Australian rugby: A blueprint for the future

Tracey Chapman said it best: “Don’t you know? They’re talkin’ bout a revolution.”

The ongoing drama that is Australian rugby continues to throw up more plot twists than a Tom Clancy novel. I have no intention of reporting or dwelling on that and will leave it to the journalists, pundits and slaves to social media.

For the last six months I have been conducting my own inquiry into the current state of Australian rugby. This was prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. During this time I have had the good fortune of speaking to some of the country’s most revered rugby personalities, picking the brains of people who have played and coached at the highest level while also observing and absorbing as much relevant and contemporary material as is available in literature, podcasts and all manner of social media.

I am in the process of making a documentary about the current state of Australian rugby. However, given rugby in this country has been shaken to the core, I feel an obligation to put forward some of my preliminary findings now while we are in desperate need of ideas, innovation and, above all, positive conversation. To sit on this information would be disingenuous.

What follows is a blueprint for how the rugby landscape in Australia should look as soon as is feasible and, given the world’s current state of affairs, as soon as is safe. This is based on information I have gathered, evidence put forward to me, the views of influential rugby heads (some who have gone on and off the record) and the strong convictions of many people like me – fans who live and breathe this sport, who pay club registrations, buy tickets, purchase merchandise and take up pay-TV subscriptions.

(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Prologue: Not so Super Rugby

International rugby in Australia is looking increasingly unlikely in 2020. However, the premium content we have come to be presented with, that being Super Rugby, has been failing for some time, as evidenced by declining match attendances and viewership. This has been dramatically illustrated in Australia by the removal of one Super Rugby franchise from the competition and continuous financial strain being put on the remaining member unions.

It may not be decreed officially by SANZAAR, but word on the street is that Super Rugby is on the way out.

Thus the stage is set for a revolution. Whether wanted or not, COVID-19 has forced Australian rugby to consider the possibilities that had previously been unthinkable if not commercially viable. It will be a reboot that has the once-in-a-generation chance to breathe life back into a failing code that still has a rusted-on fan-base but has lost relevance with the common Aussie sports fan.

And so with absolutely nothing other than passion and purpose I wish to present the following blueprint for an Australian rugby schedule that would commence as soon as possible and extend to the international participants once travel restrictions are lifted.

1. Welcome to the Pacific!

The first order of business must be to fill the gap that would be left by a Super Rugby tournament closing down.

Australia has approximately 160 professional men that are contracted to play premium rugby. We cannot lose this group. An exodus at this time may be inevitable, but there is always fresh blood coming through, not to mention plenty of journeymen looking for a second chance.

Broadcasters have expected 21 rounds of content played by up to 15 teams. Spectators and fans want to see high-quality rugby week in and week out prior to the midyear Wallabies schedule.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Pacific Pro 10!

The Pacific Pro 10 will include the following teams playing in a 21-round (18 regular season, three finals) tournament from February to July (not January, please leave summer reserved for cricket):

1. NSW Waratahs
2. Queensland Reds
3. Canterbury Crusaders
4. Waikato Chiefs
5. Auckland Blues
6. Wellington Hurricanes
7. Otago Highlanders
8. Fijian team
9. Samoan team
10. Japanese team

The competition will be played across five time zones as opposed to the current 17 time zones Super Rugby covers thanks to teams from South Africa and Argentina.

Removing South Africa and Argentina will lose the unfriendly time slots for games they host as well as reduce travel costs and player fatigue.

This competition harks back to the original ‘Super’ format – the short-lived Super Six competition of the 1990s. Re-engaging directly with the Pacific will create more opportunities for professional players from Fiji and Samoa to remain closer to home as opposed to plying their trade in Europe. Having these players will not only boost opportunities for local players but also give Australian audiences a chance to have regular exposure to the best from the Pasifika.

Tonga, while not ready to support a franchise, should be targeted for development and, when ready, inclusion.

The major consequence of this move will be the loss of revenue from a broadcast deal that doesn’t involve South Africa and will result in Rugby Australia struggling to be able to match the money that our best rugby players could otherwise receive in England or France. We may lose another Samu Kerevi or two, maybe even a Michael Hooper.

But the fact is we already have a leak in talent at the top level, and all we can do is keep stemming the flow of players overseas while creating the best possible domestic environment that may be the difference between our top players choosing to emigrate or to stay and play local. Paying a handful of the best players a million dollars to stay loyal is not currently sustainable. This is a hard truth we have to accept.

There will also be a loss of goodwill from South Africa and Argentina. This must be managed by Rugby Australia and made up through the ongoing Test international schedules.

Much closer to home, the Rebels and Brumbies will be filthy. See below for explanation.

