In 2015 Los Jaguares were the first professional Argentinian club team to join Super Rugby.
In their four short years they experienced a meteoric rise from 13th in their inaugural season to runners-up in their last. They were popular among fans and were welcomed by all.
In 2020 the fans could only watch as COVID-19 hammered the final nail into the Super Rugby coffin. Los Jaguares, lost and without an invite from the other SANZAAR nations, found themselves playing in the Super Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR), replacing the Ceibos from Cordoba.
The South American competition ensures Los Jaguares are no longer the sole professional team on the continent. Los Jaguares now find themselves competing with the Cafeteros Pros from Colombia, the Cobras from Brazil, Olimpia Lions from Paraguay, Penarol in Uruguay and Selknam from Chile. The competition is the child of Sudamerica Rugby, which is hoping to expand and grow the game while giving the athletes a chance to become professionals in their home countries.
It’s an exciting time for rugby. Across the planet professional club teams are appearing. Growth seems inevitable. In a few short years we have seen the creation of SLAR, the expansion of Major League Rugby, the new Pacific involvement in Super Rugby and Japan’s restructuring away from corporate ownership in the Top League. There are even whispers of the Major League teams playing the SLAR teams to see who would be the champions of the Americas.
It seems rugby is growing. No longer is rugby enjoyed by only the historic powers of the northern and southern hemispheres.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
While growth is exciting, it can also be dangerous if not done carefully. Expand too quickly and limited funds are stretched too thin to be sustained. Expand to the wrong area and a support base can’t be built, which will further drain funds from the competition to keep a sinking team afloat.
Already the Super Liga is discussing expansion in their second season or when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, with Spain, Portugal or Mexico being mentioned as candidates. More sensibly there have also been rumours circulating about a second Chilean, Uruguayan or Brazilian franchise. While this raises an eyebrow and some interest in the league, it would be wise for SLAR to learn some hard lessons from Los Jaguares and the fall of Super Rugby.
The first lesson SLAR should learn from Super Rugby is to not be spread thin. Too many teams across too many continents make for a competition too hard to follow week-in-week-out. For their own best interest the South Americans need to stay local and forget about the possibility of Spanish, Portuguese or Mexican franchises. Adding that trio would see nine teams in nine countries. The costs associated with and the impact on player welfare of flying across time zones would only strain the league. This does not mean that SLAR should forget them entirely, but rather it should use these countries to find talent for its own teams.
The second lesson is to be wary of a conference system. In its heyday Super Rugby followed a round robin format, but as it grew there needed to be a restructuring. There couldn’t be too many games due to the international calendar and there couldn’t be too few as broadcasters need games to make money. A four-conference system was introduced at Super Rugby’s peak of 18 teams. The complexity of figuring out which conference played which and who played who was a nightmare for fans to follow, creating disinterest in the competition.
Moreover, conferences allowed for some teams to have an easier draw of games. In 2017 the Lions won 14 of 15 games without playing any teams from New Zealand until the semi-finals. For the sake of the fans, keep it simple, keep it double-round robin and steer clear of the conference system.
The third lesson Super Rugby can teach SLAR is to start in the rugby heartlands. The first Super Rugby teams were based where rugby was the strongest in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. If SLAR wants to increase the size of their league, then place the teams where the fans and academies are.
So where would be the best place to start expansion for the South Americans? Argentina is most obvious. After all, Los Pumas have been the envy of their neighbours for decades. Compared to the rest of the continent Argentina is a big fish in a small pond. There is no shortage of players either. The majority of the other teams have a good cluster of Argentineans to support their ranks. Despite the Olimpia Lions being based in Asuncion, Paraguay, the majority of players are Argentinian.
Due to Los Pumas success internationally, the majority of fans would also be based in Argentina. Already Los Jaguares are dominant in the competition and most likely to take home the trophy. A team in Cordoba, Rosario and Tucuman would be only beneficial and help to create some local derbies that would keep fans excited. A second team based in Buenos Aires would get the hot-blooded passion of South American fans pumping.
Look at the Primera Division of football, where there are multiple Buenos Aires teams. Often these games are the most hotly contested and watched on TV. The Superclasico between Boca Juniors and River Plate is renowned in the football world as a must-watch match every year. Imagine if the Jaguares had a local rival to battle each year. There is no shortage of talent in Buenos Aires either. Eight of the 16 teams that participate in the Nacional de Clubes, the national club competition, stem from the Buenos Aires area.
Excluding the Argentine superpower, where else should get an expansion team? For now there are only two other sensible choices.
