There are two environments that present favourable conditions for the implementation of significant change.
The first is to leverage momentum and a strong position to continue a rapid transformation. The late ’90s and early 2000s is often spoken of as a purple patch for rugby union in this country and this represented a golden opportunity to springboard the game to new heights. As the history books and current analysis of the game’s position both suggest, this opportunity was missed.
Then there’s the nothing-to-lose position, which speaks for itself, and is the unfortunate spot that Rugby Australia now finds itself in.
The game wasn’t far from rock bottom in 2019, but there’s nothing like a global pandemic to enforce an economic shutdown and to discover a new low. The silver lining is that an opportunity exists with a common consensus and understanding that the game desperately requires a new direction. This simply isn’t up for debate anymore and having the support and buy-in of all and sundry to give birth to substantial change is an exciting prospect and a position of power.
The good news for rugby in the southern hemisphere is that all the pieces of the puzzle are there to build an engaging and sustainable model to set the game on a positive trajectory once more. These puzzle pieces just need to be broken up and repositioned to create something better. At this stage there is no requirement for significant investment in new infrastructure to rebuild, which is a fortunate position for a cash-strapped game.
SANZAAR needs to bring together 17 existing rugby entities and redevelop a rugby calendar that’s a better fit for each of the partners of the game in this part of the world.
For us, it means bringing back the Force and forging ahead with a Trans-Tasman League with New Zealand’s five Super clubs. This would be a ten-team competition where everyone plays each other once and then the teams in their own country a second time for a 13-game season before the top four progress to a two-week post-season.
Previously, the New Zealand Rugby Union has been one of the more reluctant partners to run the brush of change through Super Rugby. The perilous position the game now finds itself in has resulted in the announcement of a full review of their systems, which includes how they engage in professional rugby. It’s a promising development for Rugby Australia and right now a case needs to be built to promote the benefits of strengthening our Anzac ties while putting a healthy distance between ourselves and the remaining partners, who are further removed from us culturally and geographically.
(AAP Image/Chris Symes)
One of the kinks to be ironed out between ourselves and New Zealand is the contrasting levels of player resourcing. It’s no secret that the production line across the Tasman would tip the balance well and truly in favour of their five teams if the current systems were to remain in place. To work around this, there would need to be free player movement between the two countries with players being allowed to play at the next level so long as they remain on one of the squads of the ten teams involved in the Trans-Tasman competition.
The next layer to incorporate here is around eligibility as there would be some concerns raised from the New Zealand side of the partnership about young Kiwi players moving here to go on to become eligible to stare down the haka. To allay these legitimate fears, RA would need to enforce a selection policy that any player that came to us from New Zealand after the age of 18 wouldn’t be eligible to play for the Wallabies on residency grounds. This is a fair position to enforce, in order to establish an even competition while protecting New Zealand’s pool of players to select from.
The NZRU has previously stressed a desire for their professional players to continue to make the challenging trip across the Indian Ocean to be exposed to rugby in the rainbow republic. By no means do I believe we should completely disconnect from our South African partners at this level, but I hope that the NZRU’s review finds that this particular partnership should be maintained at a reduced capacity.
With Australia and New Zealand amputating themselves from Super Rugby to be transplanted into a new Trans-Tasman league, our friends in the republic should call back the Cheetahs and Kings from the Pro 14 to create a seven-team South Atlantic league with Argentina’s Jaguares. Everyone plays each other twice for a 12-game, 14-round season with byes strategically placed next to trips to South America.
(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
These leagues will be the bread and butter of the domestic season, but the opportunity exists to bring them all together again for a Champions League-style tournament later in the season. Along with these 17 teams, utilise existing rugby infrastructure in Japan to bring in up to seven of their Top League clubs for a 24-team championship that involves the teams being split over four groups of six.
The possibility of reducing Top League teams down to four or five and involving Major League Rugby clubs from the US and Canada could also be explored. Continuing to engage or open ourselves up to these promising markets will be a valuable exercise to ensure SANZAAR is able to top up the pot with the juicy yen that saw the inclusion of the Sunwolves in Super Rugby. Introducing such a concept to the calendar also goes some way towards satisfying New Zealand’s preference remain connected to South Africa at the second tier.
The final challenge SANZAAR has on its hands is to make Test rugby great again. There’s little doubt that the shine has come off the pinnacle of the game and some changes to the formula are required to bring it back into the hearts and minds of punters once more. It beggars belief that Bledisloe tickets are no longer the hottest in town and the last two games held on Australian soil against the Boks were at a half-full Suncorp Stadium and Perth’s boutique NIB stadium, which also had empty seats.
