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Where to for Super Rugby?

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Dan54

David Wilson (68)
With the exception of the Nth and Sth America bit. Yeah. But conversely it kind of screams bullshit to me around the whole thing. Like they are just throwing together random regions in an effort not to look even worse than they currently do.

I think a comp with Nth and Sth America with Japan in it scream a brilliant idea to me, I think it would be a great way to promote the game in Japan, remember it reasonably unknown sort in Japan, and I imagine be easier to a comp with Asian and American (particularly USA) teams.
 

WorkingClassRugger

Michael Lynagh (62)
I think a comp with Nth and Sth America with Japan in it scream a brilliant idea to me, I think it would be a great way to promote the game in Japan, remember it reasonably unknown sort in Japan, and I imagine be easier to a comp with Asian and American (particularly USA) teams.


Except there is already a professional structure in the US in its fledgling stages that many would be hesitant to blow up without there being serious upsides to it. I'm talking $$$. Many of the US Rugby guys I regularly speak to are none too keen on the idea of playing in a trans-continental championship either. Same for Sth America come to think of it. They are working on their own structure that's set to kick off in 2020 of which there are already tentative plans to run their own Champions Cup like competition between the two.
 

KevinO

Geoff Shaw (53)
Season is too short

Can't gain any traction in flooded markets with 6/7 home games.

Compare to AFL/NRL/A-League or any of the European Leagues and you wonder why no one starts to follow. Even jumping on a winning band wagon after a few rounds means there is hardly any games left.

6 Home games will never be enough.
 

Dctarget

Tim Horan (67)
Season is too short

Can't gain any traction in flooded markets with 6/7 home games.

Compare to AFL/NRL/A-League or any of the European Leagues and you wonder why no one starts to follow. Even jumping on a winning band wagon after a few rounds means there is hardly any games left.

6 Home games will never be enough.

Yeah this is my major gripe with it. How are you meant to generate any support.
 

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
Season is too short

Can't gain any traction in flooded markets with 6/7 home games.

Compare to AFL/NRL/A-League or any of the European Leagues and you wonder why no one starts to follow. Even jumping on a winning band wagon after a few rounds means there is hardly any games left.

6 Home games will never be enough.

Really? and here was me thinking everyone thought Super 12 was the best version of Super rugby!
 

Adam84

Rod McCall (65)
I think the Super 12 existed in an era where rugby union was more popular and more enjoying to watch, I really don't think the model of the competition had much influence on the overall popularity of the game, but the expansion has coincided with a decline in interest. Correlation vs Causation..
 

Brumby Runner

Jason Little (69)
Who really benefits from a postulated competition involving each of the four Super Rugby sides, the Force and the Fiji Drua?

Isn't it just the NRC by another name with only one Qld side instead of two and one NSW team instead of ?many. Reds always took the NRC seriously with their two teams, but NSW was the odd man out. Is it just a contrivance to improve the NSW chances of actually being competitive?
 

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
I think the Super 12 existed in an era where rugby union was more popular and more enjoying to watch, I really don't think the model of the competition had much influence on the overall popularity of the game, but the expansion has coincided with a decline in interest. Correlation vs Causation..

Or maybe when Australian rugby was stronger Adam, so maybe if we follow that through the trouble is not the comp, but the Aussie team's ability? I really suspect if the local teams were performing, super rugby would be more popular here.
 

Adam84

Rod McCall (65)
It's not just Australian crowds and tv ratings which have plateaued or declined.. NZ and South African crowds are nothing on what they were 15 years ago.

There's so many factors to this it's not funny, the drain of talent is more of an issue then the expansion of teams, the loss of marquee players from teams derives the competition and clubs of marketable content on top of quality input into the game. Super Rugby in the 90's was the pinnacle competition, not because it had 12 teams, rather because it had the best players.
 

Rugbynutter39

Michael Lynagh (62)
NZR has signed a memorandum of understanding with Rugby Australia to support Forrest's venture.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12181213
exactly NZRU are happy to support grr and others spending money (re: not there money) on alternative competition that if successful can get on board with, and if not nothing lost. Same approach as RA as both know super rugby not sustainable long term model but need better proven commercial opportunities to jump ship or at least lessen commitment to super rugby.
 

