals, I'm just not seeing what it brings to the table - neither fish nor fowl. It would be easier to arrange it like the FFA Cup Round 16 onward based on the 4 currently active provinces providing 4 club teams from their areas - dispensation for Queensland and Victoria to include to include an Islander and Western Australian Barbarian XV teams respectively. Games could be played when the respective super rugby sides play one another as the curtain raiser for the main game - this way the club guys are embedded with their respective super rugby teams. The issue of travel costs and time management are always going to be an issue regardless of how it all works.
Andrew Joseph
Roar Rookie
It's expensive to be a sports fan these days. Games are deliberately on late, designed for tv viewers, not stadium crowds. With five All Black M10 games each weekend, you would hope the love could be spread between tv and stadiums. Fun affordable afternoon on a saturday or sunday, and sit in evenings at home.
K Charleton
Guest
Hey bro cheers for the past two articles. I believe the biggest killer for the Mitre 10 these days is the quality of tv coverage. During the week not every one wants to head out and havea late night with work the next day and to spend a couple of hundred on the game all up. Easier to kick back and put it on the telly with a few beers with the boys or while looking after the kids n cooking dinner.
Andrew Joseph
Roar Rookie
For draft though, it would need to be on balance. As much as possible the intent should be for players to play for the local club from which they herald. That said, for draft to work this would not always be possible, so bit of give and take is needed with some clear draft rules agreed to by all.
Andrew Joseph
Roar Rookie
Could the 'Wallabies NRC' be free to air pay TV mix?
Andrew Joseph
Roar Rookie
The other thing worth pointing out. Melbourne and Canberra based Wallabies should not have to fly given heavy test workloads. That means 3 qualifying teams per city. For Melbourne, another option for qualification is Emerging States champ plays off against Melbourne runner up team for second spot in Melbourne. This promotes Melbourne derbies some years, interstate rivalries other years.
Andrew Joseph
Roar Rookie
Fair questions. Canberra and Melbourne are different kettles of fish due to proximity to Sydney. I think Melbourne is more or less ok. Canberra, I see you point. Ammendment could be third ranked brisbane team v Qld country champion for final brisbane spot. Then canberra runner up v nsw country champion for second Canberra spot. Yes uq v sydu to compete for qualification spot in Canberra. Agree, would be terrible result if draft sees players you develop for your club drafted againt your club instead of for your club.
Ballymore Brumby
Roar Pro
Interesting conceptually, but I can’t work out the suggested Australian conference rational. Conference 3 and 4 seem like the jumble of “whoever is left” so we can give the Melbourne and Canberra bases someone to watch. I’m also not sure how the “University Battle” works within this ? So UQ plays off SydU outside this competition to decide who plays in Conference 4? Same for the NSW/QLD country team? I also see issues with your draft system – the super rugby players already have local clubs they play for. This would mean that players could be drafted to play for clubs not their own – I’d definitely want a “conscientious objection” clause if players felt uncomfortable or unwilling to play for their drafted team.
Tooly
Roar Rookie
European players seem to play far more games than ours. We only have Pocock, Kepu, Folau, Beale, DHP and Kuridrani who are worth protecting. Some of Chekko’s picks would do us a favour with injuries. NZ are fine ; they have plans in place. We have brain snaps. I was thinking of the worst decisions made by the ARU ; RA is one of them. In no particular order. 1 Michael Hawker. He never did anything. 2 Bill Pulver. A complete disaster and the maker of most of these descisions. 3 Sacking Deans. Best left to compete his contract. 4 John Eales . The Great One is a myth off the field. 5 Ewan McKenzie not White. Ewan BS ed his way in as a white ant . 6 Letting McKenzie go. Ewan had learnt a lot at last. 7 Cheika; Pulver drafted him when he wasn’t proven above provincial level. 8 Letting McKenzie and Cheika write their own contracts. 9 Retaining Paul McLean. Time for change. 10 Rod Kafer. There’s nothing there. 11 Scott Johnson : Ditto. 12 Cameron Clyne ; no leadership. Failure with the Force and Andrew Forrest. 13 I hesitate to add Di Castle to this list but with the retention of Cheika and the appointment of Scott Johnson the ayes have it. 14 Failing to promote and broadcast Rugby on free to air TV 15 All things Hooper: Captaincy, Contract and his position in the side. 16 The board of RA. Like the Liberal Party ; too late to fix things but they will evolve from the bottom of the Cockies cage eventually or disappear.