NRC onwards and upwards

[Getwithme]

Isn't the point of the NRC to mix our Super Rugby quality who are trying to crack a wallaby gig in form + see who can make the jump? Could be wrong

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Short answer - no, although someone will suggest building on the existing club competitions...

I've got no problem with an expanded Aus. Club Championship but certainly not as a viable alternative to the NRC.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

It depends what follows it.

I would be happy to run a reverse of the super rugby teams (so Tahs play the Rebels in Melbourne) and also have the Force & Fijian Drua from GRR included playing the Super teams home & away.

That would be about another 7 rounds + finals.

This would allow the super and GRR tams to include more matches for their members and give more opportunity for the Mick Mason's to get game time against decent opposition.

It also gives allows casual fans a team they have actually heard of to follow as opposed to the Melbourne Rising or Sydney Rays.

If this were how it was to work out I would prefer to see it at the start of the season instead in the back end of it. Push to have Super Rugby start as late a possible and run the NRC or whatever this would be called run leading into it. Would give our team 7-9 weeks of Rugby before their first game of Super Rugby/GRR which should put them in good stead for both campaigns while at least from an Australian perspective providing us with a sense of a proper season.

 

[kiap]

If this were how it was to work out I would prefer to see it at the start of the season instead in the back end of it. Would give our team 7-9 weeks of Rugby before their first game of Super Rugby/GRR

It's nice idea. Probably runs into problems when looked at closely.

9 weeks. Lets see where round 10 is this year (then add 14 weeks) … 19 April – 27 July … and that's with no byes or finals.

Maybe if the fixtures were somehow interleaved?

 

[Quick Hands]

Isn't the point of the NRC to mix our Super Rugby quality who are trying to crack a wallaby gig in form + see who can make the jump? Could be wrong

I don't think anybody, least of all RA, has ever set out precisely what the NRC is for - which is why it's failing.

If the purpose was/is to raise the standard of super rugby teams, then it's failed, if it was to build a higher profile for rugby, then it's failed in that too.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

It's nice idea. Probably runs into problems when looked at closely.

9 weeks. Lets see where round 10 is this year (then add 14 weeks) … 19 April – 27 July … and that's with no byes or finals.

Maybe if the fixtures were somehow interleaved?

Somewhat unpopular might be starting our season earlier. I know it would still be summer (which is a big deal apparently to some) but it could give us the necessary wiggle room. An argument regarding rest period for Wallaby squad members will come up. Well, they can have the entire month of December off and then have their minutes managed for the first couple of games.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I don't think anybody, least of all RA, has ever set out precisely what the NRC is for - which is why it's failing.

If the purpose was/is to raise the standard of super rugby teams, then it's failed, if it was to build a higher profile for rugby, then it's failed in that too.

I suspect that it was set out to do both but when you do nothing to actually assist in both of those goals as RA has done then failure is inevitable.

 

[dru]

Purpose 1 was to provide a pathway from club to Super. Many examples of this being successful.

Purpose 2 was to provide a returning pathway for injured or out of form WBs. Plenty of examples there.

Purpose 3 was local content to balance claims in RSA - paper win

Purpose 4 relates to fans - not much achieved there especially in Sydney where the clubs or elements of their self-proclaimed leadership were openly at war with NRC.

Issues around quality in Super are more about a more general (and more malignant) demise led by RA.

NRC has been a long shot short of perfection, but it’s ignorant to claim there has been no success.

 

[kiap]

Somewhat unpopular might be starting our season earlier. I know it would still be summer (which is a big deal apparently to some)

Summer is a no go, at least in my view.

I think rugby union and the players involved in it (even moreso than rugby league) is not well suited to the Australian summer

In the British Isles, I could see it.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Summer is a no go, at least in my view.

I think rugby union and the players involved in it (even moreso than rugby league) is not well suited to the Australian summer

In the British Isles, I could see it.

Yeah, I don't buy that argument to be honest. Especially now both the Kings and Cheetahs play in the Pro14 throughout the Sth African summer which is fairly similar to what we get here. You would just need to ensure you're scheduling is correct and mandate water breaks for players.

 

[Derpus]

Purpose 1 was to provide a pathway from club to Super. Many examples of this being successful.

Purpose 2 was to provide a returning pathway for injured or out of form WBs. Plenty of examples there.

Purpose 3 was local content to balance claims in RSA - paper win

Purpose 4 relates to fans - not much achieved there especially in Sydney where the clubs or elements of their self-proclaimed leadership were openly at war with NRC.

