Better with 3? Former Wallaby thinks Australia has too many rugby teams

Absolutely not! You need to create a path for young rugby players into professional rugby. Isn't sad to see guys like Crichton, a rugby union boy, leaving for League because he was told by the Waratahs that he would never get a chance until he gets at least 23? We need to create a path for all the young talent before they are pilfered by League or other countries who are smarter in their way of running the game. Rather than trying to reduce the number of teams, why not try to raise the level of the coaches in Australia? Why don't we give young guys a chance to play? Isn't it sad that, 100 days from the World Cup the only fly halves we are talking about are the same ones that were there in 2015 - Bernard Foley, Quade Cooper or Christian Leali'ifano. Where are the young talents? Where are the future stars there? It is not by restricting the number of Super Rugby franchises that you will get new talent. Be brave, try to expand the pool of players rather then restrict it. Have ambitions...

The cost is not worth the benefit. South Africa didn't really drop any side and has been doing much better with 3 teams in the finals. Aussie trams won the comp when there was 5. Aussie players that looked tired in Superugby goes to other clubs and looks like more complete players e.g. debro at chiefs. Look at the article I linked above to understand how axing your Superugby team impacts other areas as Rugby WA is still financially on their knees. If Twiggy didn't step up Rugby WA would not exist today and their financial sustainability is poor. Thanks to RA!

It’s the conference system. Concentrating all the weakest teams including the permanent irrelevance Sunwolves in one conference was just the most stupid idea. It doesn’t matter what happened years ago or how much real talent there is as logically over the years, the downward trend was always very likely. Next year it will be another write off until whatever the new format is in 2021.

Aussie did well when there were 3 teams....

Not really. A domestic competition would have required at least $15-30M a year extra at our 5 team peak to run an additional 3 franchises. That’s before you even consider that there’s player wages. I don’t think that spending up to $3M a year at one point on ex NRL players was the difference in that.

That's the model I've been in favour of for a while. 8 team NRC as the core competition. A NSW, Qld and Rest of Oz origin series of six games between the NRC and international seasons. Local club footy below. In my mind it's simple, we likely lose a bunch of players do to not being compete on salaries but in time we grow it from the base up with the national comp as the core offering.

I think Mason's stunted development is a case in point. If we revert to two or three teams then Quade, Lealiifano and Foley fill the three five eighth spots, everyone else sits in the queue and has any chance of development held back. What has being in the train on squad done for Mason in the last three years? As you say look at Debrecezni go now that he is being given a proper go and good coaching.

This is the result of buying league players instead of developing a national comp & supporting it years ago.

Correction: Raiders and Storm fans.

Cut the Waratahs so then Sydney can concentrate on it's club competition and building player depth.

100 perecent the right move. Actually the right number of Aussie teams that should be playing in the "next level down from test rugby" (whatever that means -- clearly not what "Super" is now) is 2. It's a sad sad indictment of Australian rugby that missing out on convoluted international format like "super" could ever be considered the "death" of rugby in WA, VIC, or ACT. We need a fully professional Australian competition to be the HEART of rugby in this country. Raiders and Force fans do not complain that there is no VIC or ACT team playing against the Blues or Maroons in league. NRL is enough in those markets and for those fans. We need to vision this for rugby. The next level below test rugby should be nothing more than a finishing school for a handful of top players vying for the Wallabies. A handful of very meaningful games, maybe no more than 6 a year. Big crowds, 30k plus.

The Waratahs should be the next team to be axed. All that unharnessed NSW fire power at their disposal is a f/ing disgrace. 130 + years and this is all you can produce. without doubt you are holding Australian union at this very mediocre level. Move over and allow the game to develop.

In my mind this makes no sense. The last 2 Australian sides to win super, did so when there were 5 teams. As the sport evolves and injury tolls abound, surely having more players exposed to high level rugby has to help. That said, the Rebels demise this season seems to point to a complete lack of ability to evolve and adapt during the season. That problem must lie with the coaching team? 2 seasons in a row starting strong and finishing beyond poor. Jack D seems to have developed greatly at the chiefs. To a level he never managed consistently at the Rebels. Mmm Was it worth Quade? Are DW and CEO Stephenson actually worth it? ARU needs to develop coaches first. Then spread talent across the clubs. Worry about big name contracts much further down list.

Well it was nice of Mr Hoiles to finally cease his ridiculous talking up the form of his mates at the Waratahs and say something worthy of serious consideration. The financial demise of the Rebels may already be inevitable after this years disaster :)

I'm not sure what the logic is there. We heard the exact same thing when we reduced from four to three teams. I honestly think that Australian rugby would be stronger if we reduced to three teams. Not saying it would be a good idea, as it would do to the sport in Victoria what was done to it in Western Australia, but I think it would make both the Wallabies and the super rugby sides stronger.

I think those gents might get what they wish for very soon.... The #stackthestockade campaign that the Rebels flooded social media with this week screamed out cash flow issues. Combine that with the inability to get a title sponsor and what will be lacklustre 2020 membership sales in a few months and I don't see the Rebels being around for next season. Whether it be a merger with the Brumbies or announcing insolvency I think the Rebels as we know it are toast. By the end of the year at the latest, but it could very well be within the next few weeks.

Dumbb idea - lets do what didn’t work when we axed the Force? We do Fox get these idiots?

There is enough talent. Geez the Rebels just need to find a way to qualify for the playoffs. Infrastructure, grassroots as well as the way the game has been spread in the country is the problem.

#strongerasone Might win 50% of their games...maybe. Shrink to greatness, it only makes sense.

Bit of money wouldn’t hurt either. And also competing teams (for players) not running at a loss and driving up salaries. But that will still exist with less teams. Aus rugby really to succeed needs more teams. Unfortunately it cannot implement that in a feasible manner. Any long term plan of contraction is not going to lead to that. Realistically to get to where Aus Rugby needs to be it needed to get to 6 teams, so 8 would be a small jump to a confined competition or conference. Unfortunately it was going to go broke if it tried to get there.