In this space, a less is more approach is required. SANZAAR has to get the balance right and give the exhausted udders a break on the Test cash cow to see it go back to producing a steady stream.
The first thing I would do to achieve this is to cap mid-season and end-of-year tours to no more than three Tests. In a four-year cycle, England should be playing once on Australian soil and the Wallabies playing once at Twickenham. We should be hosting each of the Six Nations teams while rotating between the Islands and emerging powers of the US and Japan in the three non-World Cup years in the cycle.
On our regional scene, the Rugby Championship should only be played on even years. Clear the decks in World Cup years so a competition that should have the same level of prestige as the Six Nations isn’t tainted with a trial flavour. Then to mix things up and engage the Islands, who are crying out to be brought in from the shadows more often than every four years, run a Southern Hemisphere Championship in odd years between World Cups.
This would include the big four from the Rugby Championship, the three Island nations and possibly the playoff winner from the champions of Africa and South America. The eight teams are split into two pools of four with the top two from each advancing to the semi-finals.
(Photo by David Ramos – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
So this is what a regular year would like with these puzzle pieces in place.
• Our Trans-Tasman league kicks off its 15-week competition in late February with the South Atlantic league to begin a week earlier to accommodate their extra regular-season round.
• A grand final weekend for these leagues occurs in early June before the three inbound Tests from the northern hemisphere and Islander tourists.
• The Rugby Championship kicks off in mid July and runs until the end of August. This is the window for the Southern Hemisphere Championship in those odd years between World Cups.
• The Champions League-style Indian Pacific Championship (okay, a bit of an ocean theme developing here but these sorts of creatives aren’t my forte) runs for eight weeks from mid September with all teams playing their group rivals once over five weeks before the knockout stages, which then culminates in the final at the end of October.
• The season wraps up in the northern hemisphere as it currently does, with teams playing three Tests through to the end of November.
So there it is, everything required to dig SANZAAR out of this hole that suddenly whole lot deeper is there staring the partners in the face. No risks need to be taken to create new entities and there’s no need to reshape them into something beyond their current operational limits.
It represents the drastic structural change that’s required, but it’s also not throwing the baby out with the bathwater and starting again. All that’s required is dismantling the mess that’s formed over time and restitching the pieces into some more engaging and practical formats.
There has never been a greater need and better time for big change. If there’s any past captains reading that are great at putting their fingers on problems but find themselves scratching their heads for solutions, let’s talk!
Anibal Pyro
Roar Rookie
of course Rob, we are at the other side of the world. If I was at UAR, I will fight to keep LP at the rugby Championship, and try to put 2 pro teams, that play South American League, and a kind of extended champions league of a PAN AMERICAN league. Argentina MUST consider try to integrate USA and Canada with ARG-Chile-Uruguay- Brazil. If Saffas go north, if Japan and PI goes to AUS-NZL, then we must try to get USA and CANADA. Those 6 nations from South Am and North Am are combined more than 600 MILLIONS PEOPLE. Yes , a six hundred millions` market.
Rob9
Roar Guru
No worries AP, appreciate the comment and the perspective for Argentina (I’m guessing??). My only concern with adding a 2nd Argentinian team right now is that now isn’t really the time to be taking risks with new entities and outlaying the significant investment to get them up and running and to give them a chance. As I mentioned in the article or possibly in another comment, eventually I’d like to see Argentina go their own way due to the tyranny of distance. Whether that be a local club competition or the continental concept with the rest of South America. I think that’s the next logical step beyond the Jaguares.
Anibal Pyro
Roar Rookie
Hi Rob, in my humble opinion, Argentina has quality and depth for 2 teams of SR. The South American RL just started before Covid19, Anyway , the comitment with Sanzaar was to put on the field an "Almost LP team", so it´s not enterily UAR ´s call. The TransTansmanian Comp looks good, but I will put 5 from NZ, 4 AUS, plus Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, , so 12 teams, round robin, and SF and Finales, only 13 weeks. But after all, South Africa is the big if. Will they want to play a CURRIE CUP + Jags and Namibia, eg ??? They will keep looking and NZ-Aus-PI? they will go to a 7 N in the north? Will they look across the Atlantic to Argentina and Uruguay, and the big money from USA and Brazil??? After all, they are World champions. Sorry for my bad English.
Rob9
Roar Guru
Fair call Chris and may be that’s the way we approach it with NZR. All Blacks play for NZ teams (and vice versa for Wallabies). We obviously have top ups to compete with what these marquee players could earn OS so may be to ensure we each get value for every dollar of their inflated salaries (that reflect their international duties), internationals stay put in their own country. That’s not to say they (or us) couldn’t select someone who has a breakout year on the other side of the ditch, but if that player wants to receive their full market value as a test-standard player, they’d need to make their way back across the Tasman. May be some form of contract release system would need to be built in for such scenarios. NZ still have their best playing locally and we still get access to NZ talent to help our teams win games.
chris
Guest
Damn paragrpaphs...