Issues around quality in Super are more about a more general (and more malignant) demise led by RA.

NRC has been a long shot short of perfection, but it’s ignorant to claim there has been no success.

Petaia, just as an example, really demonstrated what he could do from 13 in the NRC.

 

[kiap]

Yeah, I don't buy that argument to be honest. Especially now both the Kings and Cheetahs play in the Pro14 throughout the Sth African summer which is fairly similar to what we get here. You would just need to ensure you're scheduling is correct and mandate water breaks for players.

Heheh. Guess who's taking looong breaks in the South African summer …

Stadium attendees/

“I'm telling you, my friend.”

Brisbane Tens? … they got fookin' cooked, mate. Sydney Sevens will hold on longer, but I reckon even February is curtailing its appeal.

In Punta del Este (back in history when it was the place to go) they played their sevens tournaments just about near midnight

 

[Strewthcobber]

Yeah, I don't buy that argument to be honest. Especially now both the Kings and Cheetahs play in the Pro14 throughout the Sth African summer which is fairly similar to what we get here. You would just need to ensure you're scheduling is correct and mandate water breaks for players.

Southern Kings average attendance this year = 2,986,
Cheetahs average attendance = 4,567

Both significantly inflated by all reports

 

[dru]

Southern Kings average attendance this year = 2,986,
Cheetahs average attendance = 4,567

Both significantly inflated by all reports

Look this is all good. But what were the home ground figures for Kings in Super? It’s not a normal place with Canberra size largely manufacturing population inside a a province of much greater population and low income well beyond what we think is poor in Australia.

With the Cheetahs can someone remind me what their ave home ground attendance was in their last year of Super? I honestly can’t recall but I won’t be surprised if someone comes back with figures similar to what we see here.

What is impressive is how SARU has handeled their rejected franchises.

I’ll stop there.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

No what this tells you is the commercial model of SA super rugby sides finding salvation in European competitions is total BS.

SA in bigger world of pain for options as unlike SA we have options for big market in Asia we could grow if prepared to be innovative to win back fans (cough cough rapid rugby ideas).

Super rugby is old stale and outdated for the modern day sports fan who want a total fan experience and something they can engage in with timefriendly zone that supports that.

SA have their own problems and we are beholden to them with what is super cluster fuck rugby....time to be bold...time to explore lots of different options...but not commit to super 14 round robin competition which offers short competition and only 6 home games with lots of time zone away games that to be frank no-one cares for.

When is the wake call before things hit life support if not almost there with some multiple cardic arrests.....

 

[Strewthcobber]

Look this is all good. But what were the home ground figures for Kings in Super? It’s not a normal place with Canberra size largely manufacturing population inside a a province of much greater population and low income well beyond what we think is poor in Australia.

With the Cheetahs can someone remind me what their ave home ground attendance was in their last year of Super? I honestly can’t recall but I won’t be surprised if someone comes back with figures similar to what we see here.

What is impressive is how SARU has handeled their rejected franchises.

I’ll stop there.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby...od-but-south-africa-australia-on-life-support
Kings were 10,000 and Cheetahs were 14,200 in 2017

 

[dru]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby...od-but-south-africa-australia-on-life-support
Kings were 10,000 and Cheetahs were 14,200 in 2017

There you go. Not at all my recollection.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Anyway - crowds don't really matter. The competition has a $55m AUD per year TV deal. There's the benefit of a GMT timezone

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Heheh. Guess who's taking looong breaks in the South African summer …

Stadium attendees/

“I'm telling you, my friend.”

Brisbane Tens? … they got fookin' cooked, mate. Sydney Sevens will hold on longer, but I reckon even February is curtailing its appeal.

In Punta del Este (back in history when it was the place to go) they played their sevens tournaments just about near midnight

The only other options would be to either look to get Super Rugby pushed forward to start a couple of weeks earlier and then tack this on at the back or look to run it in a completely different window. But for it to run in another window I'd prefer it to run as a one and a half or double round robin format.

 

[RebelYell]

If this were how it was to work out I would prefer to see it at the start of the season instead in the back end of it. Push to have Super Rugby start as late a possible and run the NRC or whatever this would be called run leading into it. Would give our team 7-9 weeks of Rugby before their first game of Super Rugby/GRR which should put them in good stead for both campaigns while at least from an Australian perspective providing us with a sense of a proper season.

Agree with this. Also allows for guaranteed prime time fixtures when other football codes haven't started yet