Bill Pulver Reveals his new Third Tier

Matt Rowley February 26, 2013 34

On ABC’s Grandstand last night the A’RU CEO Bill Pulver revealed in broad brush-strokes what he felt should be the new third tier competition for Australian Rugby. [SEE VIDEO INSET]

He called it a ‘Super-B’ competition of hour-long matches that would act as a curtain raisers for Australian Super derbies. Specifically, he described it as:

A rugby incubator that allows us to not only show the young potential of the Australia rugby community but also to trial a few little rule changes that will be focused on providing creative running rugby.

In essence therefore it will be a competition between reinstated Super franchise academies — a move designed to put Super noses back in joint after the debacle of the now decaying National Academy programme.

Those of us with dreams of an enhanced club, university or ARC-like competition can therefore kiss those dreams goodbye — although G&GR understands that as part of the Pulver plan approved by the ARU board last week, there will be a national club championship to be played at the end of the club season. That’s clearly an effort to buy the club vote.

The meaningfulness of this Super B proposal as a Third Tier will depend on the investment in presentation. A reserve grade hour’s run-around with crazy law variations between no-names as a old fashioned curtain-raiser will get the attention it deserves — i.e. none. A well-publicised competition with its own identity and television coverage — especially free-to-air — will be a different kettle of fish.

A ringing endorsement for Robbie

Pulver appeared amiable and unflappable in the Grandstand interview, but all sense of logic once again disappeared when the issue of Robbie Deans’s performance was raised.

The ARU CEO’s new slogan is clearly that ‘smart, creative, running rugby’ is what’s good for the game and what we’re all about. I think most G&GR readers with that. However, when asked to square that with the Wallabies’ one-try-per-match record in 2012, he diverted to blaming Australia’s Super Rugby stocks.

He continued:

I think third, which is where we are in the world rankings, is probably where we deserve to be. I think an honest assessment is the fact that New Zealand has set the benchmark.

Robbie — my sense is that he’s done a good job…. Ranked third — it’s not where we want to be, but it’s probably where we deserve to be.

Er, Bill… after five years in charge, third is where Robbie Deans has taken us. If that’s not where we want to be, then clearly Robbie is not the man to be taking us wherever we do want to go.

Time to cut the mumbo-jumbo.

Ratings bummer

Finally, did you give less of a toss about Super Rugby last year? Turns out you weren’t alone. Wilko revealed that in Australia in 2012:

Super Rugby’s ratings dropped 11.2%
NRL was flat
AFL grew 8%
The A-League grew a whopping 22%

Ouch. Looks like the Pulveriser will have his work cut out for him finding a sponsor for Australian Super Rugby.

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Matt started G&GR just before the 2007 Rugby World Cup and has been enslaved ever since. Follow him on twitter: @MattRowley

Discussion »

FiveStarStu

Club Championship!
- Gallagher
  
  I see the biggest underlying issue is we don’t have enough depth in international class forwards, we have backs down, and we don’t have enough experienced and skilled coaches, we need more McKenzie’s, Cheika’s? and Fishers. Whatever it takes to get us there, and give me more rugby to watch at the same time, I’m in!
Luke_Baird

Love the idea of the Super B competitions, but I thought (rightly or wrongly) that the Super Rugby team’s academies/colleges/EPS only have enough players to cover injuries for the team. If the squads are at 35 now, will they be allowing them to be extended then beyond the dozen or so out of the 22?
JimmyC

Feel like they could have saved a mil or so a year and just asked me.
Pat Garnham

After I heard that ‘super B’ was the preferred 3rd tier option for the pulveriser – I had a little thought of my own. Completely un-thoughtout, so please tear to bits! :)

If super b brings power back to regional acadamies and grows depth for the super franchises (and in turn wallabies) that is great – but it is still missing the entertainment factor. Why not create a short Sevens Series (5 weeks?), with free-to-air TV rights, pro/semi pro teams from around the country. And employ someone from the T20 bigbash league – they are nailing exactly what rugby needs.

Having said that I think the uni setup is much more sustainable and ticks more boxes!
Johnno

This obsession with running rugby, i never get it. the pressure to dilute attack, and the belief that lots of tire equals entertainment, never ceases to amaze me.

