With all the reporting and leaking and reacting and denying going on over the weekend and late last week around the now confirmed demise of the Sunwolves from Super Rugby, though it’s difficult fully know who is pulling which stings, one thing stands out as a clear common denominator.
SANZAAR, as a governing body, has failed all its stakeholders when it comes to the evolution of Super Rugby as a competition.
The organisation, borne out of a partnership of South African, New Zealand, and Australian rugby when the game was hurriedly propelled into professionalism two decades ago and expanded with the addition of Argentina in recent years, has always tried to run the provincial game in the Southern Hemisphere by committee. Everything it does requires not just a vote but unanimous agreement.
Sadly, this committee has shown itself to be no more efficient than a school association baking cupcakes.
If we think back to the mid-2000s, the then Super 12 competition added two more sides – the Western Force from Perth and the Cheetahs from Bloemfontein – on the ticket of more games in more time zones, giving the Southern Hemisphere competition a bigger footprint that would be more appealing to broadcasters and sponsors.
More would be more, we were told, and so it did kind of prove to be.
More was also going to more when Super 14 became the 15-team Super Rugby competition, which first introduced the now doomed conference model, and more was certainly going to be more when 15 became 18, with two new countries and three new time zones added to the mix.
Except that not long after more became the morest, it quickly materialised that less is in fact more and that consolidation was required before we ever found out just how much more more could actually be.
And just as Australia was preparing to accept that five teams were too many for the same reason six were too many in South Africa, the long-rumoured, often-threatened “we’re heading north” card was finally played. And so too had been Australia.
So less was apparently now more, but that obviously wasn’t true either. Less was actually very reluctantly the same, with the broadcasters rather miraculously agreeing to ask for the refunds they were entitled to ask for on account of them paying more for more but actually receiving less.
The Sunwolves have been axed from Super Rugby. (Toru Hanai/Getty Images)
So less was sort of more-ish for the remainder of the current and rapidly revised broadcast deal through to the end of the 2020 season.
Except that just as the less-is-more 15-team format was more or less starting, a review was launched, so SANZAAR told us last week.
At the same time the 15-team competition was kicking off – or resuming, if you’d prefer – and trying to re-establish its consolidated foothold in the global rugby marketplace, it was immediately under review. The end-of-season broom through the joint was essentially being reached for at the beginning of Round 1.
And that review concluded, we were told last week, that “the immediate future of Super Rugby rests with a 14-team round robin competition format”.
That is, the future of Super Rugby from 2021 was to implement the same model first used in 2006.
More is officially now less.
And Super Rugby is a mess.
In the aftermath of Friday’s confirmation of the Sunwolves’ looming demise, fingers are pointing in all directions.
Australia and New Zealand saw the long-term benefits of Japanese inclusion in Super Rugby, even if the supposed broader benefits hadn’t quite materialised. South Africa borrowed from the Indian cricket playbook and played the broadcast money card nice and early as well as drawing on grudges held against Japan since the Rugby World Cup vote.
The Sunwolves huddle (Koki Nagahama/Getty Images for Sunwolves)
SANZAAR say Japan pulled out. Japan say they weren’t going to pay bills not imposed on anyone else, not even Argentina, who would seemingly bring similarly little to the grander scheme of competition value.
Global Rapid Rugby is apparently ready to throw the welcome mat out for the Sunwolves, and Robbie Deans says this should and probably will happen. And this makes sense, with reports of an Asian Super Rugby focussing on all the same Asian market targets. But then GRR bullishly claimed this idea was all a figment of the imagination, without even the slightest hint of irony.
Still no-one has asked South Africa to clarify whether their oft-stated ‘commitment to the SANZAAR’ partnership actually includes Super Rugby. They’ve never said it does, for the record.
With Australia and New Zealand remaining in agreement about Japan’s fit in the local market coupled with a growing desire to bring the Pacific Islands into the game, the time has never been riper for the national unions in this neck of the woods to properly look at options.
And I mean a proper look – genuinely develop options and have conversations with all the necessary stakeholders to see if trans-Tasman-centred competition including Japan and the Islands, or a broader Pacific Rim competition incorporating the Americas, is of interest or is viable.