(AAP Image/Dan Peled)

2. Rounding up the Wallabies

The creation of two top professional teams in Australia means that Wallabies, both current and potential, must be centralised and can play for only the Waratahs or the Reds. There are people in the rugby community who are better placed to explain in depth the rationale for this, but it will be the key requirement for getting the Wallabies to return to being consistently one of the top four teams in the world and becoming solid contenders to win Bledisloe Cups and a World Cup.

The key rationales for this decision are:

• to increase the time Wallabies spend playing together throughout the year;
• to centralise the high-performance units, including academies, creating alignment and cutting the costs of multiple HPUs around the country;
• to capitalise on a Wallabies base to use the players to promote the brand; and
• to maximise the chances for the Waratahs and Reds to be successful franchises in the Pro Pac 10 tournament so that their success and the increase in match attendance and viewership can in turn create greater revenue to be shared by the whole union.

Every effort needs to be made to increase the likelihood of a successful Wallabies team, and there is solid evidence that concentrating talent and creating a cohesive environment is a significant indicator of long-term success that is built not bought.

Australian professional rugby is dependant on the Wallabies being successful. It underpins the commercial viability of the sport and is what brings new eyeballs to the screens, more bums on seats and increases the value of our product for international opponents. This equation is undisputed and will not change for the foreseeable future.

(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

3. The best of the rest

So what now for the rest of the clubs, players and fans outside of the heartland rugby states?

Welcome to the NRC 7 series!

NRC 7 is a domestic competition played across Australia by semi-professional teams that have current fan recognition and a playing history and come from distinct regions that can create a genuine derby atmosphere and, more importantly, provide a platform for premium rugby. It is an extended revision of the current NRC format yet is without Fijian Drua, who will be transplanted as or absorbed into the Fijian team in the Pro Pac 10.

The NRC 7 series will include the following teams playing in a 14-round (12 regular season and two finals) home-and-away tournament from March to July:

1. ACT Brumbies
2. Melbourne Rebels
3. Western Force
4. NSW Waratahs Juniors
5. Queensland Reds Juniors
6. NSW Country
7. Queensland Country

The Waratahs and Reds are included in this tournament, albeit as ‘juniors’. That’s because they will feature reserve-grade sides who are part of the Waratahs and Reds machines. The following reasons for this are given:

• interest in a domestic competition needs to include the two cities, Sydney and Brisbane, where rugby has the largest supporter bases;
• a domestic competition will have further significance with inclusion from the two oldest franchises;
• any success and continuity for the Waratahs and Reds in the Pro Pac tournament is reliant on a large squad that has a reserve grade side, working within the same system, to support the top team.

The Waratahs and Reds squads – including the players in the Pro Pac – will number 40 men each, and the remaining Super 7 sides will have 30-man squads. That is paid work for up to 230 players, an increase on the current slots available.

Players should play for their region of origin where possible but a player draft can also be considered to keep teams and the tournament competitive. Wallabies will not be playing in this tournament unless they are returning from injury and require a game before returning to Pro Pac 10. However, restrictions will be placed on the Waratahs and Reds so they can’t stack their junior team.

(Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

I understand that a proposal in which the country’s top players remain in NSW and Queensland will irk many outside of those states. For Force fans it is the status quo, Rebels may consider themselves lucky this didn’t happen to them in 2017 and Brumbies fans may well want to lynch me, but this is based on financial constraints no longer within our control.

This is also about serving the top and ensuring the Wallabies have every chance of being successful so that the fruits of their success can be shared in return back down the chain. The vegemite cannot be spread too thinly.

Consider the following:

• the NRC 7 series would provide six home games for each team that are derbies and not the current eight home games offered by Super Rugby, which include international teams with whom fans have limited engagement;
• current attendances for Brumbies, Rebels and the Force vary between 5000 to 10,000 and are a solid platform to build followings. The Force have gathered those crowds minus any significant star players so crowds are attracted to the rugby experience not the players;
• a series that includes the Western Force is likely to draw the support and interest of financial backers like Twiggy Forrest and his Mindaroo team. Other local sponsors are likely to follow;
• it is the ideal format to trial innovations in the game, as seen in Global Rapid Rugby, that could appeal to new spectators without damaging the traditional 15-a-side rules that can be preserved in Pro Pac 10 and international matches;
• most importantly, the pathway to elite rugby remains paved in the states of ACT, Victoria and Western Australia. Emerging talent will be identified in a competition that features a larger pool of players and despite them getting recruited for higher honours and moving to the big smokes of Sydney and Brisbane, NRC 7 fans can rejoice in the fact that their club produced future Wallaby talent;
• it provides more elite pathways for coaching and support staff; and
• every competition needs a villain or two. AFL has Collingwood, rugby league has many (or should that be Manly?). Imagine the tribalism and rivalry that the five clubs outside of NSW and Queensland will direct at the Waratahs and Reds Juniors. Local rugby needs to find an edge.