Look at the most popular team sport in the World soccer,. Now how many goals are scored in the average soccer game 3 or 4 at the most over the course of 90 minutes.

Yet the English premier league rates so high, and soccer is the highest participation team sport in the World.

Fans like an even contest between attack and defence.

For pure so called goals,points, numbers, whatever you want to call it, or scoring opportunity, follow AFL or Basketball then.

But clearly soccer fans don’t care about how little goals are scored , why is there this pressure or obsession of rugby administrators to forever promotes running rugby being defined as lots of tries scored per match, and if anything under 5 tries per match are not scored, the match has been a failure.

And for the record the Socceroos VS Uruguay 205 world cup qualifier in Sydney. Socceroos won 1-0. The match as it was a 2 leg play off , and Uruguay won the 1st match 1-0, it went into extra time.

So after 120 minutes of Soccer 1-0 was the final score. Only 1 goal, try,points, whatever you want to call it in 2 hours of play.

Yet it was engrossing nail biting stuff, the fans went bananas at the end of the penalty shoot-out, was never labelled a boring match, yet only 1 goal was scored.

But rugby seems chained to this pressure of more tries per match equals more entertainment, unlike soccer where scoring lots of goals per match is not a requirement.

And lots of goals in soccer is 5 goals, per 90 minutes of play..

If you define pure points or goals or tries as entertainment, make your sport of choice AFL or Basketball, not rugby league, rugby union, or soccer.
- Blinky Bill of Bellingen NSW
  
  Some fair points made. However I believe he said more than merely ‘running Rugby’.
  
  If people are against the term Running Rugby maybe he needs to clarify by explaining it’s not the sort of Rugby where people go off their feet, flop all over the ball and go for the good old one off hit-up until we spill the pill.
  
  Is anyone actually saying more tries = entertainment? I’m not a fan of weak defense and that’s what lots of tries indicate. It’s got to be a balance between all of the wonderful aspects that Rugby offers. Tight play, break outs, solid reliable set pieces, quick passing, consistently accurate line-out throws, courageous defense AND the balls to have a go.
  
  Let’s be honest Australian Rugby has gone to sleep at the wheel with the dirge that it serves up and anyone wanting more is treated with contempt. To be honest, and for reasons that are unclear to me, I think we have lost our way and can’t decide how to beat the best teams, so we try bore them to death and hope for a lucky win. Enough is enough, let’s beat them with OUR Rugby way.
  
  Time to get the depth and skill levels fixed.
- flat_eric
  
  I agree with your argument. But just to point something out, defense is just as important in basketball as offense. It would be farcical otherwise. This same logic can be applied to rugby union. It would be a farce without defense, ie Sevens. It’s the equivalent of Twenty20 cricket (or exhibition basketball games for that matter), these variations have their place in the overall structure of the game, but for purists it will never do.
muppet

Here’s a guy who understands the frustrations of the fans, the weaknesses of the current game and has the vision to improve it – all without political catchphrasing. Sadly he was interviewing Bill Pulver.
- Johnno
  
  muppet , he sure got Bill Pulver on the backfoot about Rugby Union in Australia, being an elitist game for private schools, Bill Pulver got defensive at that question. Made him uncomfortable. Peter Wilkins is a very experienced journalist, his interview with former AB’S coach Grahame Henry was high quality.
  
  I think a west sydney Academy side has to come into the 3rd-tier , or this Super rugby B comp which seems the likely pathway.
ooaahh

Dad always said never trust a man with two first names, trust a man with two last names even less and trust a man with a shiny forehead least of all.

Bill’s got a ways to go in my book. He doesn’t answer questions directly (like a politician) and turns the question into an empty marketing fact (eg A good problem to have). Probably why he’s been successful in business.
- Klaus
  
  Bill Pulver hasn’t got a forehead he has a fivehead.
Gottsy

Not sure if it is just me or not, but wouldn’t this really only work if the sXV teams from nz and sa had the same set up, what would the b team do when the a team plays someone from a different conference, especially when that game is played o/s?
And as for the wallabies ‘deserving to be third’, wtf?? Would hate to hear what he thinks the Australian fans deserve…
- Ooaahh
  
  You get a bye month every other weekend apparently
No4918

1. Does he think always talking about running rugby will convince the fans that is what the wallabies are playing?

2. where are these new laws coming from? Maybe someone needs to tell him the IRB are in charge of those.

