Any idea how much of this enormous revenue is generated by pokies, if any?

The Cherry Blossoms used to be all Japanese 10 or 15 years ago, now they have more and more foreigners especially in the key positions. The sevens team last weekend was half and half. Its a disappointing trend, though I agree Japan is the one possibility from Asia, the others Johnno mention are laughable.

Super rugby teams in Asia is a terrible idea. China, HK, Singapore and South Korea would barely produce a local player, a team of foreigners playing out of these locations would be a disaster, ever hear about the Singapore Slingers?, probably not. Even Japan would have only a handful of locals, it just gains no traction with the local markets. The US and Canada would be all local players, or at least within 5 years. By the way, Auckland LA is actually a quicker flight than Auckland Tokyo, Seoul or Beijing.

N. America should only happen if and when (I think its when) South Africa go their own way, so no need for LA to Durban. Argentina is the alternative option to N America but you need at least two teams to make the trip over worthwhile. Personally I believe there’s more potential in US/Canada and it would resonate more in the Aus market to have a team from California. Argie is probably more suited to progressing its existing club league to professionalism. For a Pacific team, the only option is Fiji. They have a US3bn economy, population near 1 million, the most exciting team when they’re playing well. Samoa and Tonga or a Pacific combination all dont work.

How is 14 hours a serious travel problem when in the current competition its 16 hours from NZ to South Africa? More importantly there are less time zones between west coast US and NZ/AUS and the timezone works out better TV wise. I think Sanzar will only last a few more years and South Africa will go their own way turning Super rugby probably into a trans tasman competition. Then the ARU and NZRU should seriously consider 2 teams from west coast US and Canada, which would basically be their national teams. So a 12 team competition with the 2 N. American teams playing 2 weeks home, 2 weeks away, and the Australasian teams playing both teams on the trip up.

This would actually be the best way of launching professional rugby in N America. You’d only have 1 team in each of the US and Canada, smaller costs and the whole fan base could support the teams as quasi national teams, similar to NZ warriors in the NRL.

I’ve lived in China for 10 years. Basketball is clearly number 1 here, football is 2nd and growing, I think it will over take basketball one day but only when the national team starts performing.

I’ve never seen a team go into a match with a more cynical game plan to infringe disrupt and downright cheat at the breakdown than the England side at this world cup. Personally I think its the far more important aspect of English cheating to focus on compared with their ball switching shenanigans. Yet the gin swilling bottom spanking northerners still try and claim Richie and the All Blacks get away with bending the rules. England really are the scourge of international rugby.

Fantastic contest this one. What I like about Canada is they have more balance between forwards and backs and more subtle handling skills than say Romania or Georgia. Considering how minor a sport Rugby is in Canada I am a little amazed at their level. The Tongan squad is virtually full time professional versus half and half for Canada so they are really over achieving.

exactly the same with me, I support England in football and generally in other sports, big fan of Andy Murray in the tennis though he’s a Scot of course, but cant stand the English rugby team. Take a look at the players reaction to the yellow card on the weekend, he had this stupid mocking expression he must of practiced in the mirror and got in the refs face, just go sit down buddy.

I agree with David here, rugby is wasting a massive opportunity but not utilizing its 10 minute yellow card system which really is a great innovation. Obviously it needs to be targeted at cynical penalties. The best example on the weekend was just after halftime in Argentina England, the Argies were hot on attack 5 meters out from the England line and already had a penalty advantage, an England player just lay straight over the ruck and put his hand on the ball. He did it to prevent a try scoring opportunity, but knew the ref probably wouldn’t produce a yellow since one England player was already in the bin. Rugby either utilizes its yellow card system or gets bogged down in penalties, its a simple choice.

What was awful about it? I’d really like to know. The last few games I’ve seen Barnes ref I think he is the best of the lot. Alain Roland was painful in the first half of Australia-Italy. I was watching in a bar in China with various expats who just switched off from the game when it all became about the ref.

What a stupid post. I played rugby last weekend with a Canadian guy, have played with a few over the years. Along with Americans they’re mostly naturals at the toughest aspects of the sport, tackling, taking the ball into contact and competing at the breakdown. It might be a minor sport there but so it is in most of the world, cant think of many countries where it would have more potential to grow. What is the point of your post?

I dont think this article sets out to degenerate scrums but the trend towards an increasingly extreme influnece of scrums in many matches. I’ve seen games in the last couple years where scrums and scrum penalties were indirectly or directly worth 20-30 points to a team, despite that team feeding every scrum crooked. This has never been part of rugby’s history. Good article but it was always going to get a flinch reaction from the rugby heads who want to keep the game confined to its existing niche.

You could make the exact same point for 3 of 5 Super rugby teams, at least half of NRL teams, and virtually every AFL team.

not that I know of. Actually I dont like Marto or Kearns as commentators, they are painfull most of the time, but this is one area of their commentary I agree with.