Ulrich

Nev Cottrell (35)
Super 12 was a better format for the simple reason that all franchises were strong. Then the Cats split and became the Cheetahs and Lions - both of whom could not and to a degree still cannot defend.

The Force were added and later the Rebels and then some Japanese team etc. It really made a mockery of what was and what is supposed to be the premier international competition.

With the advent of the conferences it also aided in degrading SA's local competition - the Currie Cup.
 

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
Anyway the more I think about the Sunwolves being cut, the less it upsets me. I think with Japan RU saying they wouldn't commit to backing them (and I understand their reasons too), unless one of the other RUs commit to keeping them going, they probably have to go, and I am one who is not too upset at having a proper round robin comp again. If they stay would any posters be happy for ARU to pay shortfalls like they have for Rebels etc over the years? I wouldn't ,neither do I want the NZRU to prop them up, and can understand SA saying they won't.
 

liquor box

Peter Sullivan (51)
Season is too short

Can't gain any traction in flooded markets with 6/7 home games.

Compare to AFL/NRL/A-League or any of the European Leagues and you wonder why no one starts to follow. Even jumping on a winning band wagon after a few rounds means there is hardly any games left.

6 Home games will never be enough.

6 home Super Rugby games is not enough, but if you then had an NRC that featured non selected Wallabies you may get a decent quality game for the next 6 weeks or so.
 

Aurelius

Ted Thorn (20)
Season is too short

Can't gain any traction in flooded markets with 6/7 home games.

Compare to AFL/NRL/A-League or any of the European Leagues and you wonder why no one starts to follow. Even jumping on a winning band wagon after a few rounds means there is hardly any games left.

6 Home games will never be enough.

That's the real challenge of setting up a purely domestic comp. You'd probably need at least 10 teams playing home-and-away to get a significant presence established, and no guarantee that it would be supported especially if it can't retain Australia's best players.
 

hoggy

Nev Cottrell (35)
That's the real challenge of setting up a purely domestic comp. You'd probably need at least 10 teams playing home-and-away to get a significant presence established, and no guarantee that it would be supported especially if it can't retain Australia's best players.

Agreed, but as opposed to what we have now a complete basket case of a competition, falling support, crowd numbers and general interest, what guarantee if we continue on as present in 10 years time we may end up with next to nothing.
 

Joe King

Dave Cowper (27)
They had something called the Australian Provincial Championship (APC) before they introduced the ARC in 2007. It was all the Australian Super 14 teams playing in a tournament after Super Rugby had finished. I think they only did it for one year.

As others have said, I wonder if something like that would be a good replacement for the current NRC: have the Australian Super Rugby teams + teams from GRR playing in a tournament after Super Rugby and GRR finish.

It would still tick the box for player development as all the test players would be out for most of the tournament. And there could be other potential advantages as well:

1. Club players might have more of an interest in stepping up because they would get to be directly involved with the Super Rugby teams and coaches, etc. The step to professionalism might seem a little more reachable: club to Super Rugby team, rather than club to NRC to Super Rugby.
2. It might even develop players better than the NRC does. Smaller pool of players, more competitive teams.
3. The Super Rugby and GRR teams benefit as they get more of a chance to develop and build for the following year: coaches get to directly control the trialing of new players and combinations in their existing structures, they can also build on existing combinations, and the teams can bring in a little more revenue to account for a shorter Super Rugby season from 2020 onwards.
4. It might be a little more popular than the current NRC since the tournament would be using more familure brand names. And in a sense, the Force get to come to the party again with the other Super Rugby teams.
5. SS clubs might be more accepting of the idea (or might be less able to resist the idea even if they wanted to). Clubs are perceived to be the third tier again directly beneath Super Rugby (and GRR).
6. This tournament might be better for test players to play in when they are out of the Wallabies and/or returning to form.
7. other ?

Downsides might include:

1. Fewer club players would be asked to step up to the next level as there would be fewer spots available.
2. Club rugby may have to rejig how their season runs.
3. other ?
 
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