Uruguay is the only other nation in South America that has also played at the Rugby World Cup. While Los Teros can only brag about winning three out of 15 World Cup games, a second Uruguayan team would help them to increase their developed player pool and help them to be more competitive. After all, most developed rugby nations have at least two professional clubs; Uruguay should be the same. However, this seems likely as Uruguay were touted as having two teams at SLAR’s creation.
Brazil could also have potential as a location for more teams. Brazil was originally supposed to have a second team based from Florianopolis before sensibly deciding it would be best to start with one team. The Maori All Blacks took on the Tupis in 2018 and have been competitive against teams like the USA and Canada. Not to mention that there is a market of 211 million people waiting to discover rugby in the football-mad country.
Expansion for the young league will inevitably happen, especially when there is an aim to grow rugby across the continent. For now we can only sit back, watch and hope that the Super Liga doesn’t follow the same footsteps as Super Rugby. After all, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
JRVJ
Roar Rookie
I agree with some of TE's opinions about SR, but I don't agree with most of his appraisal of South American Rugby. The difference between Argentina's Rugby level and that of the rest of South America is abysmal, with only Uruguay even remotely in the same ballpark. If SLAR were being developed in the abstract, Argentina would have at least 3, perhaps 4 sides, to level things out. The thing is, Argentina cannot financially support 3 or 4 sides, which is why SLAR (supported economically by World Rugby) only has one side. From a market standpoint, TV rights for South America are much more valuable than only for Argentina (plus Uruguay's 3.4 MM citizens), so SLAR is a package deal: Ceibos/Jaguares XV will absolutely dominate the competition in the short term, but the idea is to foster Rugby Union in the continent so that the numbers make sense to all. Will it work? I have no idea. It depends on whether Argentina can actually pay for a 2nd franchise (Ceibos/Jaguares XV are just too good for SLAR), so that talent becomes diluted enough for the thing to make sense from a competitive standpoint. And it also depends on whether ESPN and World Rugby are willing to keep on ponying up, neither of which is guaranteed in the post-COVID world. We'll see how it plays out, but let's be frank about one thing: the biggest losers of the disappearance of the old SR format were the Jags, by far (ultimately, I think Oz and Kiwi sides will miss out on playing the Jags, since their 2019 iteration was formidable enough to lift all boats that they encountered).
West Aussie Exile
Roar Rookie
Good article and responses. I've got into MLR and see the links with South America. I agree re Argentina - you could end up with 3 or 4 professional teams eventually and have some quality local derbies. Combine those players with those Pumas overseas and that would give Argentina the chance to beat the ABs more often! Some good articles about Colombia on the World Rugby website, some real potential there and the second largest population in South America after Brazil
francisco
Guest
Jaguares participating in Superugby generated money through TV rigths ( a good audience in Latin America) sale of tickets when was local and merchandising. Jaguares in Pro 16 would be a financial adventure of an uncertain result. UAR should allow the regional unions to establish their own franchises to strengthen SLAR. Most of the players supplied to the other SLAR teams are not from Buenos Aires.
Kevin
Roar Rookie
SLAR could be good, as long as it keeps within Sth America. The idea of linking with Portuguese and Spanish players, maybe in exchange for a Pro16 team based in Spain, is really good. It provides a pathway for those players.
charly_7777
Guest
It is true that the SR, as it was defined, involved large trips and costs, jet lag, etc ... what they said before was more logical: find the best 3 of each conference and then play a very final in a single country the best 9 teams, on the other hand the issue of fans who want to see their team in the stadium in the final!
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
Yep. The side benefit for Argentina is the added depth more teams will provide. At present the UAR are looking to place the Jags in Spain on a bid to enter the Pro 16. With the money they'll spend on that they would easily be able to run 2 more teams in SLAR. Providing depth. If players are then signed overseas then great. Let them go. The overall benefit for SLAR will be as you mention. A more competitive competition.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
Chile aren’t a poor nation in terms of Sth America. And there’s still plenty of growth opportunity in their market. Brazil may have the most people but they are also the least overall developed. Yes, even less so than Colombia. Long term the goal should be for Argentina to have 3 and everyone else having 2. But Brazil is one that’s further down the list. With Uruguay and Chile being the next two after Argentina.
francisco
Guest
Good Article. The fact is the objectives of the Unions relative to SLAR are completely different. While the 5 smaller unions are establishing a base for Professional Rugby , UAR has its own base of professional players for years. Jaguares XV is in fact Argentina XV, the second string national team. Instead of organising 2 or 3 more franchises in Argentina, UAR keeps its eligible players (without overseas contract) together in a team of a much higher level than the other 5 teams. Argentina has enough talent to feed at least 3 franchises aside of the players already supplied to the other franchises (around 30). SLAR can not improve if there is a team so dominant, the competition is open only for the secons spot. Which is the attractive for potential sponsors?