Chris
Guest
"I agree and have said on multiple occasions that a 10 team competition taking in the best players that Australia and NZ has to offer would result in a 6/4 to 7/3 balance for NZ to AUS. And so what? Looking at the talent in the NPC that isn’t getting a gig in one of NZ’s Super teams; I’d suggest this competition is going to be of a higher standard than what we currently have in SR. Certainly not weaker." The method that New Zealand uses to control their playing stock and to keep them playing in New Zealand is by linking All Black illegibility with playing domestically. This only really affects the top 60-70 players in the country. Easing these restrictions would do nothing about the bulk of the Super Rugby squads even less for the NPC players that don't currently make the Super Rugby cut. The real debate concerns the top 20 or so players from New Zealand. New Zealand is able to keep these players at home by offering internationally competitive salaries by combining domestic and international play in their salaries, with clear understanding that their All Black commitments take precedence. New Zealand cannot afford to pay a Retalick same amount as an All Black unless they can control what he does domestically. Would the Waratahs be able to pay him enough to offset the value that he would lose to All Blacks (available, but...)? I don't think so.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Yes he came over a few years ago to improve his game, I can't remember whether he was recruited by the Chiefs or impressed at a lower level. Leitch emigrated to Japan as a kid. He was ineligible to play for the All Blacks, but was great for the Chiefs. Kept Squire out of the team, so he had to move south.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Ok, didn't know about the Canadian, but was he actually Canadian? Leitch is just a kiwi who moved to Japan, and who's been given legal Japanese citizenship. Is this Ardron guy genuinely Canadian, or is he just a kiwi whose been naturalised?
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Yeah, we wouldn't be in this mess.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
In every one of those sports the kiwi team pays its own way. It suits the Aussies to expand their league into a new market, it suits us to have the professional team. Mutually beneficial, that's how these things work. And of course we don't want the All Blacks to lose their edge. We aren't so arrogant as to think that can't happen. If only Australia had the same attitude post 2003. By the way, it's simply not true that foreigners aren't eligible to play in kiwi SR teams. Dozens have, including Canadian captain Tyler Ardron and Japan captain Michael Leitch.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Well, agreed 100% JD, I NEVER supported expanding past the three original teams, and to this day I don't why they did it. Maybe News Corp was on their back to do it with the carrot of a larger broadcasting deal? The incompetent administrators should've said no to News Corp due to the lack of depth of players here. And also like I said before, why they didn't allow to fill up the Force & Rebels with a fair few foreigners to prop them up and be competitive, I have no idea!
Micko
Roar Rookie
Exactly Rob. They forget NZ & SA interest in SR has been dropping too. It was a failed format from the start: a disingenuous pseudo-provincial comp to get professionalism started in rugby union in the southern hemisphere, but locked out players from nations like Fiji, Samoa & Tonga, in what's presumably their biggest sport! Then instead of opening the doors to a full pro format with drafting/recruiting/trading of players, which could get the islanders involved, they decide to start franchises in Argentina & Japan, and increase the travel burden even further! :shocked: Love Kearns or hate him, but he had a point when he pointed out that the Jaguares closely resembled the Pumas national team, which seems kind of unfair for NSW & others to go up against when they're struggling already.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
You talk about single minded parochialism and not wanting to give up anything to make rugby a larger international sport. Have you not stopped to consider how you've diminished Super Rugby through your insistence on expanding the competition in your country? And now you want us to bail out your unsustainable structure instead of you going back to the 2/3 team model that got you onto the top table? Be realistic. We are struggling ourselves to break even each year. We can't afford to subsidise anyone else. And we aren't arrogant enough to think we have a God given right to have the All Blacks on top of the world. We have to keep on doing everything we can to keep them there. Australia lost sight of that and look what happened to them. We don't want to make the same mistake.
Micko
Roar Rookie
That’s my point JD! :silly: Aussies weren’t parochial to the point of shutting out foreigners (to the kiwis’ advantage) in virtually every other sport. Imagine saying “start your own pro league in NZ” or “only kiwis in the warriors side, you can’t recruit aussies!”. You’re not bothered about kiwis playing professionally in Australia (or any other country) when selecting NZ teams in other sports because you’re glad you get countries like Australia who opens their border to give you guys access and opportunities you don’t get in NZ. It’s ONLY in rugby union that you guys claim it’s essential that every NZ representative plays domestically, and an actual proper pro comp in the southern hemisphere is out of the question, because you mandate every professional spot in NZ is filled by a New Zealander. You guys are genuinely fearful that the all blacks will lose some winning edge. South Africa showed this to be a furphy.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
We do what works. If the kiwis were made up of Warriors and domestic players they wouldn’t have enough good players. If the All Blacks accepted players from overseas they’d not be as well prepared, and they wouldn’t be a day by day example to young players coming up. Why on earth would we want to give that up to prop up an organisation that keeps shooting itself in the foot?
