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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
I’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
4 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
7 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
13 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
13 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid 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?
2 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.
6 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.
22 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
22 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.
4 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 comments