Exit from Super Rugby?

[Melbourne Terrace]

The only thing I like is playing all the NZ teams. But this is going to be the frankenstein monster of sporting competitions. Uneven pools is particularly dumb.

The Asian and Argentinian teams are going to find it extraordinarily difficult given how much travel they'll have to do. The reality is they shouldn't be added to such a competition unless they could support their own pools of 4 or 5 teams.

If we had to stick with this it should have been 3 pools of 6 with Asia added to Australia and Argentina with NZ. At least that would have made sense.

5 more years of niche sporting status here we come! Good luck to SANZAR trying to negotiate a substantially bigger TV deal while shortening the competition and making it more confusing.

Asia and the Americas should have been left to keep building on their own. Argentina is now not going to get the professional national league they need off the ground when funds are diverted away. Japan's Top League on the other hand might still be in the grip of the big companies but they could have worked with that like the J-League did to find a way forward with new fans. Now when some Plastic Super Rugby franchise takes away interest and money (to fund it's ridiculous travel requirements), there is little left for officials to work with.

 

[Melbourne Terrace]

The one thing that would of amazed me would of been if they came up with a format that most on here liked, simply because of whatever decision Sanzar made, there would be a large number of posters who,although they don't really have a better plan, would of had a better plan!!!

Who knows, most on here might die of old age before Sanzar ever suggest any sensible idea.

 

[Omar Comin']

The slippery slope we're on is going to get steeper if this becomes reality.

We'd be better to go off on our own than go along with this.

 

[Blue]

This is a disaster for anyone but South Africa, way to make Super Rugby even more irrelevant to the Australian Public. Super Rugby is already struggling because people don't care enough to get excited about some plastic franchise from South Africa coming over, who is going to care about some Argentina or Japanese Franchise?

We had the chance to finally have something that resembled a national league (even if we got NZ in) and could have played the Saffers, Japan and the Americas in a Champions League arrangement but the Suits seam to think expanding to woop woop and playing a tournament halfway around the world is more important than fixing the issues at home.

I think it's a disaster for South Africa as well.

It dilutes a shrinking pool of high quality players, and makes our better teams player more minnows more regularly.

It will be a monumental fuckup if this actually eventualises.

 

[Tex]

Rugby Union, as much as I love it, has once again been proven a day late and a buck short.

 

[mst]

Utterly ridiculous set up. Pushing the Aus and NZ conferences to 6 teams with inclusion of two Asian team or an Asian team and an Argentine team or something along those lines would have been a better compromise than this set up.

I really think it would be better off of they did add at least one of the teams to either the Aus or NZ conference. My preference would be the Asian team and ensure they got home games against at least 2 of each of the SA. NZ & Aus teams to help market the product and maximise the available revenue. I also think they need to make sure that the 2 new teams (minnows) play off to help with some better "balanced" games so they aren't prone to floggings by established teams and put the new supporters off.

As a wild idea, to provide a bit of compromise to help the Kiwis with the "too many derby's" and the Oz teams keep the derbies, and maximise the Asian marketing opportunities, factoring in travel, what about each season taking the 5x NZ & Aus plus the Asian team, and draw the first 2 of each of the AUS / NZ teams as pool 'A' with the next drawn regardless of conference as the 5th, and the other six as pool "B". It would certainly mix it up, and make life interesting!

 

[RugbyFuture]

ergh. Why does south africa hold so much power. Why do they come up with such convoluted expansion systems?

Its time to explore a revolution rather than an evolution, roll back the professional admin into the third tier in each country and have them as the pools with qualification. Eventually the level will get up there again, but we'll have a better and stronger competition for it. The only complication with this idea is what happens to the reds and tahs.

 

[Quick Hands]

ergh. Why does south africa hold so much power.

They don't, but the NZRFU and the NZ players association have both stated publicly on a number of occasions that they want SA teams in. They see it as vital to NZ rugby, so in a 3 way partnership the 2 will always beat the one.

 

[Omar Comin']

ergh. Why does south africa hold so much power. Why do they come up with such convoluted expansion systems?

Its time to explore a revolution rather than an evolution, roll back the professional admin into the third tier in each country and have them as the pools with qualification. Eventually the level will get up there again, but we'll have a better and stronger competition for it. The only complication with this idea is what happens to the reds and tahs.

The Reds could become the Brisbane City team and the Tahs could become the Eastern Sydney team. i.e. a 10th team. Or the Tahs could take over the Stars and be the East plus Inner West team.

In time I'm sure it would merge into a trans tasman comp. The NZ market is too small to go alone and a NZ/SA competition would be pretty ridiculous.

