Two Pacific Island teams given green light to join Super Rugby in 2022

Sorry, I wasn't suggesting Parra and Penrith are CURRENTLY in a position to be feeder clubs for a super rugby team - they are weak sides - I'm suggesting that they COULD BECOME strong enough to fill that role with this sort of development pathway. | If the Maori (by definition NZ) qualify for the MP side, then there is no justification for its existence, i.e. funding from world rugby - it is just another NZ side.

You can't use Two Blues and Emus as feeder clubs. If those clubs had talented players, they would be dominating the SS. A Pasifika side in NZ makes total sense given that the Maori are Islanders themselves, and players could bulk up the MP side to make it more competitive in the early years.

Paramatta City/ Sydney City/ NSW Toursim would pay for the team to be based at Bankwest.

I Agree. And this is what they should do...Take the opportunity that is staring them in the face! | (SRU are controlled by NSWRU) | They should implore the 'powers that be' - ARU; NZR; SANZAR; WRU and of course Pacific islands to base one of the sides (probably Moana, as it has a broader base than Drua) to be based in Parramatta at Bankwest. | Use the Two Blues and Emu's as feeder clubs for talent. Have a 'local talent' rule (5 players) and build from there. Note the passion and success of the Tonga and Samoa League world cup teams in that area - it could really work - And that would be in everyone's interest. | The only people that might be against it are the Waratahs - and that's probably a good sign.

I worked in Mt Druitt for 5 years, LBJ. I know the lay of the land. It's up to Sydney RU and NSW RU to do something: Is Sydney RU even running these days?

Purely about growth Fiwi. | Rugby in Western Sydney has struggled to gain traction - and this represents a tangible opportunity to execute on that strategy in a tremendous way. There are > 80k islanders in Western Sydney, all of whom follow League - attract 30% of those and you have an immediate success. Add to that, the possibility of attracting new community members, an inter-city rivalry with the Tahs - and you have a very compelling proposition. | Meanwhile rugby in NZ is utterly saturated and all that will happen there (commercially speaking) is the Moana or Fiji sides will simply cannibalise the Blues base.

Think what you want, Vo, but reports out of NZ saying that RA is prepared to delay the new teams' entry into the Super competition to 2023 is yet another reason why RA struggles to endear itself to its Pacific neighbours (including NZ).

These teams will feature local players as much as overseas players. It is their development that is the goal of having these teams and the Drua will play some games in Fiji. The NZ Super games played in Suva demonstrated keen interest in the game. The Drua's involvement will bolster the game in Fiji. Moana will travel a different route but will also develop players for the Island Test sides. Development is the core objective.

We certainly live in interesting times. I for one love to watch the Fijians play. I guess time will tell Jacko. We live in hope. I agree with your summation that Rugby League is not a real long term threat. It is more of a made for tv entertainment than a properly governed sport. Whilst Rugby for example is making earnest and genuine attempts to combat concussion. Rugby League pays little more than lip service to the issue. Their oversight and lack of governance is not sustainable.

What was the Francis Kean debacle?

Thanks for the update. Perhaps the $5 million figure was for Moana.

My biggest thoughts around this Peter are that a Fiji team is a no brainer and wont be taking Aus or NZ future players and I think they can sustain a SR quality team and will have the finances to get it up and running and to maintain it financially for many years. Im less certain the PI has that ability unless its just a NZ funded team and thats got to have something in it for NZ if NZ fund it. I think if these two teams get up and prove to be a viable entity then it will add income to RA in ways they could not get from a domestic comp. RA came out hard against NZ's proposal of an 8-10 team comp and thats great but its generally a good idea to have another option and I havnt seen one as yet. Also if RA block the PI team or both new teams they wont look very good. I just hope that if they do that they have a good alternative and a domestic comp isnt a great one. Rugby MUST start trying to keep some of the many Juniors they have and AFL is a big threat as they have the cash. They are attacking all areas they dont currently dominate and I see AFL as a bigger threat to Union than League but more of a long term threat than a short term threat. NRL steals Rugby juniors but with a cash injection that war can be turned around pretty quickly as we have seen with the current crop of U20s coming thru this year. If AFL takes over as a junior sport in the stronger League/Union areas that becomes harder to combat... If RA decide to go down the "Keep Aus a domestic comp" track they may find they get left behind as I believe NZ will go with Fiji anyway and may even go with a 7 team comp themselves.