3. How is that comp going to attract new fans and get coverage?
Mickeyb

Dear Bill,

We are at a point in Australian Rugby history where we are all demanding real stern leadership. You like an honest assessment, so how’s about adding these two in your kit bag:

Goal 1. Reclaim our rightful place as the # 1 team in world ranking by the end of 2013.

Why? By thunder we deserve it, so go find a coach deserving of the job. Deans has done a “good job”? Five years to get to number 3? You can aim higher Bill – we all deserve that!

Goal 2. You want participation? Give rugby to all Australians – get Super Rugby on free to air to increase participation, interest and awareness. Subscriptions to Fox sports are declining and this could be your solution in dealing with elitism!

Remember it’s not just about the revenue. The measure of Rugby’s value is worth more than just dollars.

Oh and your talk around a third tier with no details sounds like a smoke screen to counter all the negatives to me.

I hope we can get a statement of intent outlining your strategic direction for our game not just some marketing spin about a 100 day count down.

When Bill?

We all deserve it.
- Barbarian
  
  This typifies the delusion present among some rugby fans at the moment. Super Rugby ain’t gonna be on free to air any time soon. It doesn’t have the interest. Face it, get over it. There are other ways to grow the game.
  
  Same with ‘get back to #1 by 2013′. You are guilty of the same empty words that JON was guilty of. Yeah we all want to get back to number one, but there is no siver bullet here. As much as I would like a new coach, it isn’t going to magically make us the All Blacks.
  
  The fact that he has a viable idea for a 3rd tier competition is a step forward in itself. He has been in the job for less than a month. I want to see action just as much as you do. But I am not going to get ahead of myself and start demanding he deliver things that are just not going to happen.
  
  I’d much rather he focussed his time on growing the game at the grassroots level than worrying about TV rights or how the Wallabies play.
  - Gottsy
    
    The A league have a deal with SBS to have their games broadcast free to air from the 2013/14 season. I’ll be willing to bet that it has a positive effect on their supporter numbers. I think it’s a bit unfair to say that a lot of rugby fans are deluded to think that we might be able to come in to line with soccer in Australia… If rugby is available to the every man there is probably a good chance that growth at the grass roots level (not just private schools) could follow
    - Barbarian
      
      I am not denying the obvious benefits that FTA coverage would bring. And let’s not forget test matches are already on FTA, so it’s not like we receive no exposure there. I just think the idea that we will see Super Rugby games on FTA in the near future is a little deluded. Ratings need to spike considerably before that can happen.
    - Gottsy
      
      I get your point, I still think that saying we are ‘deluded’ is a bit strong. The test matches are on free to air, but for the masses it doesn’t really give you a chance to follow your local franchise, of whom the wallabies are selected. And as far as needing a ratings spike, the ARU should only have to look at 2011 to know that it’s possible, but it’s also a supply and demand issue; it’s hard to say that the demand isn’t there when the supply is restricted
  - Johnny-boy
    
    I agree with your first paragraph Barb, it’s easy to say get rugby on free to air or another ARC etc but it’s not just a matter of waving a magic wand and wanting someone else to pay for it and to do all the hard work setting it up.
    
    Pulver’s proposal of a Super B comp (which a smart marketer would call Super II) is the only logical, affordable, relatively easy to set up option. It would give Australia an even bigger advantage over NZ and SA in developing serious depth and strength over the long term at a higher level, that the Super XV comp, beleive it or not, is giving us now. And it maintains the critical passion at grassroots club rugby level with minimal disruption. An end of year club finalists comp would be great.
    
    I couldn’t disagree more with your second paragraph more however. Getting a new Australian coach would provide an enormous uplift for Australian rugby and the Wallabies. Indeed Deans is the biggest problem Australian rugby has got. Not only is he a staggeringly incompetent fool, his presence strips the passion not only from our players but supporters as well. I know I bang on about it ad infinitum but Australian rugby can’t move forward until he is ‘pulverised’.
    
