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The Melbourne Rebels should be sacrificed if Super Rugby wants to achieve long-term sustainability.
That’s the view put forward in a strong opinion piece by Kiwi rugby writer Gregor Paul in the New Zealand Herald on Tuesday in reaction to the ongoing dispute between Rugby Australia and NZR.
“Back in 2020, when New Zealand Rugby tried to pull off a Super Rugby heist, unilaterally declaring ownership of the competition and telling Australia they could apply for a maximum of three licenses, it wasn’t the worst idea the national body ever had,” wrote Paul.
“The execution was horrible, the timing wrong and the tone unacceptable. Super Rugby wasn’t New Zealand’s to take, they had no mandate to be offering licences they didn’t own, and Rugby Australia, despite being guilty of some political shenanigans over the years, had the right to be treated as a trusted and valued partner.
“But what got missed in the ensuing carnage that came from this attempted smash and grab raid by NZR, is that their core argument was right, that for Super Rugby to have a sustainable future, Australia couldn’t have five teams.”
Paul goes onto argue that Super Rugby must be “brave enough to chop the Melbourne Rebels”.
The two governing bodies are in dispute over the distribution of TV cash, with Australia seeking a higher proportion and threating to go it alone if they don’t get it.
“The inequity in their respective broadcast contracts is clearly going to require some major compromise to be reached, but even if, and presumably when, agreement is reached on how to redistribute Super Rugby’s TV cash, this may not be the victory that it will inevitably be presented as,” wrote Paul.
“Throwing more money at Australia will only alleviate their financial pain for a short period. It will pay a few bills and buy a few players, but how long before the accounts are back in the red and the hand is out looking for more cash?”
He says the Rebels are the team that should make way for the overall health of the competition.
“There simply isn’t enough broadcast income, no matter how it is distributed, to justify why the Australians are persevering with a team that has built little to no rapport with Melburnians, is stressing the overall balance sheet of professional Rugby in Australasia, and diluting the ability of the other four teams across the Tasman to recruit and retain the players they need to be competitive.
“Chopping the Rebels would be an immediate way to strengthen the quality of the other Australian sides. It would not only flood the market with 35 or so seasoned professionals, it would also alleviate the wage inflation being felt.”
France have named star flyhalf Romain Ntamack in their squad for the autumn series, raising hopes he will return from injury in time to face the Wallabies next month.
France recalled Fijian-born Clermont winger Alivereti Raka for the series, which kicks off for next year’s World Cup hosts with a match against Australia in Paris on Sunday, Nov 6 AEDT.
Montpellier fullback Anthony Bouthier has also been brought back into a 42-man squad that includes eight uncapped players.
Fijian-born Raka, 27, made the last of his five Test appearances in December 2020 and returns to the national set-up after a strong start to the season, as does the 30-year-old Bouthier who last featured in July 2021.
Ntamack hasn’t played for Top 14 leaders Toulouse since September due to an ankle injury.
Ntamack will join Toulouse teammates Antoine Dupont, Matthis Lebel, Pierre-Louis Barassi, and Thomas Ramos, but fullback Melvyn Jaminet, who was impressive on France’s down under tour last year, missed out after picking up an ankle injury at the weekend.
Forwards Reda Wardi, Thomas Laclayat, Florian Verhaeghe, and Jordan Joseph along with Leo Berdeu, Ethan Dumortier, Romain Buros, and Pablo Uberti are among those in contention to earn their first caps.
Australia kicks off their tour on October 30 against Scotland before the blockbuster in Paris. Coach dave Rennie will walk a fine line, needing to improve his win-loss record but also get his plans in place for 12 months.
“That’s going to be a balance on this tour. For a start we want to win every Test, it’s also been a long year on the back of a long Super season for some of these boys and then into international footy,” said Rennie.
“We need to share the workload as well. And you’re right, there’s a number of guys who we want to find out by the end of this tour if they’re genuine World Cup contenders, so hence the reason we’ve got a handful of uncapped players who are likely to play on the tour.”
English rugby writer Stuart Barnes has included Kiwi Scott Robertson in his shortlist of three contenders to replace Eddie Jones as England coach.
The Crusaders coach has been honest about his international ambitions, saying he wanted to coach New Zealand and one other nation at World Cup level.
Robertson was linked to the All Blacks job when Ian Foster wobbled this year.
