Rugby News from unexpected places

[WorkingClassRugger]

And this is where opportunity lies for SANZAR.

They're are opportunities in play now. Opportunities that would be relatively low cost. The best League in the U.S. is the Pacific Rugby Premiership. It's a real mixture of clubs in terms of facilities and professionalism. What it needs to do is move from clubs to city based 'franchises'. Having an investor come in and push them in that direction could push that competition over the edge in terms of quality.

It also needs a few more teams. SANZAR needs to look at other models of expansion instead of simply adding new teams in the piecemeal nature they do now.

 

[Omar Comin']

They're are opportunities in play now. Opportunities that would be relatively low cost. The best League in the U.S. is the Pacific Rugby Premiership. It's a real mixture of clubs in terms of facilities and professionalism. What it needs to do is move from clubs to city based 'franchises'. Having an investor come in and push them in that direction could push that competition over the edge in terms of quality.

It also needs a few more teams. SANZAR needs to look at other models of expansion instead of simply adding new teams in the piecemeal nature they do now.

Agreed.

The way I think about it is that SANZAR and USA Rugby have what the other needs. SANZAR have a tonne of professional rugby expertise (and the best teams in the world) while the US have the biggest and most promising growth market in the sport.

SANZAR can help the USA become a rugby super power and boost the growth of the sport, particularly at the professional level. In return SANZAR could integrate USA Rugby into its competitions and gain commercially from that market. I see it as a way for SANZAR to compete commercially with European rugby in the long term.

 

[Quick Hands]

Interesting chart - in the 6 to 17 year old bracket, rugby participation in the US doubled between 2009 and 2014 to hit the 300,000 mark. Still tiny compared to all the traditional sports, but those are some really solid numbers. Not that far behind something like ice hockey or lacrosse.

Good news, hopefully the figures are a lot more accurate than those peddled by the ARU from time to time.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Good news, hopefully the figures are a lot more accurate than those peddled by the ARU from time to time.

I'd say they would be. World Rugby quotes 1.2m but a lot of them are participants in the Rookie Rugby program. I'd say that the 300,000 is a lot closer to the actual numbers of kids. The youth sector has been exploding recently. As above quite often its not the lack of interest that's slowing this but the demand for coaches.

There's plenty of examples. In I think North Carolina, which is not a strong rugby state one smallish county has gone from barely enough to scrape together one team to running teams in each age group from U6-17. It has also spawned a seniors clubs which usually occurs the other way round. This group of dedicated people are now exporting their successful formula to help build more clubs like there's throughout the state.

The question is, what are the actual senior playing numbers? There was a practice once upon a time where clubs would only report their 1st XV and not their lower grades.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Agreed.

The way I think about it is that SANZAR and USA Rugby have what the other needs. SANZAR have a tonne of professional rugby expertise (and the best teams in the world) while the US have the biggest and most promising growth market in the sport.

SANZAR can help the USA become a rugby super power and boost the growth of the sport, particularly at the professional level. In return SANZAR could integrate USA Rugby into its competitions and gain commercially from that market. I see it as a way for SANZAR to compete commercially with European rugby in the long term.

I don't know if integration would be a possibility. But certainly holding a stake in a league certainly could be. The major issue is that I don't have confidence in SANZAR and its ability to demonstrate any level of cooperation and vision needed to undertake such a project.

It wouldn't require a huge financial investment as some may assume. Sure so funds would be needed but its more coaching and marketing etc. that it a competition like the PRP needs as much as money.

The PRP would require some restructuring but its all very achievable if it means it can progress.

I firmly believe that the SANZAR Unions need to do a number of different things.

1. Separate themselves from Super Rugby. Super Rugby needs to be run as a separate entity completely free of Union influence and bickering. A independent Super Rugby could licence its sanctioning from the Unions but be run by individuals who sole purpose is to grow the brand be it as it currently stands or some other future format.

2. Reassess their future methods of expansion. Adding teams here and there is problematic and tends to add to issues such as travel etc. Personally, while some degree of travel is inevitable I would prefer to see SA/Arg for one conference and NZ/Aus form a second. From there they could look for further commercial opportunities such as the one I've suggested with the PRP to build new conferences. Everyone plays within their conference and then the top X teams from each conference play off.

3. This is perhaps the most important. Streaming will be a huge aspect of any sporting competition in the future. They need to get their head around this a start working toward taking control of their own destiny on this. I mentioned RIM earlier who are looking to do just that.