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: You have it bad eh Micko…Did a Kiwi steal your lunch for a whole school term or something…

Jacko. I appreciate your considered response. It's great to have an earnest discussion. I mean that sincerely !! However, having said that, when did I ever claim to not recognise A.F.L's impact in Brisbane, the Gold Coast or for that matter, in N.S.W. Let me make it clear. A.F.L is not my chosen sport, far from it but having said as much, I was there at the first bounce when the Swan's were still considered by many pundits, South Melbourne and Warwick Capper was lithe enough to still fit into those ridiculously tight and embarrassingly short shorts of his. I understand that Rugby domestically does not have the financial resources that A.F.L has. Like you, I recognise that Rugby Australia must do more to attract Juniors however unlike you and so many in the upper echelon's of Rugby's administration I am prepared to call a spade a spade and acknowledge that Rugby's strategy is not working. Rugby cannot afford to continue to divorce itself from it's traditional supporter base. It is bleeding support. Yes, I am Australian. Born and bred. Yes, I am Anglo, old school. As the saying goes, I am Pale, Male and Stale and all the other cliche's that go along with it but my support is not, as you might imagine, specifically for Australian Rugby but for Rugby in general. If Rugby Australia seeks to frivolously throw money to the Pacific when it can't begin to look after it's own back yard, then, I fail to see why, I, should endorse World Rugby subsidising the game's domestic demise. As I see it, World Rugby are throwing money down the drain. They would get better bang for their buck supporting Rugby in places like Latin America but I guess lobbying and the power of the old boys union still does carry some weight after all. Sadly for the perspicacious amongst us, it only prolongs what is the slow and painful death of Rugby in this country.

The over the top kiwi worship of the all blacks, plus the top down system of overpaying kiwis to play in NZ (a system that is financially unsustainable, and currently has NZR looking to sell themselves off to PE firms) means few top players leave. And I’ve ALWAYS stated Australia should dump this silly amateur era model that is also sending RA broke! Your hypocrisy is off the scale. You kiwis want to live here forever, enjoy what we’ve built, expect access to our country and Australian professional sport, that (by the way!) has given so many of your fellow kiwis a chance to earn a living they won’t ever get from NZ and NZ sport…but oh my god, if some rugby league clubs entice kiwi teenagers to sign for them, then that’s an excuse for more anti-aussie whin ging from you! :thumbdown:

FFS...More BS...Any kiwi rugby player can play for any club they want to.....ANY NZ RUGBY PLAYER CAN PLAY FOR ANY CLUB THEY WANT TO.......And your own country has the same selection rules...Go crap on them about it if you dont like it....Yep League steels a lot of Union players from NZ...Why dont they develop their own? Because their is not enough talent to fill 16 teams so they have to steal U16 school kids from NZ...Pathetic...

Sounds like an apologist to me and Rugby Au hater.

Once again Jacko, you’re being disingenuous. You know the NRL openly recruits kiwi talent, who then have access to Australian teams, training and coaches which improves their levels to the point it’s expected that NZ can compete with Australia. No one is surprised when the Kiwis beat the Kangaroos. That is what an open professional market can do for nations like NZ, who are lucky Australia gives you kiwis access to our professional sporting market in virtually all sports. You kiwis are hypocrites in this regard: in rugby union, because the sport is so small globally and you can dominate it, you viciously cling to a protectionist top down system of professionalism that realistically NZ can’t afford as you are afraid that the all blacks will decline if you adopt full open slather professionalism.

Rugby union just isn’t a big enough in Australia to have such regular contact with NZ. League isnt a sport in NZ but NZ is still ranked no 1 in the world at it.... And Aus has more rugby players than NZ does so youe excuses are weak at best...But you do have a lot of excuses...

How is SR AU improving Aus rugby? Who is getting better? the Reds are it...No other team is improving... And you seem to be ignorant to the challanges NZ rugby faces by your generic "rugby is their national sport" comments...The national sport of a small counrty means its constantly vulnerable...Far more so than a small sport in a larger country...