'Makes perfect sense': Kiwi columnist's radical merger solution to save union, league from COVID-19 financial crisis
A New Zealand sports columnist has proposed a radical solution to imminent financial crisis that looms over both rugby union and rugby league due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The sporting world has come to a standstill in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, and some codes are beginning to feel the subsequent financial pinch.
In rugby union, New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia are facing significant financial losses of over $200m this year, while England’s Rugby Football Union is expected to lose up to $100m in revenue over the next 18 months.
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Governing bodies worldwide are preparing to enforce pay cuts, with England head coach Eddie Jones already accepted a 25 percent wage drop from his reported $1.5m-per-year deal with the RFU.
It’s a similarly stark situation in rugby league, where players in the NRL are anticipating a mammoth 87 percent pay cut while the Australasian competition remains in lockdown.
The NRL isn’t likely to recommence until June at the earliest, and a news.com.au report indicated that the competition is expected to lose $13m for every round not played.
Such a dire predicament has led prominent New Zealand Herald sportswriter Dylan Cleaver to question whether it is worth the two codes joining forces to create a single rugby code in order to combat the financial pressure that COVID-19 has unleashed.
Writing in his Any Given Monday (Thursday edition) column, Cleaver argued that while there are obvious obstacles that would restrict a cross-code merger, union and league may need each other in order to survive the aftermath of coronavirus.
“The world faces months without professional sport and possibly years of spectator-less sport,” Cleaver wrote.
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“A Guardian article headlined “Enough of this epic delusion: coronavirus makes sport in front of fans a long way off”, quoted a pandemic expert who believed that even if professional sports leagues returned, stadia would remain empty for “months and months – and perhaps even next year and beyond”.
“That is going to bite hard.
“There is no guarantee broadcasting rights will return to the levels they are now, and clubs without the revenue lifeline of ticket and concession sales could go to the wall.
“Take the NRL. There was a reason the best league competition in the world continued its “delusion” long after it was sensible – it couldn’t afford not to. It has a rainy day fund suitable for a light drizzle, but if it looks outside right now it’ll see it is pouring. In Australia, they are already talking about which clubs will fall over first.
“The only reason rugby is in better shape is because its international game remains strong, the World Cup is a cash machine and a bunch of sugar daddies in France and England are prepared to run rugby clubs as loss leaders.
“In the south, and Australia in particular, Super Rugby is close to a basket case.
“For financial reasons alone, having all the talent playing a single code makes perfect sense.”
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Cleaver went on to suggest that while both sports would benefit from an altered style of gameplay, but ultimately predicted that a compromise between the two codes will never come to fruition, although if it were to happen, now would be the time to discuss it.
From a purely playing perspective, a merger between union and league into one single code would yield a massive influx of talent from both directions.
With the likes of Cameron Smith, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Latrell Mitchell doing battle with Maro Itoje, Beauden Barrett and Faf de Klerk, it would be difficult for broadcasters and sponsors to not pay offer top dollar for such an enticing clash of stars.
Such a move would also alleviate worries of players looking to hop between codes, with both league and union fans concerned at the prospect of losing Kalyn Ponga and Ardie Savea to the opposite sport in recent times.
However, it are those financial incentives which will drive the rugby world – both union and league – in the coming months once COVID-19 dissipates, and few concepts could demand as much corporate money or ticket sales as a permanent cross-code merger.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Only 1247 days until RWC 2027 starts Bin Smuth🤣Can’t wait to see how unhinged you’re still gonna get between now & then
199 Go to commentsany chance either team will improve on their u20 world cup performances this time around? I assume both sides will be deeply disappointed with how things went.
6 Go to commentsAnother poor articles by a poor journo, nothing new from Ben, at least you are consistently bad lol, geez I will try and watch the match later, clearly Benny was only looking to one end of the pitch, hard to tell whom the Baby Blacks were playing if it wasn’t in the header 😄😄
7 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
7 Go to commentsProbably the worst article on a rugby match I have ever read
199 Go to commentsWho hurt this man.. LoL 😭
199 Go to commentsIt unfortunate for the Jaguares that they became formidable just as super rugby as we knew came to an end. However, the idea of bringing them back is nonsensical. While I enjoyed the Jaguares and the South African flavour of the comp, a selling point of this incarnation of super rugby is that all games are on a decent time for an Aussie audience.
3 Go to commentslol that’s your opinion Ben, All Blacks benefited from a forward pass try, SA played 77 min without a recognised hooker, missed a no try conversion and a penalty could have would have but didn’t
199 Go to commentsBrett, from my distant perspective, I hope you get to keep the Rebels. Any ideas of teams from Japan or Argentina are just crazy. Won’t happen. If you look at logistics, it is much easier to get to LA from Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney than to Buenos Aires. All with direct non-stop daily flights. You may even get some “gringos” to watch the games, with some younger players compared to Giteau and Nonu who still “play” in the area. I think it is virtually impossible to get a competitive Argie team for SR. All Pumas are in Europe, almost all second tier players are also in Europe. Fringe players are in South American pro rugby tournament (and many still in the MLR!) but these players who might be most interested in joining a new Jaguares do not have the skills to compete. As I have been saying since the Jaguares joined, they should have had TWO teams to make logistics for visiting teams better and Argie player development improved as well. Jaguares/Pumas was not ideal. But this is where Pichot and his cronies did not think long enough. Further the country with he new president “No hay Plata” Milei is in a very difficult situation. Galperin, the richest man in Argentina owns the Miami franchise of MLR. I don’t think you can get him to invest in Argentina. Actually, he played rugby himself. He was a fly half. He is worth around $6 billion!
3 Go to commentsWell done Baby Boks we will take the Draw. No 9 senseless long passes in those conditions. let’s move on and hope for some good weather
7 Go to commentsHow did it end a draw. South Africa didn’t score any points as far as I can see
7 Go to commentsNo doubt this will be a fantastic occasion and I plan to be there, but I think the bean counters have won out over the rugby brains. In my opinion, it is foolhardy to give the Black Ferns the experience of playing in front of 60,000+ at Twickenham a year before they might be playing there in a World Cup Final. Better to play France at Twickenham and Black Ferns at Kingsholm. The difference in takings would be miniscule.
1 Go to commentsDom kant
199 Go to commentsBen is a little incel desperately trying to stir the pot and stay relevant. We used to get mad at his articles. Now we just feel sorry for him
199 Go to commentsPerhaps we may need to put an asterisk on NZ’s ‘87 WC win since the Boks weren’t there. You know, just as a reminder. Poor Ben Smith. Go cry somewhere else.
199 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
6 Go to commentsThanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
6 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
7 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
199 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to comments