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
just look at which conference the Sunwolves were put in SANZAAR gave the Sunwolves such a poor deal it was embarrassing. Forcing them to play "home games" in Singapore and Hong Kong was utter madness (especially considering that the Sunwolves probably had the best home crowd - of all teams in SR - in Tokyo).
In brief
Guest
No, the author’s right - super rugby had too many teams over too large an area and too many time zones
The Expansionist
Roar Rookie
Chile would be good too, but ultimately you also have to look at potential TV markets for the major base of income to keep leagues running. I think majority of the countries will eventually get 2 teams if the league can prove to be sustainable.
The Expansionist
Roar Rookie
It's not about stopping growth, but ensuring that it can be sustainable by investing smartly. I think your model of Super Rugby would have worked too, but the cost of traveling across continents is a drain on a sporting league.
The Expansionist
Roar Rookie
There is talk of a club world cup from Laporte
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
Thanks TE for putting this together. I, for one, had no idea of the progression of the game in Sth Am. How wonderful to see the growth and development in relatively young Unions. While each union has its own plans, I hope that they can already see the benefits , both short and long term, of working together. And I refer to the unions of both American continents. That could go out to a multi-tiered competition in the distant future, while they continue to strengthen their current competitions. Learn the lessons of SR certainly, but also learn the lessons from selfish unions and the stubbornness that can also stymie growth.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
I should also add that I don't think a team from Spain or Portugal are anything more than speculative pipe dreams. What could be possible however it having both Spanish and Portuguese players come over to play a higher level of competition than their current club competitions offer. This could be done to potentially help fill out the likes of a second Uruguayan and Chilean franchise and even a 2nd Brazilian one.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
Interesting thoughts. Some I agree with. Notably that Argentina should have at least one may be even two more franchises. Being the largest a most developed participation base in Sth America they need to really look to become the anchor in terms of franchise numbers for the league. Uruguay is the next logical option for another franchise. And they had plans for two in the original drafting of the league with Penarol to be joined by fierce rivals Nacional. Who chose to delay entry but will hopefully will come on board in future seasons. I disagree on your call of Brazil being the third option. Brazil have pathway issues that need to be addressed first. Which are in the process at present. But Chile with more players than both Uruguay and Chile combined but up until recently lacking the HP programs to match are the next best option or a 2nd team in the medium term. Selkam have shown huge improvement this season and Chile could support a 2nd team before Brazil, Paraguay or Colombia. Regarding the Nth vs Sth concept. Neither league is in the position to make that a reality as yet. And while a date was announced last year it clearly didn't involve any consultation between the two as that date would have been around round 14 of the MLR season.
woodart
Guest
good column. the one big thing I took out of it, is the travel. there seems to be a limit, from both players and fans, that is sustainable. as you also rightly say, local derbies are king. doesnt matter the sport, doesnt matter which continent. please keep us informed about sth american rugby.
tc
Guest
Great article, keep it up. Just a couple of things. Firstly, I don't think Super Rugby (18 teams) failed because it had so many teams over such a large area. It failed because the conference system was utterly unworkable, just look at which conference the Sunwolves were put in. It was utter madness. If for example, they had put the Sunwolves in the Aussie conference, added Fiji to the Kiwi conference and the Jags to the Saffa conference, and then played each conference internally first, I think it could have worked. I believe it was egos within each union that made Super Rugby unworkable. Honestly, I think in the end our new TT super comp will end up much better for us antipodeans anyway. Another point, I think its wrong to try and restrict the growth of new pro rugby franchises. If someone wants to throw money at a new franchise in SLAR, go for it. If in ten years it fails, then so be it. Just look at MLR in North America, seemingly there are up to nine groups wanting to enter teams, yet some fans say "no, it's to quick". I say, so what, if in ten years some fail, well, at least they tried. To be honest with you, I think rugby is growing so fast around the world that your not going to stop new pro franchises/clubs anyway.
nroko
Roar Rookie
Great article, thanks for the insights. Covid-19 has pushed everyone to focus in their regions. This is something needs to be maintain going forward. In addition I would like to see a Champion League type format involving Americas, Japan, Aus, NZ and Pacific ala the Pacific Ring competition.
Armchair Halfback
Roar Rookie
Well done expansionist! South America is a largely untapped rugby market outside Argentina, be great to see talent coming through from Chile and Brazil. The Jaguares seemed well supported during their time in SR, so hopefully that level of interest bodes well for a regional comp....