Australia needs its own domestic competition, but that doesn’t mean it should leave Super Rugby.
The lack of domestic competition is a structural deficiency that limits the development of Australia’s playing and coaching resources. In the examples below we will follow the hypothetical careers of two players, one from Australia and the other from New Zealand. For the purposes of this article they’re the same age and have the same level of talent.
Both players have the potential to be international representatives and are identified in high school.
At the age of 18 they are both associated with Super Rugby clubs and embark on the journey to professional rugby.
In New Zealand the first Super Rugby season is spent learning. Game time is limited to a couple of 15-minute spells off the bench in the second half of the season. There is extensive mentoring by senior players and coaches on how to develop in the professional environment and their position.
The second half of the year is devoted to the National Provincial Championship, and the player is a regular starter. By the end of the year he has participated in 12 games and has been in the professional environment for 36 weeks.
His second year sees him get more game time at the Super Rugby level and even some starting opportunities. The second NPC season has full game time. By the end of the second year he has been involved in 33 games and has been a professional for 72 weeks.
By the time his third year starts he’s an established starter in both Super Rugby and NPC. Fast forward to his fifth year and our player is 23 years old, has accumulated over 110 Super Rugby or NPC games and has been in a professional coaching environment for around 180 weeks.
Meanwhile, in Australia the young player starts out in a similar fashion, with limited playing involvement in his first year. At the end of the season he goes back to his club and is lucky to meet the game requirements to play in the club finals. Due to the season schedule he is in a coached environment for 24 weeks and has involvement in ten games.
His second year sees more game time in Super Rugby and the same brief club window. He has accumulated 17 game involvements and 48 weeks of coaching.
Roll forward to his fifth year and he’s now a regular starter and has accumulated 90 games and 120 weeks of coaching. This assumes that the club makes the final in most years.
Note that there is a growing discrepancy in experience between the two systems. Also note that there is a difference in quality. NPC operates at a much higher level than premier club rugby. In July 2021 the force played Bay of Plenty. This was an end-of-season game for the Force and a preseason game for BOP. The final score in the game was 24-19 to the Force.
Now cast your mind wider to view the potential to accumulate experience and expertise across the whole rugby environment. In New Zealand people can move from club to NPC, Super Rugby or NPC or from Super Rugby to international rugby. Depending on your skill, ability and desire, there are pathways to a full year of footy. In Australia it is Super Rugby to the tag end of club rugby or to the international arena.
So I put it to you that Australia does need its own domestic competition but not at the expense of involvement in Super Rugby. Unless the proposed domestic Super Rugby competition runs for around 25 games, it will simply entrench the structural deficiency that currently exists.
A final note on tribalism. It needs to start somewhere. If the ARC had continued, the organisations involved would now be 15 years old. Would that have been long enough for people to become invested?
Kevin
Roar Rookie
Happened in Wales 20 years ago. Now they have 2 Super Clubs and 2 Pseudo regions. None of them get any crowds, the super clubs dont get new fans in and the regions struggle. Private franchises would fibd the right markets.
Rhys
Roar Rookie
Issue is premier club comps are played in two small geographic areas and ignore the rest of the country, that’s not a sustainable national third tier competition. It’s also run by amateur organisations. The SRU for example has done terribly at growing the game in Sydney via the Shute. It also doesn’t prepare players adequately for professional rugby. Those guys that do get recruited mostly have experience in professional squads like the Tahs wider development squad etc to complement the game time in Shute Shield. They also get, in all likelihood, much better coaching overseas to help them flourish. However, in Australia, the absence of high level rugby before Super means it’s tougher to adjust to the elite level for someone coming out of the semi-pro level. James Turner got really showed up last year in his debut after a very good Shute season for example, but looked much better in 2022 after prolonged time in the sevens circuit and the professional experience that environment provided. What an NRC would provide is opportunity for players that haven’t had professional exposure to experience a much better standard of rugby. It would reward form in Shute and other grade comps and give an opportunity to train with and play against other strong performers as well as fringe professionals and established super rugby players who aren’t involved in test matches. That would, individually, improve players but also help to further separate the men from the boys to refine the talent coming through to the Super clubs.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Well obviously you are ignorant, of it!!! Sadly it seems another that's got no idea!! Pin a medal on yourself boy!!!
Kevin
Roar Rookie
10 teams private investment, salary cap and rules on overseas players, (get some in to strengthen teams, like in France). My 10 Brisbane City Gold Coast Newcastle North Sydney Sydney City East Sydney South Sydney Canberra Melbourne Perth Look to develop from there.
Wallaby forever
Guest
So encourage players to gain experience overseas and have those OS clubs pay their wages while we use domestic and Super Rugby to blood youth Then choose the best of both for your country Wallabies success is what AR needs Imagine if soccer only chose from the A league How would we get to a World Cup ?
G money
Roar Rookie
There are over 200 indigenous languages in Australia. Congratulations on being able to google one word, which is actually a modified English word. bravo, keep patting yourself on the back
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Obviously it's you that is ignorant to the heritage, of this land, it's culture, and what, in truth, is yours!! Are you really that bad, that you deny yourself of this nations TRUE culture??? Sad As!!!
G money
Roar Rookie
I think the reason you're conveniently ignoring the question is because you realise that it's completely inappropriate to call someone that.. particularly someone who's heritage you have no idea of.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Try associating yourself, with the culture of the land & it's people, then you'll find out.
G money
Roar Rookie
Nice diatribe... but what does that word mean?
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Fancy being ignorant, of the oldest culture on the planet? Obviously, being not fully aware of the culture of the land & it's people??
AndyS
Guest
Yep, nothing like sticking some amateurs in a Wallabies top and running them out against the Springboks at a RWC to show Australia what rugby is. They still have the mercy rule, right...? :laughing:
G money
Roar Rookie
can you translate that into English?
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Careful G your starting to show your ' Gubba' outlook!!
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
That's your opinion, as in truth, I'd love to see the back end of it, & concentrate more, on a proven NPC. IMO we do what we used to do, to build towards the International season, as they are far more important, but we need a decent coach, so give us Rennie back.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Yep LBJ, but mainly in the ' Private Schools' !!
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
So right Geoff on the promotion, amongst others, as it's been going on for decades, up there in the hierarchy.
piru
Roar Rookie
Numbers are not too bad, but the majority of our clubs don't charge for entry so it's not really that relevant. Spirit used to 'fill the hill' as we say, every week, though.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
How true Highlander, as I've been there, done that, in Sydney, being involved with coaching, & a voluntary member on the Sydney Subbies, for quite a few years in the 80's & early 90's. That was when Rugby House was situated at the Quay, being the home of all the unions, including the ARU. In many ways it was a known failure, for all the unions, in their attitude to promote, & really push for the public school systems, to come over, thus allowing the NRL to have a free reign. As it is even now, I've heard nothing's changed.