 

[RugbyFuture]

The Reds could become the Brisbane City team and the Tahs could become the Eastern Sydney team. i.e. a 10th team.

you'd have to kill the reds and waratahs brands and save them for rep teams, otherwise you're destroying a long history and tradition.

In this scenario imagine the QRU and NSWRU actually getting back to their job of running ALL rugby in their states though!

 

[gel]

 

[Omar Comin']

you'd have to kill the reds and waratahs brands and save them for rep teams, otherwise you're destroying a long history and tradition.

In this scenario imagine the QRU and NSWRU actually getting back to their job of running ALL rugby in their states though!

I disagree. The Reds and Waratahs are no longer state rep teams and haven't been for a long time. They should just be made more independent of the state unions.

The Waratahs are already essentially a predominantly Eastern Suburbs and North Shore supported club team. The Reds are basically the rugby equivalent of the Broncos.

And there's nothing wrong with that, it's just how things have evolved. I think it would be silly to get rid of those brands from any new competition (as well as the Brumbies, Force and Rebels). You'd need those brand names to maintain existing fan bases and help general fans understand this was the top tier domestic competition. There would be no need for any rep teams other than the Wallabies.

 

[Melbourne Terrace]

you'd have to kill the reds and waratahs brands and save them for rep teams, otherwise you're destroying a long history and tradition.

In this scenario imagine the QRU and NSWRU actually getting back to their job of running ALL rugby in their states though!

The reds and waratahs brand killed their history and tradition the second they started calling themselves as such and discarded the traditional names of QLD and NSW. They aren't rep teams.

 

[Quick Hands]

In this scenario imagine the QRU and NSWRU actually getting back to their job of running ALL rugby in their states though!

Imagine indeed. We might even start making progess instead of going backwards.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

ergh. Why does south africa hold so much power. Why do they come up with such convoluted expansion systems?

Its time to explore a revolution rather than an evolution, roll back the professional admin into the third tier in each country and have them as the pools with qualification. Eventually the level will get up there again, but we'll have a better and stronger competition for it. The only complication with this idea is what happens to the reds and tahs.

Couldn't be any worse than the format floated. Frankly we should look to national competitions as a qualifier for a Cup competition. Could even look to emulate what has been done in Europe. Either way. Still better than what we may end up with.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

I think they will and should
Go for an 8 team finals but it is unfair if South Africa essentially has a guaranteed final spot while nz and Aus duke it out for the other. Top two from each conference and nz 1 v Sa a 2, nz 2 v SA a 1, Aus 1 v SA b 2, Aus 2 v SA B 1
Has to be a cross over in my mind so you make the finals fair.
For rebels, dropping a domestic derby and picking up a kiwi one is a good thing.
Kiwis pull the crowds.
A weird format. Don't get how all of Aus might not play the Argentina team for a year.
It should be Aus/Asia nz/Argentina and SA.
Play every team once and 8 team championship and 8 team plate finals.
Extra two weeks of games over what is proposed and actually makes sense.
Call the nz bluff.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

Best is still two conferences
SA 6, Argentina, Asia and force
Rest of Aus and nz.
Play each conference team twice in home and away and then cup and plate finals with conference cross over
SA get nz/Aus games and less travel with one three week road trip.
Cry the force but I don't think it's a bad idea nor will it harm the force
Either way super rugby will be a changing beast going forward. I struggle to see how the proposed format will last if you're missing out on four teams a year. Makes no sense.

 

[andrewM]

'Nor will it harm the Force'?
You can't be serious??
Force Rd trip to SA.. 11 hours
Force Rd trip to Argentina ..27+ hours
Rebels trip to NZ.. They'll be home for tea.
Troll if I ever saw one..

 

[Moono75]

SANZAR is intent on turning Super Rugby into an irrelevance. They are diluting the the quality of the product just to appease SA and try a cash grab for TV rights into Asia by introducing a Japanese team. Where does it stop, Super 25, teams from all over the world.....who cares. That's what World Cups are for.

Why not concentrate on measures to support the current teams allowing them to play better rugby, put on a better show and make the TV rights more attractive to broadcasters. Bloody Idiots!

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Devolution in action.

Super 12 = Phar Lap (Black Caviar to you young 'uns)

This = something put together by 3 mad scientists:
A it needs 6 legs so it can run faster.
B OK but only if it has 2 heads
C yeah, a head at each end will look cool
A & B now you're just being silly

As long as the Crusaders are still in it I'll watch at least bits of it but it just won't be the same. I'd insert a sad face if I knew how.