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Super Rugby replacement should grow the game by being an elite competition, not by opening the doors to everyone
When Super 12 was launched in 1996, the 12 initial spots for teams were handed out based on merit. SANZAAR, the governing body, has since made the mistake of trying to use the competition to grow rugby outside those 12 geographic regions, which has probably been the major factor in Super Rugby’s downfall.
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New Zealand Rugby (NZR) have now revealed what they see as the future of rugby in NZ – a trans-Tasman competition that includes the five Kiwi teams and a smattering of sides from Australia and possibly the Pacific Islands.
The revelation that NZR may believe as few as two Australian sides belong in the new competition would have come as a major gut punch to administrators on the other side of the Tasman Sea.
The two neighbouring countries have been bedfellows for a long time now, with Rugby Australia (RA) even indicating they’d be willing to hand some co-hosting responsibilities over to NZ if they’re able to secure the 2027 World Cup.
Purely on merit, however, there’s little argument for why Australia deserve for than two or three teams in a new competition. The Australian conference has been the weakest in Super Rugby for some time. The Brumbies are the only side that’s really shown any backbone in recent years and, even if you hark back to the wonder years when Reds and Waratahs secured Super Rugby titles, their success was always at the expense of other teams.
Allowing Australia just two teams in a trans-Tasman competition may be a bit harsh, but why would anyone think all five sides deserve to play alongside their considerably stronger Kiwi rivals, asks @TomVinicombe. #SuperRugbyAotearoa #SuperRugbyAUhttps://t.co/WknQKmIATb
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 11, 2020
In 2011, the Reds topped the overall ladder while the Western Force, Brumbies and Rebels held three of the bottom four spots. In 2014, when the Waratahs won their maiden title, the Rebels and Reds respectively occupied last and third-from-last on the table.
Understandably, RA would ideally want all five of their current teams – the Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies, Rebels and Force – to be included in any trans-Tasman competition, in order to ‘grow the game’ across Australia. Premier competitions aren’t supposed to encourage growth by creating long-term pathways for local players, however, they’re supposed to encourage growth by promoting a brilliantly marketable product.
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Creating pathways for players should rest on the union’s shoulders. New Zealand has the Mitre 10 Cup. Australia has the National Rugby Championship – but even that’s not really built for long-term success.
If the Force were to be welcomed back into the fold, for example, that would create an end-goal for young rugby players in Western Australia – but there needs to be shorter-term goals too. WA currently have just one team in the NRC, so how will the Force expect to compete with NZ’s franchises unless they start taking players from other regions across Australia?
A tournament comprised of New Zealand’s five sides plus the three original Australian teams – the Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies – would create a highly competitive, highly marketable competition.
If Australia commits to introducing an extra NRC team in WA and Victoria then the situation can be reassessed after two or three years – but that would be dependant on the Australian sides actually remaining competitive in the trans-Tasman competition.
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Young athletes in Australia won’t be drawn to rugby just because a team that represents their region is getting regularly thrashed by NZ sides. They’ll be drawn to rugby because the nation is succeeding as a whole – and a massive factor in that success will be the country’s domestic competition.
Japan would also be a worthy candidate for teaming up with New Zealand and Australia, but their international club should be considered the tier above their current domestic competition and have the pick of the bunch of players already playing in the Top League. If the Sunwolves had always had access to whatever Japanese players they’d wanted, they would have attracted considerably less negative press.
It beggars belief that Australia, a country with rich roots in rugby and two World Cup titles under their belt, has a worse domestic competition than Japan.
The fact that RA sees Super Rugby as a way to grow the grassroots of the game in Australia shows how backwards their thinking is right now.
Whatever competition New Zealand spearheads needs to be highly competitive – the best club rugby product in the Southern Hemisphere, at the very least. That won’t be achieved through opening the doors to every team that wants to have a run – there have to be strict requirements not just if expansion is to ever take place, but for the teams that want to take part in the inaugural season of the competition.
Comments on RugbyPass
Exciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
11 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
3 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
11 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to comments