Why Super Rugby AU is the competition we never knew we needed

Jacko, NZ said NZ Aotearoa and maybe ANZAC. NZRU excluded all of SA (and Arg) with that statement. So, respectfully, don’t pretend to be on a high-horse now. AUS are doing their own thing. SA would love to do its own thing if not for the government. At the same time, SA has reminded both NZ and AUS they actually have a contractual obligation in a press release. Yes, no doubt SA has interests in the NH, but we at least appear to be the only ones publically stating “hang on”. I suspect we’re also doing it on behalf of Argentina. Because around here it seems everyone just thinks “oh well f ’em”. The initial plan was for the Pumas (RSA PUMAS as in the franchise from Nelspruit) and Griquas (Kimberley) to join some competition, not necessarily the PRO 14. Now, SARU’s hand appears to be forced. The Kings are out and probably the Cheetahs with them and all the rest heading north. Thanks for the dialogue.

What you're talking about is the modern equivalent of an Australian "Currie Cup" the way it used to be. It's also good to hear things are improving. I've had the feeling as a South African that Australia are not far off and things may be coming together. What COVID allows, is for the administration to put something out there and see how it goes. That's not an option ordinarily. Australia now has the freedom to try things outside of other commitments, while taking financial implications into consideration, of course. So, might as well swing and try hit a six. Go for all or nothing! I've been advocating for SA to keep the game local during this time and perhaps next year. Get the Jaguares and Georgia involved. We would have the 4 SR franchises and the two PRO 14 franchises + 2 additional teams. They can be located in SA for the duration of the tournament. Full strength. Will be an immense challenge for SA to win its own "Currie Cup" with a virtual Argentina team on shores, but they will have the disadvantage of lacking supporters so it all evens out. Georgia has been granted permission to include a team in the Currie Cup 1st division so they may as well go all out with their best - notwithstanding the players committed to NH clubs. We can call it the Safari Cup or something. Obviously we'd never share the CC with any other because it's sacred and was gifted to SA over a century ago so we'd share it among ourselves.

That would also be a massive climb down Sluggy. But let's see what eventuates before jumping to conclusions.

Is Qantas money like Monopoly money?

No harm in crossover games mid season so we can all muse over how we are doing.. Then go back finish our respective seasons and finals and let the competition winners battle it out. You get local rivalry and then you also get the exposure to the other nation. I really can't see how anyone is a loser. The crossover games provide interest and lengthen the season for fans and broadcasters. Then the best NZ teams fight it out and the best AU teams fight it out. The winners of each playoff. Pretty simple and something to write about on both sides of the Tasman. Australia needs to revive interest in our teams because most casual sports fans here are not going to watch the Crusaders no matter how good they are. If Australian professional rugby goes down then some pain could eventually be felt by NZ so it is in everyone's interest to work together.

That's the point. Like fries with a schnitzel it maybe just filler to some but part of a complete meal to others!

The " massive climb down" appears to be on the way, but from the NZR, if Matt McILraith's article in the Guardian this morning is correct. The same thing is being reported on Stuff by Paul Cully. Things are starting to point towards a 5+5 team TT in 2022.

And even with Covid limiting the crowd sizes... NSW have the same size crowds they usually got Pre Covid.

Jacko, Teams in our domestic comp will be based in the largest metro areas. So outside of the big 5, I only see Gold Coast, Newcastle and Adelaide as the other options.

Pirate, I'm suggesting a Gold Coast team replace QC as just Gold Coast. Not representative of QC at all. Just on the basis of the next largest populated city from a business point of view.

Sluggy, I was replying to OOP, an Aussie, who favours fewer Aussie teams (for the same reasons as Ben Darwin, Eddie Jones etc). If you were on here more regularly you’d understand the context of our long running discussions and my thoughts on NZR’s diplomatic fail. Even my first post on this thread should have provided a bit of a clue.

Jacko, this is all becoming rather confusing. Does NZRU want Super Rugby matches played between SA, OZ and NZ? Because baed on current information it doesn’t seem to be. Your country may be great at rugby, but you aren’t the only cash cow when it comes to tests. Pardon my judgment but it all is starting to become a tad too arrogant from the land of the long white cloud.

Excellent post Ray L. Jacko, can you please print that out and study how you structure a persuasive contribution, instead of just dashing a few lines off on your phone complete with misquotes, and calling someone else’s post “total BS” and accusing them of pure ignorance. There is a line and you have crossed it. And incidentally, Ray didn’t say that, and the word you want is spelt “furphy”.

“EFF I see your Force Owner or Backer is trying to buy into the NZ SR comp and set up his own team in the NZ domestic comp.” Here we go again, making stuff up Jacko. What Brett Harris said in the Guardian was that the BOP/China GRR team might be putting in an EOI to NZR. Far from Twiggy Forrest trying to buy into NZ and set up his own team. I expect that BOP/China needed to talk to him about whether existing GRR based funding would be continued for that purpose. I suspect the answer was “no”. I don’t know whether you read things too quickly, or get the wrong idea about what people mean and then “quote” that, but if you want your posts to be taken seriously, you need to stick to actual word for word quotes, and stop it with the straw man arguments. At the moment (three times in this thread) you have misquoted a post, or a news article, in such a way that you sound like you are doing it deliberately to troll people.

Jacko doesn't let accuracy get in the way of his "quotes".

It's on Kayo Micko. You can stream it on your computer.

“What RA are saying is we cant compete so we dont want to play you at Domestic level” RA did not say that Jacko. That is not true. They simply rejected NZR’s ultimatum about a TT comp. Stop making things up.

"a more evenly matched 5+3 would be a massive climb down." RA acted in the interests of Australian rugby after NZR delivered its ultimatum about wanting only 2 teams, and wanting control of the finances and the competition as a whole. It was a no-brainer to say no thanks. No amount of semantics will get past the fact that NZR's arrogant dictatorial approach locked itself into a competition which it has belatedly admitted is not sustainable after the short term. They now say they will be reviewing the EOIs next week. Apparently they have a couple from BOP and Tasman, or something. EOIs that will both fail one of the McKinsey recommendations - keeping NZ players concentrated in the existing 5 teams, and therefore, so the management consultants say, brand All Black strong. The McKinsey plan for NZR to take single control of TT rugby has crashed and burned, and the only massive climb down here will be the one NZR have to make to maximise broadcast money and get into the 500% larger Australian TV market. Lastly, your making provocatory, & deprocatory statements like "Of course, if Australia find that five teams are too many, they can always join us with fewer teams at a later date" is churlish. We get it that you Kiwis are so full of yourselves and how good you are at rugby that you can't understand how RA could have knocked back NZR's ultimatum, and chosen its own path. But it did, eh?

It's funny isn't it? I've never enjoyed SR so much! Every Aussie game, win or lose, has been enjoyable. I even enjoy watching the Kiwi teams play more because it's their own comp. I'm sure it would be the same if I was watching SA teams in their own comp.