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Twelve semi-pro UK clubs named for inaugural cross border competition
Scottish Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union have confirmed details of a planned cross-border element of the new Super6 competition, which begins in November 2019.
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Super6 kicks off its inaugural domestic season, which is contested over 12 rounds, on the weekend of 9 November 2019 and concludes with the final on 28 March 2020.
According to a statement released today: “A key aspect of the new Super6 concept was to see Scotland’s Super6 teams compete against clubs of a similar level beyond their own borders to test both players and coaches in a different competitive environment.”
“The partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union will see teams from the newly named Indigo Group Premiership 2018/19 season play on consecutive weekends, against Scottish Rugby’s Super6 teams starting in mid-April 2020.”
The new top tier of Scottish domestic rugby will feature Ayr, Boroughmuir, Heriot’s, Melrose, Stirling County and Watsonian FC after they were awarded places in the competition following an open application process in 2018.
The confirmed teams from Wales are the top six placed teams from last season, Merthyr, Cardiff, Pontypridd, Llandovery, E?bbw Vale and Aberavon.
All participating clubs will play six matches across two pools of six teams split between Scottish and Welsh sides.
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BREAKING | Scottish Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union can today confirm details of the planned cross-border element of the new Super6 competition, which begins in November 2019.https://t.co/EUOjUKaTY7
— Super6 (@Super6Rugby) June 26, 2019
In year one of the competition every team will play three home and three away fixtures and the cross-border winner will be decided on a league ranking based on number of points gained over the six matches.
Scottish Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union will now work together to finalise competition rules, commercial rights and confirm the broadcast opportunities.
The cross-border competition will also provide a development opportunity for match officials and both Unions have committed to providing an appropriate level of refereeing appointment for the matches.
Scottish Rugby Chief Executive, Mark Dodson, said: “This is another exciting step in the development of Super6 and I’m delighted to join with the WRU and create a strong cross-border opportunity for our respective teams to compete in. We have developed a very positive working partnership with the WRU in recent years and this is an extension of that work.
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“We want our Super6 players to be exposed to a range of experiences which are designed to raise the standard of players at that level and we now know the Welsh teams they will pit themselves against and it promises to be a very interesting competition to see develop in the coming years.
Scottish Rugby’s Technical Director, Stephen Gemmell said: “It is great news to be able to confirm that the promised cross-border element of Super6 is now agreed and in place with our colleagues from the Welsh Rugby Union and the Welsh teams confirmed.
“It is a key strategic element of our overall objective to raise the standard of rugby at the top of our domestic game in Scotland and having a concentrated competition will test our players, coaches and match officials in a credible and performance focussed way.
“We are looking forward to working closely with the Welsh Rugby Union on this project and are encouraged by their decision to see the benefits of linking with us and playing against the Super6 teams going forward.”
WRU Group Chief Executive Martyn Phillips said, “We are thrilled that six of our Indigo Group Premiership teams will join Scottish Super6 teams in a cross-border competition at the end of this season. It is an exciting development for our Premiership sides, while giving supporters something new to look forward to.”
WRU Community Director Geraint John added, “It’s great to be able to confirm this cross-border initiative with Scottish Rugby. We’ve worked closely with our clubs to increase the level of competition available to them and we look forward to seeing how being part of the Super6 will challenge players, coaches and match officials.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Did the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
1 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
15 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
15 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
15 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
15 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to comments