What an interesting week for rugby in Australia.
After naming a solid squad for the Test series against England, followed by an awesome development team for Australia A in the Pacific Nations, Rugby Australia chose to throw a grenade.
Rugby Australia might go it alone?
Is that for real?
Firstly, I’m a huge believer in the newly formatted Super Rugby Pacific and am also about growing the game in Australia.
The key issue Rugby Australia has is that there is no regular Australian champion.
This is in stark contrast to NRL, AFL and the A-League.
It’s quite a strange situation.
All other codes have a fantastic crescendo, when Australian rugby does not, unless a team makes the final, first and foremost, and then win it, for the full accolades.
If the Brumbies made the final this week, there would’ve been a significant increase in media coverage for the code, but they didn’t and it wasn’t covered.
It’s simple, really: if they made it, almost 400,000-500,000 extra viewers would watch, so the broadcaster loses out.
That’s a significant drop in numbers for Stan and Nine.
Now let’s flip this.
Purely from a developmental perspective, clearly the Aussie teams require regular engagement from our brothers across the ditch.
Looking at the improvement from Australian franchises in one year is significant.
The Kiwi audiences embraced it rather than panning our teams and most games were level pegging.
In terms of the threat from Rugby Australia, I certainly understand and despite most pundits saying there is a lack of depth to expand, I disagree.
Funding is the issue.
In order for Australia to have a national competition, it has to be able to field a minimum of eight teams.
Perhaps the current five, plus an additional side from NSW and Queensland – I’m unsure of the other – with a two-round round robin.
Will this create greater exposure in Australia? Maybe.
You could at least crown an Australian champion and have some fanfare around the event.
But the exposure against the best is not there.
This is where a Pacific Super Rugby could be initiated.
The top five teams from Australia, NZ and Japan could play a knockout comp, with the bottom teams playing for a plate, with the addition of Pasifika and Drua (or include in each conference for Australia and NZ in the first place to ensure an even 16 teams).
Seedings of the top six could transpire with the others determined by their standings.
16 teams – week one
8 teams – week two
4 teams – week three
2 teams – week four
Could this work? It works for European football and rugby, so why not in the Pacific?
It would create terrific content and, in regards to the depth, TV revenue would increase and our brethren across the ditch get what they need.
If you build it they will come.
I think there is a bluff here from RA, but I also see opportunity for something different.
New Zealand and Australian rugby definitely need each other, but there has to be self-interest.
Crown an NZ champion.
Crown an Aussie champion.
Crown a Japanese champion.
Play out for Pacific supremacy.
All parties win.
Renzeau
Roar Rookie
I agree it wasn’t work with the South African teams it had run it’s course. But I do miss them. They have tried but not been consistent in starting a Currie cup comp, they call it NRC. They need to build that first and keep the Super. And then in time they could go it alone. One thing to remember the NRL and AFL that’s all they have. It’s been there for a long time, so it’s built it’s tribalism. I’m not sure the timing is right do they have money and quality player base. All Black support living in Melbourne.
Wayne
Roar Rookie
You may or may not have realised this yet but South African's have indeed already moved on. We are loving the URC and playing in the NH. In hind sight, SARU should have left SANZAAR a long time ago. From what I have heard is that the ARU have been planning to break away from NZR for awhile already and are extremely serious about doing it. Me personally, I think the best thing for Australia is to have their own domestic competition similar to the Currie Cup simply because of the intense tribalism within the Australian culture. Time for Australia to look after themselves before its too late.
Renzeau
Roar Rookie
Reality was how are you going to play rugby in NZ or South Africa while covid spreading 2020. South Africa got what the wanted, to play up north. South Africa also wanted more teams they got that. Right now we have the chairman of RA talking in the media about leaving Super Rugby in the week of a final. Not even Rennie or the Aus Super teams want to leave. Let’s stop blaming NZRU for everything thing. It’s becoming boring.
Wayne
Roar Rookie
How has the NZRU treated its partners? Very badly to be honest. It is a well known that they have always been the toxic element within SANZAAR always wanting a bigger piece of the pie and everything to go their way or they throw their toys out the cot. In hindsight NZRU did SARU a massive favor by kicking them out of Super Rugby, now they don't have to live with their endless tantrums and arrogance. Just look how they treated Australia after that! Absolutely disgracefully telling the ARU that they could only have 2 teams in NZR's new competition they were setting up. Shows that NZR has no intention of being partners with anybody, they just want money and as much as they can get. Honestly, I think the best thing for ARU is to push forward and start their won competition.