COVID-19 has illuminated financial flaws that Australian rugby already had in its current business model. Sacrifices have to be made, but living within our means and supporting that middle tier correctly can pay dividends in the long term.

4. The Anzac Test

Anzac Day, 25 April, is well into the rugby season. So why not honour the proud Anzac history with Bledisloe 1 being played on this most auspicious day?

Aussie Rules and rugby league do it, but neither of them has the elevated rivalry that best represents that special relationship between Australia and New Zealand. I’m reliably informed that one rugby fan from Perth – full disclosure, my father – would happily fly across the country to attend such a match, and I’m sure he would not be alone.

The game will be played during a general bye in both Pro Pac 10 and NRC 7 tournaments. It will alternate years between Australia and New Zealand. There will be commemoration, there will be celebration, it will be watched by hordes of fans on both sides of the Tasman after a festive afternoon of two-up and boozing. A big earner that becomes an annual institution.

There could be challenges in scheduling a Wallabies versus All Blacks match so early in the year, but the fans will enjoy it and the overseas viewers may be more interested than normal in a match that just fits into the back end of the northern hemisphere season.

5. Wallabies international season

Business as usual.

With the exception of Bledisloe 1 on Anzac Day, the rest of the international Test season is played out from July to the autumn tour of Europe at the end of the year. This includes the remaining Bledisloe 2 and 3 matches and the Rugby Championship with Argentina and South Africa. The novelty of playing a South African team only twice a year may well increase interest in a rivalry that has been waning in recent years.

Although watch this space if Agustin Pichot gets his way.

(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

6. In da club

Business as usual.

Club rugby is strong and always will be. It’s a solid community and volunteer-driven system that shouldn’t be messed with and should only be supported and nurtured by the member unions and Rugby Australia.

The nation’s top club rugby competitions, Shute Shield and Queensland Premier Rugby, continue to produce quality players and remain destinations for amateurs from around the country to use as a pathway. However, they should remain amateur and imbue the pure spirit of rugby union. A national club competition would be an overreach for these clubs and fail the emotional engagement test with fans outside of New South Wales and Queensland, who do not care for Shute Shield and Queensland Premier Rugby as much as people think.

However, once the Pro Pac 10 and NRC 7 tournaments conclude July, those players not playing for the Wallabies must be available for their clubs for the closing rounds and final series of their club competitions. Club rugby will enjoy the boost in the talent returning to their roots and the much-needed relationship between professional and amateur codes remains preserved.

(Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

7. Hello, ladies!

Super W has provided a new pathway for female players and there is an obligation to preserve and grow it. While the sevens players are professional, a long-term goal needs to be set to continue the commitment to raise the profile for the women’s 15-a-side competition so it can become part of the rugby landscape with its own revenue potential and fan following.

The Super W tournament will include the following teams playing in a ten-round (eight regular season and two finals) tournament from April to July:

1. NSW Waratahs
2. Queensland Reds
3. ACT Brumbies
4. Melbourne Rebels
5. Western Force

It will build upon the current format started in 2018 but expand the tournament and also run in parallel with the men’s games inclusive of a finals series. Super W games will be curtain raisers to the NRC 7 games, ensuring that the women’s game gets exposure and becomes part of the rugby experience. Ticket fees can be increased accordingly given spectators are getting two games in one sitting, and the marginal increase in a match fee will encourage attendees to come early.

It is imperative that rugby continues to support and boost the women’s code in order to continue the objective of making rugby a game for all, to widen the support base and ensure that both fathers and mothers are not deterred from introducing their son or daughter to a game that has historically and unfairly being viewed as too rough.

8. Sevens

Business as usual. This is managed by World Rugby and there are few if any players playing both sevens and 15-a-side at the same time.

This is what the newly aligned Australian rugby calendar year would look like.

I submit the above to you, readers, the many rugby fanatics out there and whichever architects will be sitting down and carving out the future of the game in this country over the coming months. There are financial considerations and consequences to deliver the above, and these largely hinge on a broadcaster who can pay what the above is worth. Free-to-air TV is not an option if we want to deliver high-quality international rugby and keep as many of the best Australian rugby players in Australia.

However, there is room to develop around this rugby package. Former Wallaby Ben Alexander has already started an open forum on ways that a dynamic streaming platform owned and operated by Rugby Australia could capitalise on old and new content to provide a future revenue source. The revolution is both physical and digital.

I expect to be challenged, criticised and rucked relentlessly by some for the above propositions, but I stand firm that these proposals are measured, supported by facts and at their core are about Rugby Australia doing what we have never been able to do, and that is become masters of our own domain.