Of course the other elephant in the room remains World Rugby’s Nations Championship, which, if it happens to progress and edge closer to reality, will only raise more questions as to the usefulness of the SANZAAR partnership in its current form.
Rugby has evolved the world over. Professional rugby has evolved enormously since the game allowed players to make a living from the game back in the mid-1990s.
But somehow Super Rugby is back where it was 15 years ago.
And SANZAAR’s effectiveness remains stunted not by its own evolution but by a fear of evolution crippled by its own decision-making.
Istanbul Wingman
Roar Guru
Sheesh! SANZAAR were condemned for the failings of the conference system, so who else is going to be for the chop? Sunwolves are rock bottom every year and not even in the right hemisphere. They were planning to dissolve the franchise themselves anyway. The only criticism I will make of SANZAAR is the timing of the decision. Couldn't they have left it til after the World Cup?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
They do. But just having fixtures isn’t “building rivalries”. It’s an organic process.
ForceFan
Roar Rookie
But these rivalries have to start somewhere and some time. Only time will tell how well GRR will develop such rivalries but 2019 is a good start.
jeznez
Roar Guru
Definitely agree that GRR needs Japan. I've been reading everything I can regarding the Japan set up since this news came out and it seems clear that they aren't happy with the Top League. They've put it on hiatus for the WC and are yet to announce what the tournament will look like after it. Apparently a group called Dentsu Inc are in there muddying the waters and proposing an alternate club competition which would challenge both Top League and GRR.
Ad-O
Guest
To be honest, that's the way the governing body is run in a lot of different sports. EPL, NFL, all they are is an acronym for the club owners. It's not a model that's doomed to fail by any means, and it may be a model that fits Japan best. Especially if they expect a windfall after the WC. I expect GRR needs Japan more than the other way round.
jeznez
Roar Guru
Except they don't control the Top League the corporates that own the teams do. One of their big issues has been their inability to force the Top League clubs to release players for Sunwolves duties. I think GRR will be a much better fit for them, the ability to receive broadcast money alone is a huge incentive, let alone they won't be the junior partner getting scraps but rather probably the strongest team in the competition.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Is it hate to point out that the move of lots of Reds players to the Force created a rivalry with meaning? The Reds players moved because they wanted opportunity. Part of something different is a lot of creative licence by you. The fact that many were blocked by the Reds players at the time just added more meaning to the rivalry as they wanted to show that it should have been then. It was a good thing because it created a rivalry. Once that was forgotten about as those players retired or moved on it then moved to the Force being a real banana peel game for the Reds when they were at their peak. Most importantly it was a real rivalry. Nobody thinks that the Force in their new competition should have existing rivalries. Just don't try and sell it as they do.
ForceFan
Roar Rookie
Ah now we see the hate and how far back it goes. It's time to move on TWAS. The Reds players moved to the Western Force a looooooong time ago because they wanted to be part of something different.
Ad-O
Guest
I don't see any benefit for Japan in any kind of Super competition. With or without SA.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
The chances are they will Ad-O. (They key word above is "if") The home unions and France have far less to gain from the global concept than the SANZAAR nations, and it seems also that they are all terrified of relegation from the top tier. On the other hand, it would be a chance for them to regain some power over clubs, via Test rugby retaining primacy over club rugby. If they elect to go the other way, clubs will become relatively more powerful, plus, they will have to sell off some of the equity in their game to private interests. It isn't really the 'devil you know', at least not for rugby. They would essentially be confirming that rugby goes down the soccer path. An EPL equivalent might be good for the most powerful clubs, it will certainly be good financially for the players, but it would severely imbalance and diminish the international game.
Ad-O
Guest
100% agree. Super Rugby is a basket case. Is it trying to be developmental? In which case why are we overpaying players not to go play in Europe. Or is it trying to be the best league in the world? In which case why aren't we trying to buy the best players in the world regardless of test match qualification.
Ad-O
Guest
All this hand wringing over SANZAAR when its never been clear that the JRU has ever really been interested in Super Rugby anyway. It's all well and good that the ARU and NZRU see a potential partner, but what has Japan got to gain from having their hands tied by a pair of economic lightweights with their eyes on your wallet, and locked into a competition that's a logistical nightmare. If I were them I'd just buy our best players and coaches, stick them in my own clubs, and excercise 100% control over my own destiny in a comp that better suits my own customers.