Barnes, writing in The Times, described Robertson as a “left-field gamble” with “serious credentials’’ to take over as England rugby coach after Jones steps down.
The expectation is that Jones will move on after the World Cup, although he recently said he was keen to keep coaching beyond that date.
Barnes named three contenders – Steve Borthwick, Ronan O’Gara and Robertson.
“I’d like to think there will be a range of options: the conservative English choice, the worldly-wise one, and a left-field gamble from the southern hemisphere,” Barnes wrote.
Borthwick was his conservative English choice. He played for his country and has turned the Leicester Tigers into Premiership winners.
O’Gara, a former Irish international who was assistant coach of the Crusaders in 2018-2019, is ‘’acutely intelligent’’ and has the global feel for the game, having made a great fist of his head coaching role at La Rochelle.
“If this is an age of exciting test rugby, he has serious credentials to take over,” Barnes wrote of Robertson. Against that claim is the nature of Super Rugby. It unravelled a little in the last few years leading up to the pandemic. Maybe it’s a game more remote from the Test arena than the attrition of the French game,” Barnes wrote.
He said the safe option would be a combo of Borthwick with O’Gara running the tactical side. “Yet, intuitively, that feels the wrong way around. O’Gara’s feel and vision with the forward coach providing the requisite ballast is appealing, without being overtly radical,” Barnes wrote.
“If radical is where the RFU wants to go, on as well as off the field, the reunited Crusaders team of the breakdancing Robertson and the craft of O’Gara is a bold package. Between now and mid-2023, keep your eyes on these contenders.”
Wallaroos forward Ashley Marsters was handed a three-week ban following her red card against Scotland in Whangārei on Saturday.
The reserve hooker was dismissed for a high tackle on Sarah Law in the 76th minute of Australia’s 14-12 win, moments after she scored a crucial try.
Marsters appeared before an independent judicial committee on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charge, arguing that she had not committed an act of foul play or that the offence was worth of a red card.
A three-person panel upheld the original on-field decision and handed Marsters a three-week suspension.
Marsters has the right to appeal the decision within the next 48 hours. She can also apply to substitute the final week of the sanction for a coaching intervention aimed at modifying specific techniques and technical issues that contributed to the foul play.
The decision is a big blow to Australia’s hopes of going far in the tournament, with Marsters now out until the final.
Marsters’ teammate Adiana Talakai was cleared to play against Wales despite being sent off for two yellow cards in the same game.
Since Talakai was shown one yellow card for the technical offence of collapsing a maul and the other for a high tackle, the committee deemed the red card sufficient and that no further sanction was necessary.
All Blacks star Ardie Savea is set to take a sabbatical in 2024 to play in Japan with Kobe Steelers.
Savea, who has played 67 Tests, remains contracted with New Zealand Rugby until the end of the 2025 season and he will be available for the team’s 2024 Tests but will miss out on the Super Rugby campaign.
The 29-year-old re-committed to the Hurricanes and NZR late last year, where a sabbatical was part of his contract extension.
Savea will not miss any tests due to his time in Japan.
“It is also great that the structure of this break away from New Zealand still enables him to be available for the entire 2024 All Blacks season,” Foster said.
“Although it’s far away, it’s nice to have clarity in what I’m doing and I think this change, for a short period of time, will do me and my family good,” Savea said.
“Playing in Japan is going to be an awesome experience and I’m ready to embrace their beautiful culture. I can’t wait to meet all the Kobe fans at the games and connect with everyone.”
Next year’s Super Rugby Pacific will be Savea’s 11th year with the Hurricanes, who support his move.
Eddie Jones has revealed he’s a member of a very exclusive WhatsApp chat with star coaches from other sports.
Jones is joined in the chat by Premier League coach Mikel Arteta of Arsenal, Green Bay Packers NFL coach Matt LaFleur and some coaches from the NBA.
“It’s like Alcoholics Anonymous,” Jones told reporters. “We all go in and share our problems and everyone tells you what they think. It’s fantastic.”
Jones said he had been talking to Arteta about the football team’s fast starts this season as they’ve gone four points clear at the top of the Premier League after 10 games.
“In rugby 75 per cent of Test matches are won by the team who score the first try,” said Jones. “We’ve been good at it at times and not so good at other times.
“Mikel is a super bright young coach, a brilliant young guy. What have I learned from him? How fast Arsenal get out of the blocks. Every game they’re at it. They play with energy, they know how they want to play, they put the opposition on the back foot.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.