3rd tier is back in 2014 [Discontinued]

[MACCA]

That article says that the board has signed off on the new comp,which will start in August next year.Yet the number of teams or indeed the identity of any teams is yet to be determined.
It is all predicated on a TV deal which is yet to be finalised.
Sounds a bit half arsed to me.
I would prefer they took the time to properly plan the thing so that it lasts more than one year.

I think you may eventually find that the ARU have already taken this well past the concept stage and choose not to reveal everything whilst there are some outstanding matter seeing completed. Lets wait and see whether they deliver.

 

[RugbyFuture]

I'm excited again

 

[No.8]

I dont think the ARU have time to "think" about things anymore - they just have to do it.....Australian rugby currently is in a pile of shit - they need to get the shit by the balls and run with it.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Do we need yet another third tier thread?

 

[Brumbieman]

I think 10 teams is too many though. I'd say add a Bris, Syd and Canberra team at most.

That's the bit I forgot, courtesy of a lovely Barossa Shiraz.


If the Perth/Melbourne teams were not looking likely to be competitive enough, then maybe cull them and go with a 7 team comp so each team gets a by week.

Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane could certainly field a club XV strong enough to give each academy side some serious shit, and let anyone trying to crack Super rugby have an environment in which they could be spotted.

 

[meatsack]

This bit intrigues me:



Is the Gold Coast sevens moving to January or will there be another event/comp or am I reading too much into it?

I'd guess the fact sheet may have mentioned that the Gold Coast 7s kicked off the IRB 7s season and a journo re-wrote it to be year not realising it really isn't the same thing.

 

[wreckless]

I dont think the ARU have time to "think" about things anymore - they just have to do it...Australian rugby currently is in a pile of shit - they need to get the shit by the balls and run with it.

Does shit have balls???

 

[Nusadan]

Does shit have balls???

There are some shits out there who unfortunately have balls to reproduce yet more shits!

 

[wreckless]

There are some shits out there who unfortunately have balls to reproduce yet more shits!

I've had shit ON my balls - but that's probably for another thread!

 

[GaffaCHinO]

The WA and ViC teams will be able to hold their own as they will be made up of a large group of super rugby players due to the lack of wallabie reps.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk 2

 

[ChargerWA]

This is the right way forward. I'm guessing the rights are probably going to go to Foxtel.

 

[en_force_er]

The very best club players from Vic/WA combined with the Super Rugby players in the area who aren't with the Wallabies, injured, or on reduced workload (probably due to age) would easily be competitive with anything any other hypothetical ARC team could assemble. Plus, it would be great for expanding out of Aus' traditional player pool.

Anybody that says anything else is close minded, specially since an increasing number of Shute Shield first graders are from these states as is. I can think of at least 4 current ones and I haven't made an effort to do any research.

 

[Nusadan]

I've had shit ON my balls - but that's probably for another thread!

Or rather in a completely different forum!

 

[Knuckles]

Can someone please tell me why the CEO needs to be in Edinburgh travelling with the team? If it's such a serious matter that the 3rd tier needs to be up and running by August, with EVERYTHING in place, then why is wasting time away sipping shandy's overseas?

 

[Rugby Central]

Do we need yet another third tier thread?

Do we need one.....probably not. But as this one relates to something that is actually happening, as opposed to the hopes and dreams of GG's contributers, it probably has more validity than many of the others.

I say we find out as much as possible so that it doesn't decend into conspiracy theories about Uni taking over the world.

 

[Sherwood]

Can someone please tell me why the CEO needs to be in Edinburgh travelling with the team? If it's such a serious matter that the 3rd tier needs to be up and running by August, with EVERYTHING in place, then why is wasting time away sipping shandy's overseas?

As CEO of ARU he sits on the IRB board. They are meeting in Europe this week and last. He is on IRB business not travelling with the team.......

 

[I like to watch]

Well he is certainly not travelling with Link in premium economy....

 

[Rugby Central]

Something that will need to be addressed with this new competition is eligibiltiy rules. Not some claptrap about stacking clubs etc, but given the number of Kiwis plying their talents in various competitions, does this risk becoming an ITM feeder competition.

If you exclude people ineligible under Super Rugby rules, does this risk diluting the quality of the competition. Or, inversely, does it create a way to get the Pacific Islanders that get snatched from the Auckland transit lounge on their way to Australia.

Or, in order to boost the competition do they look to allow many Argentinians, currently in Europe, to play. Do they continue to hobble Argentina's rugby in order to protect our own by mandating lesser quality players only in the competition.

These are the questions when you look at revenue vs. development. Would love to hear what people have to say.

 

[Tah and feathered]

Fox Sports will be broadcasting the 3rd tier
Done and dusted just need to finalise the money that Fox will pay
I have heard Fox are offering 3.5 mil and ARU want 5 mil
So by watching American Pickers on A&E they will split it and go for 4.25mil

 

[the coach]

Interesting that the ARU has "signed off" on this but aren't meeting with the clubs until early December. Maybe the ARU has another source of players for their competition rather than from the clubs given that the timing of the competition is either going to mean we're back to a 1 round Shute Shield or it will clash with the Shute Shield play-off series. Sounds like the death of club rugby to me.