    We have talent coming out of ears, more than enough to be number one, we just don’t have an ARU with enough nuts (or t……) to beleive in Australian rugby. Have a look at the Australian cricket team. How wonderfully are they going with their foreign coach ? I’ll give you a tip in case you havent noticed, absolute s…… Why ? Because like the ARU, the governing body thinks playing with die for passion for your country is no longer important. To them, like the ARU it is just another professional sporting team that is part of a marketing campaign.
    
    Given Pulver’s background he must know that the greatest marketing campaign in the world is worth zilch, if the company doesn’t care whether or not it, or it’s product is ‘connected’ to its customers. Think about it Bill. Long and hard.
- Johnno
  
  Bill MickeyB thinks 7evens is the way, to give rugby to All aussies. I think it’s only part of it.
  
  A free to air tv deal for showing 1 super rugby match per week on free to air, and also spending more on junior rugby 15 a side would help.
  
  I’d like a schoolboy TV deal, like rugby this year GIO schoolboys cup, in rugby league.
  
  schoolboy rugby helps rugby to a broader audience like in NZ/ South Africa.
  
  And a good strategic plan, is vital
Cutter

The mythical “free to air” isn’t free. It is paid for by ad breaks. If pay tv viewing rates are falling, who would pay to have their ads on during the Spears v Force let alone Force B v Rebels B?

It’s awesome being able to make demands on the end of a keyboard without actually having to engage in the realities of life.
- http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Matt Rowley
  
  Who said I thought it was free?
  
  From my keyboard I also wrote the word “investment” in that paragraph. Not so unrealistic following a Lions tour I would have thought?
USARugger

What is the world is the A-League?
- James
  
  Google says “soccer”
- flat_eric
  
  Equivalent of your MLS. The A-League is in about its 8th season, and is charting somewhat similarly to what the MLS did in its early years.
Rex Munday

When I was a nipper there were two types of rugby fans at Ballymore: those who sat on the hill with a six pack of XXXX, watched the game and got involved, and those who stood in the carpark next to the Range Rover, glass of Chardonnay in hand, socialising. Bill strikes me as the latter type. Unfortunate, that.
- Barbarian
  
  What a load of horseshit. Baseless rubbish.
  - Rex Munday
    
    noice
http://ihaveissu.es Christian Biggins

Fox Sports is now more expensive ($9 p/m increase) and seems to reduce the video quality of games in an attempt to drive people to spend an additional $10 p/m on the HD offering (they had a game on at the same time as 9 last week – the difference in quality between the two was astounding.) No wonder the ratings are dropping. It costs me $70 odd per month just to watch….. (Because you can’t just get the sports channels.)

Foxtel is killing Super Rugby.
Nutta

Couple of quick observations:

1. At least he’s talking about a 3rd tier. That’s something at least
2. The first rule of entering a crowded market-space is product/target differentiation. Be careful of trying to be all things to all people and end up meeting no-ones expectations
3. No-one ever watches the B’s. They come for the A’s. The point is that the comp needs to marketed as a stand-alone to get interest beyond WAG’s and the P&F and the tragics (ie no growth and no sponsors)
4. The problem with academy type teams as opposed to proper stand alone teams is the balance of players. Back up rosters are heavy with players in high attrition and/or consequential positions (hence the concept of back-up). Thus why touring parties generally have 3 hookers etc. They aren’t a balanced team in their own right. So the game is compromised by squeezing in 3 hookers, 6 loosies & 2 spare halfbacks to the starting XV…
Barney R

I don’t understand the obsession with the 3rd tier. At the moment we’re lucky to have 3 competitive teams due more to a lack of talent rather than lack of a 3rd tier. These guys on the next rung should get their opportunity during the season and that’s when they need to step up. Playing the Force’s reserve grade inside centre isn’t going to prepare you to play Ma Nonu etc. If you’re looking to grow the base of average professional footballers the 3rd tier is probably the answer a better alternative might be spending that money on attracting juniors or another Super Rugby franchise.
WorkingClassRugger

So far this season SR viewing figures are up 42% on last year. A lot of it has to do with the local derbies kicking off the season which are proving popular. Good start. Hopefully it can keep some of that momentum.