Rob9
Roar Guru
I’d suggest Super Rugby’s woes started when it had outgrown its purpose and it attempted to maintain its structure while allowing the partners to take the steps they required to grow and better meet the needs of their respective markets. It was at this point that the partners needed to seek the freedom that would have come with more domesticated structures. If the Force and (in particular) the Rebels entered this sort of a landscape they wouldn’t have been cut (Force) or had the question marks hanging over them (Rebels) respectively. A 3rd tier concept isn’t going to be the vehicle to capture fan interest. How many sports asks fan to engage at the national tier, a professional domestic tier and a semi professional domestic tier? This level on the pyramid simply doesn’t garner significant support.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Only talking about the success or otherwise of the competition as a revenue raising product, which clearly has not worked. The lack of the financial success was what led to the cutting of the Force. As far as the Force itself, the reason so many supporters were angry in the eastern states, and have not forgiven RA for this, is that WA had achieved so much from a rugby perspective. Almost the outstanding rugby achiever was being thrown out; some reward! That is why I feel that the right competition structure and support around the NRC could be good for the game. I suggested that players from outside the state would need to qualify residentially, meaning that young guys on the way up need to move and spend a season in the Perth comp. Of course that limits instant success, but if you keep relying on imports what is the point? Also a stream of imports going into the WA NRC team can't be wonderful for connecting professional with local rugby. A great season could lead them to a Top 2/3 team contract, but a good season does not allow them to just head home to Sydney or Brisbane NRC team, they would need a season in the local comp to re-qualify. Whatever is done, it has to be about making local rugby stronger. Even in Sydney/Brisbane/Canberra. The current set up just seems to have a negative impact everywhere.
Rob9
Roar Guru
Jacko, that’s all well and good and you’re dead right, the best option for Australia does involve asking NZ to change elements of their system. As mentioned below to muglair, there’s every possibility that NZR would tell RA where to go and that’s exactly what we must do under that scenario- go. But don’t forget that Super Rugby is every bit as on the nose in NZ as it is here and it is that fact that has prompted a full review in your country. These realities would suggest that things are hardly sunshine and rainbows across the ditch either and that change to any aspect of the systems to improve a less than perfect structure is possible. Furthermore, with a population that’s less than 3 of our 7 states/territories, I’m not sure NZ wants to go down the path of isolating itself completely. I’d suggest that is a reality that looks considerably different than anything like your ideal model.
Micko
Roar Rookie
And the 2003 WC Jacko? You dopey kiwis did that to yourself with your stubborn and petulant display! Fancy puffing your chests out and trying to tell the IRB how they run THEIR rugby tournament! :shocked: That was never going to stick! And after that display you can't be surprised the aussies voted for Japan instead?! You should've been co-hosting the 2003 WC, and then I wouldn't've had to waste my money watching Samoa thrash Uruguay from 50-100m away in the grandstand at Subiaco Oval! :silly:
Micko
Roar Rookie
Jacko, there's no amazing "system" that's intrinsic to NZ's rugby success. The fact is the whole country got on board with the sport, and the all blacks were successful from the start, and quickly became a religion to kiwis. It then became the dominant sport in the country due to this factor. Plus the fact you have very limited international competition for the sport, and the ones you do have (like Australia) the sport is well down the pecking order and has to fight for talent and attention. This gives NZ a massive advantage already before you even get to the highest level. This would be like me claiming the Aussie cricket team has some amazing formula (apart from sandpaper :silly: ) to explain their successes, when the reality is cricket internationally is extremely limited, and half of the sides that do play range from basket-cases to mediocre, and are also fighting for talent with other sports, as cricket isn't amongst the priorities (like NZ). Surely you can see the Super Rugby comp is a dud at present Jacko, even kiwis and saffas are declining in their support, so it's not just Australia suffering. We let you kiwis participate in virtually all our sports leagues and most sports events, yet your short sighted parochialism and insecurity means you won't even consider opening up to a genuine pro rugby comp run without prejudice, amidst fear that your all blacks won't be so dominant due to tougher international competition. Like I said to JD, have some faith Jacko! Even with a proper pro rugby set up with no restrictions, you'll still have a huge advantage over most other nations!