Micko
Roar Rookie
It's just common sense isn't it?! :thumbup:
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the update and info fiwiboy, much appreciated. There was nothing about it in OZ.
Wigeye
Guest
Correct Adam. Unfortunatly there wasnt much in the history classes school as young ones in the 70s they kind of over shadowd the moriori history with the maori history the white settlers,tribal wars' and stand out was the chopping down of the flag hone heke. My point' is no hardly any history in schools back then moriori and unfortunatly probly same now.
Wigeye
Guest
Sorry ended up broke and ATE all the cattle/stock.
liquorbox_
Roar Rookie
Why does everyone say that we need to play against NZ to improve? Maybe they are just better than us. If all of our A-League teams moved to the Brazillian football leagues would it really mean that we would suddenly start beating Brazil? No, we would get beaten most of the time because they are better than us.
Dally M
Roar Rookie
I've not seen any analysis showing the mauls were illegal, can you share the link pls. Well, i think the fans have pointed out the blatantly obvious ones. The YC that should have been a RC and the non-penalty that could have decided the game. Nothing to do with the ARU or saying the ref is biased.
Dally M
Roar Rookie
I think you'll find there was a strong dislike amongst fans in Oz for Kearns and the only reason he was still on air for Fox was due to a long term contract.
Dally M
Roar Rookie
And i'm sure you are not alone, however the bulk of Stan Sport subscribers would be the Aussie SR supporters. It's not going to fall over just because there are no NZ teams playing against them.
Renzeau
Roar Rookie
Funny. Real rugby.
jeznez
Roar Guru
It'd hard to get a proper handle on it but I believe the top 20% of players command about 80% of the salaries. There is a line where even with double the players if you let the most expensive guys leave that costs can be managed. There will be new stars in time. If we can get fans to buy in and grow the quality of the comp then we'll be able to retain more of the stronger players down the track. We have to change though, WR can only give us both the Men's and Women's WC's as a bail out once. Continuing with the structures that brought us as deep in debt as we've gotten cannot be the option.
Ismack
Roar Rookie
Fair point Jez, but the game needs stars and if your expanding the teams in the comp then player payments etc go up. so I worry that you would end up with increased costs with an overall inferior product.
jeznez
Roar Guru
I’m sure we’d lose a good chunk overseas but a guy like Hansen might not have been one of them. For mine it’s the guys that can command 600K-1.5M overseas that are breaking our finances. NB estimated Hansen probably went on about 200-300K.
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
In 2019, Sky NZ did a record 5-year deal with NZ Rugby which included NZ Rugby taking a 5% stake in Sky NZ
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
Yes, Micki. There is. Paul Cully explained this. With just a TT comp in place, NZ is sharing it's revenue. One problem is that RA wants more money next year than 2025 as is originally specified.
AndyS
Guest
Perhaps, so clearly "build it and they will come" is not an immutable law of nature. So for whatever reason - maybe the mass exodus of experienced players, or the dire standard relative to near neighbours and 'the good old days', or perhaps just what might happen in 2025 and 2027 while they were still flopping around trying to build a hundred odd amateurs into some semblance of professionalism - your 'start from scratch' replacement comp could just as easily flop in exactly the same way as the NRC. The same vested interests might feel that introducing multiple teams above them within the one location would further marginalise them, especially when taking so many extra players out of their lists, so they could just undermine it exactly as they did the NRC. It would only take a couple of significant voices to publically write it off as yet another failed initiative, or a sub-standard feeder comp to the Europe and Japan clubs from which they would have to be selecting the Wallabies, or ridiculed as a humiliating and unwatchable state to have reduced Australian rugby. At which point Australian rugby would be as dead as if RA had elected to bet the house on the last NRC and made that SR Australia, because in most real terms that is exactly how what you are proposing would look. IMO they could build that all they like, and entrenched ideology and agendas would ensure that no-one came. I think literally the first time someone pointed out the similarity, it would be dead in the water. And if you think that is a simply impossible outcome, then it is you that is deluded.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Incorrect: there is no shared revenue currently, or for the fully integrated 2023 SR comp to come.