Ad-O
Guest
In that scenario, what makes you think that England and France won't use their financial muscle to benefit themselves and their clubs above all other concerns. It's their history after all and they would be negligent to there own stakeholders if they didn't attempt to do so. Sometimes it's better the devil you know.
Ad-O
Guest
Yeah, cant wait for the resumption of those bitter, tribal rugby rivalries between Perth, Hong Kong and Singapore to resume once again.... not. The most I can say is Twiggy's keeping you boys alive while Super Rugby sorts itself out. Maybe you get lucky and they need you back in, but GRR will cease to be a going concern once Twiggy's monopoly money runs out, or he gets bored and wants to go watch A-League or something.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
That couldn’t be more contrived and inauthentic if they tried. So the rivalry is everybody verse everybody? If everybody is a rivalry, nobody is a rivalry. Playing lots of games quickly isn’t creating a rivalry. You know what was a rivalry? The Reds vs the Force. Because of the amount of QLD talent that went there when they kicked off, then beating QLD to JOC and Pocock, and then even at the Reds best, being an opponent that was difficult to beat. And maybe that’s not easy to create. Because that doesn’t just happen overnight and local rivalries require proximity. Which is fine. Focus on the other aspects. But just don’t try and say some contrived repeat fixtures where you play everybody equally anyway, is creating rivalries.
jeznez
Roar Guru
Excited to catch the Tigers v Force an Tigers v Dragons games in HK, that is until I found out one match is Easter Sunday and the other is Mother's Day - going to struggle to get to the games now. Very annoyed at the HK scheduling!
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Oh! And yes! South Africa would definitely have stored that WC vote in the memory banks.
ForceFan
Roar Rookie
Suggest that you have a look at the fixture. The game against Robbie Dean’s World XV should be seen as a pre-season match. The Asian Showcase kicks off this Friday with the 1st of 9 games between the Western Force, Sth China Tigers (Hong Kong) and Asia Pacific Dragons (Singapore). Each team plays each other three times which offers head-to-head, best of three competition as well as the top team playing for a $50k prize to be spent on community rugby. Talk is that each head-to-head will be playing for a trophy which will flow onto GRR in 2020. This is followed by the Pacific Showcase between the Western Force and Fijian Latui and Kagifa Samoa in a 6 game head-to-head series which again allows for a points difference competition (maybe with the same ongoing trophy) and $50k prize to the top team for community rugby. The season couldn’t be any longer as GRR tries to fit in with SR and avoids the key SR finals and short Test window prior to RWC 2019. Seems to be at least 6 rivalries created in even this short season with both bragging rights and $$s for community rugby at stake. There will be another chance to showcase the new rules of GRR on the Friday night before the Perth Bled game against a yet to be announced opposition. As the players get used to the new rules so too do the referees. WA’s own Mr Cooper seemed to completely forget about the rule related to avoiding scrum re-sets but he seemed to get most others OK. There seems to be some inference in a recent Roar article that the GRR rule changes were hastily put together without the same concern for player welfare/safety. In reality, the rules had to be approved by each member union and World Rugby with the same player safety/welfare considerations as given some airplay recently. The considerations covered in the article: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12215151&fbclid=IwAR0FRiAWcp4W_GaPQL26YV4xZfqcG0KmAab9mT2NqCXCuBpsol6Z5npFOIc are effectively those provided to World Rugby by GRR. Good to see GRR starting to already change the face of the game. I agree – time will tell the effectiveness of the move into regions where there’s plenty of room for growth. I’m interested to see what role Jake White will have in GRR next year as there has to be some reason why he’s spending 2 weeks in Perth on his way back to Japan. It seems that the Sunwolves may have thought that their initial $30 Million to get into SR should have been enough to keep them in the game without being gouged for more payments not expected from others. I hope that there’s space for them in GRR in coming years as they seem to have a good following in Japan.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
I hope you're right, as that is better than a lot of the alternatives. I hope Aus is admitted to the Mitre 10 Cup.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Apparently another factor is the Sunwolves games just rate horribly in SA.