 

[Antony]

It wouldn't require a huge financial investment as some may assume. Sure so funds would be needed but its more coaching and marketing etc. that it a competition like the PRP needs as much as money.

This reminds me of something I heard once about rugby in China (I might have even posted it here before). Apparently a few years back China decided that rugby would be one of the sports that they got their military to play (along with about three or four other games) but they realised they didn't really have the infrastructure or personnel to implement that kind of set-up. They looked up which countries were into rugby, and they got in touch with the New Zealand rugby union and asked them whether any of their coaches would be keen. The NZRU had a think about it, got in touch with a few guys who said they'd be interested, and then got back to China and said "Yeah, we've got a few guys. How many were you looking for?" And the Chinese said "3000." Probably at least partly apocryphal, but it illustrates the kind of barriers to entry that non-rugby countries would have to overcome before really hitting the top-tier.

 

[Omar Comin']

Great post WCR! Agree with all that and have been saying similar for a while regarding points 1 and 2.

The other thing I'm really interested to follow is the Americas 6 Nations. It's great that Argentina, who are now well and truly in the SANZAR fold are championing this. It's also a potential precursor to future Super Rugby conferences and expansion in the Rugby Championship.

 

[Quick Hands]

SANZAR probably needs to cease being SANZAR and become AAAR - African, Asian and American Rugby.

 

[Dan54]

Interesting to hear on ITM cup tonight about a player for BOP who had been playing in a professional team in Siberia, named a few other kiwis over there too.

 

[p.Tah]

SANZAR probably needs to cease being SANZAR and become AAAR - African, Asian and American Rugby.

AAAR. They could play for the pirate cup.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Interesting to hear on ITM cup tonight about a player for BOP who had been playing in a professional team in Siberia, named a few other kiwis over there too.

Probably Krasny-Yar or Eisney STM. You can earn a crust playing the game in some surprising places.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

It was Krasny Yar from Krasnoyarsk. Marty Banks played there in 2011. Krasnoyarsk is the unofficial home of Russian Rugby Union with the Russian Rugby Union having its HQ there for many years.

In 2013 there were 6 New Zealanders playing for Krasny Yar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasny_Yar_Krasnoyarsk).

Being located in Siberia, Krasnoyarsk would probably be quite attractive to Canberra players.

 

[Dan54]

Yep a young fella I coached as a kid back home was a professional in Sweden, that surprised me, another couple were doing same in Spain. Just at the time I didn't realise just how many places have a semi pro competition.

 

[Nusadan]

It was Krasny Yar from Krasnoyarsk. Marty Banks played there in 2011. Krasnoyarsk is the unofficial home of Russian Rugby Union with the Russian Rugby Union having its HQ there for many years.

In 2013 there were 6 New Zealanders playing for Krasny Yar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasny_Yar_Krasnoyarsk).

Being located in Siberia, Krasnoyarsk would probably be quite attractive to Canberra players.

Speaking of Russian rugby, what is Adam Byrnes up to nowadays?

 

[kiap]

Rugby goes Bollywood!

(thanks odave)

 

[Braveheart81]

The new Jonah Lomu / Heineken ad is also pretty good.

 

[Marcelo]

Wow. 7.6 million child soccer participants in the US. A lot of them must be female. Their Women's Soccer Team is world quality. Their Men's team is not.

Wonder how many of the 300k rugby players are boys compared to girls?

And how many are 7s players who never played XV hahahahaha

 

[mxyzptlk]

It was Krasny Yar from Krasnoyarsk. Marty Banks played there in 2011. Krasnoyarsk is the unofficial home of Russian Rugby Union with the Russian Rugby Union having its HQ there for many years.

In 2013 there were 6 New Zealanders playing for Krasny Yar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasny_Yar_Krasnoyarsk).

Being located in Siberia, Krasnoyarsk would probably be quite attractive to Canberra players.

They're in the European Challenge Cup this year. I guess Connacht is making about the longest trip of any club team in the world this season by traveling from Galway to Krasnoyarsk to take them on November.

 

[mxyzptlk]

Tag rugby is becoming a thing in inner-city Los Angeles.

LA's inner city kids develop a taste for rugby

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

It was Krasny Yar from Krasnoyarsk. Marty Banks played there in 2011...........

During the Makos v Wellys match Banks was lining up a kick & some wag in the crowd yells out "Go back to Russia!" Not a bad effort, I thought.