Western Force handed second chance in Australian rugby reboot
Super Rugby trans-Tasman finals appear unlikely as Rugby Australia looks to lock in a July 3 domestic reboot, which is set to include the Western Force.
Rugby Australia’s Return To Play committee has been meeting regularly to lay down plans for a new-look competition, while they have been absorbing knowledge from the NRL, who will resume later this month.
Melbourne Rebels chief executive Baden Stephenson, who represents the Super Rugby clubs on the seven-man committee, said they’d made some real progress.
RA will give Super Rugby clubs a COVID-19 education briefing early next week, with players set to resume training in 10 days on Monday May 18, giving them seven weeks ahead of a Friday July 3 start.
Similar to New Zealand’s “Super Rugby Aotearoa” which was announced this week, it’s set to be a 10-week round-robin competition involving the five Australian franchises, with no crowds.
“It’s progressing really well and at this stage the draft date is the third and fourth of July although there’s a lot to happen before that’s absolutely confirmed,” Stephenson told AAP.
“The conversations and the draft draw include the Western Force but there’s a lot of work still to get done there.
“There’d be more interest in a domestic competition if they are in it and they’ve got a good team and good coach and were preparing for Rapid Rugby so it makes sense if it can all align.”
New Zealand Rugby has engaged in talks with a multi-billion-dollar American investment firm about taking a stake in the struggling sport.https://t.co/7XHevTqj0e
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 8, 2020
He said it was unlikely scheduling would allow trans-Tasman Super Rugby “finals” even if travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand were eased.
“My gut feel is no at this stage,” he said.
“I think both Australia and New Zealand will commit to a domestic competition.
“I think we’d love to do some cross-over finals with New Zealand teams but the draft schedule is just a domestic competition and then international preparation and then we will get into the Test matches.”
While the NRL will have less than three weeks of contact training, rugby believes its players – particularly tight forwards – need more lead-in time with the proposed dateline giving them a month.
Stephenson said the international nature of Super Rugby complicated things, while the recent shuffling of seats in the RA administration hadn’t helped.
“We need to be mindful of guys who are doing set-piece and contact – the nature of the game means guys need to build back up to that high intensity,” he said.
“We’re coming off a 12-week break and our Wallaby guys will be coming into a 10-week domestic competition and then into an international phase.
“They will probably be playing non-stop from July until almost December which is a massive block.
“If they’re not prepared properly and we get a whole heap of injuries at the start it’s counter-intuitive (to rush back).”
Comments on RugbyPass
Sounds like quite a bit of development has occurred regarding Mo’unga’s situation. Either NZR has stepped up their offer (big time) or RMo has had a reality check on what it will be like to be outside of the high performance environment of AB rugby. Maybe both. It reads like there are only a few remaining details to be sorted out before it is a done deal.
1 Go to commentsCurrently, a prop that has been substituted can go back on field if his original replacement gets injured. Can a red carded prop go back if his replacement gets injured, or will it be uncontested scrums?
11 Go to commentsWhat about a free kick from a scrum? Can you call another scrum? Or are they just giving straight penalties now?
28 Go to commentsLoved that comment by Andrew that the ‘water boys’ rule was changed in 2020 just to stymie the Boks!
28 Go to commentsOne of the best the Boks have ever produced. PSDT has an engine that goes non-stop for the full 80 min.
5 Go to commentsThe real deal.
5 Go to commentsIt’s been said that Nienaber will head back to SA too before next World Cup , hoarding all the amazing IP gained in Irish system … get a grip … Irish system needs to Milk the likes of Barrett . First time a leading all Black in his prime has gone to Ireland for any period of time . Enjoy it .
20 Go to comments20 min RC is the only good solution of a bunch of bad solutions. Ridiculous that it has taken this long and caused so many uneven contests. In general these are all very good changes - one is surprised that NH brokers were able to see sense at long last.
11 Go to comments“While a red card will mean a temporary team disadvantage, the replacement system will focus punishment on the offending player instead of disrupting the game itself.” This might work for amateur rugby, where players just want to be on the pitch for as long as possible, but hopefully we’ve got to a point where top level professionals care about the success of their team much more than about whether they personally are on the pitch or not.
11 Go to commentsa lot of focus on the targeting of south africa, but aspects of this are positive. The croc roll; the offside law; and time limits on set pieces are all good. calling for a mark off kick offs is baffling, but I guess we’ll see how it plays out in practice
28 Go to commentsSpeeding the game up is great, but I think we will find that the increase in viewership this year mostly comes down to the competition being more competitive…the fall of the Crusaders has been a boon for viewership. This should be at the heart of super rugby changes - how to make the comp more even
23 Go to commentsThe fact that the press were largely to blame for his taking a break is nothing short of disgusting. He’s made a few mistakes but difficult to name a player of any substance who gives it a full go hasn’t also made mistakes? On behalf of a large number of Bokke fans, bring back Farrell !!!!!
1 Go to commentsPSTD is a fantastic flanker. He could benefit from a bit of self-promotion / flair and he is not quite the danger man that Ardie is. That said, he is my 1st pick to build a backrow around. His speed and hustle made up for Duane who got quite a bit slower at the 8.
5 Go to commentssurprised, disco lights haven't been banned by world rugby board
28 Go to commentsToo many changes. Too often. I’m tired of this WR administration. How do we vote these fockers out? Bill needs to go.
28 Go to commentsDu Toit, 2 time W.Cup winner yet rarely mentioned a “Great “…if one looks back on his stellar carrier perhaps someone will one day elevate him to “Richie” status…a quiet, polite yet devastating loose forward that knew action speaks louder than words..
5 Go to commentsI like the offside rule, but this won't affect my team because all their kicks gets chased and that putts everyone on side. Lekker manne!
28 Go to comments20 minute Red Card is untenable. If you don’t punish the whole team, coaches won’t be sufficently incentivised to pick players with, or coach better tackle technique.
11 Go to commentsI can only think of One time ever a team has opted for a scrum from a free kick… Why the law change I wonder
28 Go to commentsYeah, its not going to work. But we see you World Rugby.
28 Go to comments