I completely disagree on the commentators. They dont mock real scrums, if the half back puts the ball in straight, the two teams push and the ball comes out everyone would like scums. But they mock the continual collapsed and reset scrums and scrum penalties which for the large part are a farce. I couldn’t stand watching the NZ-Fiji game in which Fiji was caned with scrum penalties and a ridiculous penalty try and hear the kiwi commentators meekly offer their usual weak toned passive fence sitting comments like “well I’m not too sure what that was for, I guess the referee was in the best position blah blah blah”. Its time to call and spade a spade, if Marto and Kearns are the only two doing it, all the power to them.

The time zone situation is being made worse than it needs to be by match scheduling. If Sanzar simply had a rule that when an Aus team plays in South Africa, it must be an afternoon game, then the 8 hour time difference means a 2:30pm game would start 10:30pm in east coast Aus, or 8:30pm Perth. That might even be a good thing as it would be outside the prime time for NRL and AFL.

I partly agree with your whole argument and also think a 10 team super rugby in Aus/NZ may be better. Having said that, the games in South Africa are played in great stadiums, in front of often big and passionate crowds, usually in good dry conditions (compared to wet and cold in NZ), and South African teams provide that contrast in style that makes the competition more interesting. You need to recognise SA brings a lot to the competition, but those games do need to be shown at a better time in Aus.

Those viewer numbers are scarcely believable. This is a major global tournament, I am watching in China where its dominating the sports broadcasting despite China not making it. Above all it is entertaining and good quality football. Can you provide some analysis on why its being ignored, how can you not love the Matilda’s?

wow someone who gets it. Bring back 5 meters and no tries from kicks. If I want to see players contesting to catch a kick I’d watch AFL. League needs to encourage full use of the width of the field. Here is my 2 suggestions 1) make the NRL field 72 meters wide, all amateur league can stay at 68 meters 2) when a player is tackled into touch its NOT a turnover, but the attacking team loses 1 tackle and play is restarted 10 meters back. This 2nd rule would be quite revolutionary, the worst thing about league is when there is space outwide, teams dont attack it because they’re scared of the touchline. With my rule change teams would regularly launch wide attacks but at the same time not do it willy nilly, because there is still some disincentive if the player is tackled out.

Brett, this is an important development. While improving spectator confort, creating more atmoshere and attracting bigger crowds are all direct benefits of a roofed stadium, I am suprised both the article and its comments miss the really key advantage. I believe both rugby codes are vastly superior ‘products’ when they are played in dry versus wet or dewy conditions. A dry field shifts the risk reward equation towards playing a ball in hand expansive game. In Canberra it seems the majority of games are played in slippery conditions. I think the Brumbies and Raiders management should both get behind this initiative, and try to get the ARU/NRL involved because it makes for a better TV product. I’d like to write a seperate article about this but might wait for the first game to be played in Dunedin under the clear roof so everyone can see how good it is.

Totally agree with this post. The fact the Kiwi and Saffa teams cant even use a geographic name shows what a joke the current system is. An added advantage of SA and NZ simply using the Currie Cup / NPC as their Super rugby conference competition is it evens out the player depth problem. The Currie Cup is 8 teams and NPC is 14 teams versus 5 teams in the Aus conference so it sounds about right. That’ll put an end to any jokes about who is playing school boy rugby.

As long as their is competition at the breakdown changes in posession should occur in less than 60 seconds on average anyway. There was a passage in the Tahs – Force game where the Tahs held possession for 25 phases and made at best 50 meters, its like watching a league team with 5 straight sets of one out hit ups gaining 2 meters per hit up, horrible rugby. Attacking players always go off their feet playing possession rugby like that, the tahs forwards did at numerous rucks, so why no penalty? I think the breakdown should be vigorously policed but with short arm penalties, full arm penalties just make the game too stop start and de-value tries.

I loved the way there wasn’t a single penalty up until around the 50 minute mark, so refreshing. I mainly watch Rugby and yearn for the day when I could watch even 10 minutes without a penalty. Its a big positive for league. Game was OK but the roos just aren’t as deadly as they used to be, both teams lacked a cutting edge. I think partly because the Kiwi’s picked a safety first team, like putting Mannering at center instead of a Steve Matai / Junior Sau type. The game breaking try by Idris was scored after the guy he took out in the air a few minutes beforehand coughed up the ball. He still looked concussed to me.

In terms of time zones, west coast USA actually works better for the 9 teams in NZ / East Coast Aus compared to playing in South Africa. The US team playing afternoon games in NZ/Aus would be live the previous night in its home market, ie 3pm Sydney or 5pm Auckland on Sunday is 10pm Cal on Saturday. Conversely, games played in Cal anytime from late afternoon will be on at a reasonable time (morning/mid-day) one day ahead in NZ / Aus. Flights are equally as long but crossing less time zones. When you think the state of California by itself is the 8th largest economy in the world, gaining any foothold in the tv market there could be very lucrative.

Demers Eng V Arg will not be played at Carisbrook, it is scheduled for the new indoor stadium in Dunedin. That means dry and windless conditions. England should play an expansive game and cut the pumas up out wide, never thought I’d say that about England.