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The rugby calendar of the future

qingdao16 . new author
Roar Rookie
2nd April, 2020
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qingdao16 . new author
Roar Rookie
2nd April, 2020
64
3567 Reads

What shape will rugby take on the other side of its coronavirus-enforced hiatus?

To formulate the rugby calendar of the future I’ve had to make certain assumptions:

  1. Super Rugby and the former NRC competitions are to be abolished;
  2. A new National Club Rugby Championship is to be established;
  3. A new National Interstate Series is to be established; and
  4. See point 1

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National Club Rugby Championship 2021 teams

New South Wales (12)
Eastern Suburbs, Eastwood, Gordon, Manly, Northern Suburbs, West Sydney (Parramatta), Randwick, Southern Districts, Sydney University, Warringah, West Harbour and NSW Country.

Queensland (10)
Bond University-Gold Coast, Brothers, East Brisbane, GPS, North Brisbane, South Brisbane, Sunnybank, University of Queensland, West Brisbane, QLD Country.

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Possible others (2)
Canberra, Melbourne.

Each team is to play each other once, making for 23 matches assuming Melbourne and Canberra are included. The home team will alternate every two years – foe example, Randwick is home to Eastwood in the first year but away to Eastwood in the second.

The top eight will play in the final series at the completion of the 23 home-and-away matches. The series will replicate the AFL system, whereby the top four teams will have a second chance should they lose in Week 1 of the finals. Teams places fifth to eighth will be playing knockout each week. The finals will last for four weeks.

The rugby calendar
The NCRC will begin on Saturday, 13 March 2021, and continue uninterrupted until the grand final on Saturday, 18 September 2021, a total of 27 weeks. There is also a possibility of a midseason break of one week, which would push back the grand final by one week to 25 September 2021.

Interstate matches
A national interstate series will also be conducted to lead to the July Test season. The teams will be the Waratahs, Reds, Brumbies, Rebels and Western Force. Five weeks are needed to complete this competition, as byes occur each round. Each team play each other once, with home teams alternating each year.

This competition will begin on the weekend of 29-30 May 2021 and conclude on the weekend of 26-27 June 2021. This will allow national selectors time to see players in action before the Wallabies Tests beginning in July. The possibility also exists for the annual winners of the Australian interstate series to play the winner of New Zealand’s Mitre 10 Cup to decide a Trans-Tasman champion.

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Tests
Tests to be played will include matches in July plus Rugby Championship matches against New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina between August and October in the lead-up to the Wallabies October tour. The NCRC matches will not pause for either state matches or the Tests due to time constraints, but a midseason break is a possibility so that clubs can refresh players.

Summary
I am aware there will be many fine details to be decided, but can the format I have posed work? If Super Rugby was to go, would there be enough finance available for this calendar to be viable? I would love to see it happen, as I am not a big fan of Super Rugby the way it is now, and I have never thought the abandonment of club rugby was a good idea.

With the current virus situation being what it is, the opportunity exists for a new rugby calendar to be created out of the ashes, so to speak. I hope that this small piece creates a little discussion, so please be kind to this poor rugby tragic. Comments and criticisms are welcomed. I have tried my best to think of what rugby in 2021 might look like, but feel free to add your own thoughts.

As for financing this type of calendar, well, I leave that to the experts. Some positive suggestions on this aspect are also welcome. How could this be financed? I would hope that it could come to pass one day. If not next year, then maybe 2022. I will keep hoping.

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