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Brett McKay

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Joined September 2008

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Brett McKay is one of The Roar's good news stories and has been a rugby and cricket expert for the site since July 2009. Brett is an international and Super Rugby commentator for ABC Grandstand radio, is the voice of ACT club rugby, has commentated on Under-20s Championships, Women's Uni Sevens and National Rugby Championship coverage, and has written for magazines and websites in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. He tweets from @BMcSport.

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Yep, that’s my understanding too Geoff.

Japan, I suspect will be come hugely important – which might in turn fuel the JRFU desires to gain more (some) control over the pro game..

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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That was last week, Andy. This is this week…

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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Cheers Yippy..

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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Oh, good I hope this would come up again. I don’t feel like this has been covered enough…

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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RR, you’re is not the first comment like this I’ve seen, I must admit, but I’m not so sure I agree with the sentiment. There will still be a professional game. The revenues and the earnings for the individuals might not be at the same levels, but it will be there. But it also won’t be as big in Europe or Japan, either.

I suppose the challenge will be minimising the earning gap between what available locally and overseas..

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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Which I guess is more than you’ve managed in your comment, Mokicat?

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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We don’t know this will end in 12 months, Tooly. We hope it will, but we don’t know…

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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O… K… then…

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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I’m sure that’ll be top of the list whenever we have a schedule again, Beedy… 🙄

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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It’s all the great unknown, Mzil.

Loved this: “At the dawning of 2020, only the players and coaching staff at Saracens had immediate concerns for their future. Now they are joined by…well….everyone, pretty much.”

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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Bobby, generations have never seen anything like this, never seen anything this contagious, never seen anything spread so quickly.

What’s quite amazing is how that can be so easily glossed over..

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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That’s interesting JSJ, I’d not heard that suggestion before.

(Also interesting that buying the SR clubs is discounted due to them being loss-making – given the sort of money he’s thrown into GRR. But that’s neither here nor there..)

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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I think there’s a real chance of that, Terry. Nothing can be ruled out..

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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Cheers Carlos, sound like you might have a little piece of isolation paradise right there!

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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yeah, really good points, Bushy.

Africa could become a real issue, and quickly. And even if South Africa is better placed to react, the ability to look after all cases could be crippling.

And it even seems crazy to be thinking in terms of countries still being isolated in 12mths time, but again, that’s something we’ve got to consider. We just don’t know…

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Reckon we’re all counting on them taking this time, Chooko. It certainly could be a blessing in disguise – if the right people are prepared to take the time..

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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She also didn’t rule out 4 becoming 5, Sheek, with the Force coming back into a domestic comp.

Culling a team got the headlines, but there’s clearly far more at play..

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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No one knows even what ‘normal’ will look like, Piners!

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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On that front TC, Sir Bill Beaumont’s tweet last night was heartening:

“We continue to work intensively in partnership with unions, competitions and players on potential solutions that will ease the exceptional challenge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. I will do everything I can to ensure a strong and sustainable sport beyond the virus.”

I agree, World Rugby will have a big role to play going forward – which in itself might reopen discussion on the Nations Championship and the global season idea..

Everything will be on the table when rugby eventually returns

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Ed, it was as interesting little discussion with Paul, that one you refer to, and it certainly gave me a better understanding of the appetite. But further discussions also tell me that there is also a level of realisation in NZ that a TT comp might be an option they have to consider more than they have previously.

The discussion about a TT comp has been mostly one-way, I get that, but I also don’t think the appetite is quite as barren as has been suggested..

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Blues, part of the reason for writing this column was after seeing a bit of commentary over the last week or so in which a lot of ‘in reality’ and ‘quite likely’ comments have been offered.

And that interests me, because for all the consideration that might have gone into those type of comments, the world as we now know it means literally everything is speculation.

So while, yes, I agree, the ability for Fox or Optus or whoever to pay for rights probably will be impacted – even severely – “the reality” is that an interested parties wouldn’t even know what they’re bidding for. We just don’t know what Super Rugby will look like when it eventually resumes.

Much of the criticism toward Rugby Australia is related to NZ’s and RSA’s rights already been sold and locked in for 2021-2025, but what are those deals really worth now? Will they need to be renegotiated? (I’d say almost certainly, if international travel is still off limits)

On one hand Australia might need to cull a team, but on the other hand, if the focus is going to be domestic, three won’t be near enough. Raelene Castle wouldn’t rule out culling a team this week, but equally, she couldn’t rule out the Western Force being welcomed back.

That’s the whole point today; what we think we know, or even what we think is likely is completely up in the air at the moment. Pulling together the right people to sit on these committees and participate in these think tanks is probably the highest priority for RA right now, I’d argue..

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All really good points you make here Highlander. SANZAAR’s activity around protecting copyright are quite incredible – when you think about it – compared to how they market Super Rugby. You’re absolutely spot on, it shouldn’t be difficult for rugby fans to find a game played in the past – in fact, I’d argue it should be a standard part of being a member of your team, having full access to the archive.

Instead, we get ridiculous events like what you went through. Sadly, I can regale an experience that might top yours:

Ryan O’Connell, Roar league and cricket expert, and my former Cheap Seats podcast co-host, recently found his Twitter account suspended.

When he looked into why, he discovered that SANZAAR had reported him for a breach of copyright, after he retweeted a video clip from the official Super Rugby Twitter… 3 YEARS AGO!!

It was straightened out pretty quickly, but honestly, how ridiculous!

SANZAAR, copyright and myopia

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No sorry CB, I’ve watched precious little of the 6Ns this year and precisely nothing of Italy. But I reckon I might be finding replays over the coming weekends…

Super Rugby on hold: Try of the year? Try of the year!

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Who knows RT, in the future, I might even come to enjoy tipping the Blues… 😂

Super Rugby on hold: Try of the year? Try of the year!

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All the best Mzil, thanks for this..

Super Rugby on hold: Try of the year? Try of the year!

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