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Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

MLF

Frank Row (1)
If Rugby were to do a Magic round re-invent, I think it should be done as follows:

- Each game in the round for the home team includes:
1) A School boy game (GPS or CAS for NSW for example)
2) A local club game (Shute Shield for example for Waratahs)
3) The Super Rugby Game
I think you’d probably get a better atmosphere if you hosted the thing at CAS/GPS games rather than the other way around. Get a few war cries going. Some tins on the hill.
 

The Ghost of Raelene

David Codey (61)
I guess it becomes a question about re engaging these guys fans. Plenty of people out there willing to watch and support Rugby but not the professional game…
 

SouthernX

John Thornett (49)
The problem is schoolboy rugby is free… no gps school is charging an admission fee to watch the next generation of athletes.

if gps schoolboy rugby was played at a venue like ballymore (or Sydney equivalent) I don’t think you’d get the crowd bump you suggest.

*****

for the life of me - why hasn’t rugby Australia tried tapping into super rugby 7s? Who wouldn’t love to see the reds 7s in some kind of tournament against brumbies, rebels, force & tahs? Obviously you’d need more than the 5 or 4 teams (if Waratah Phil gets his way)

could you have a 10 team super rugby 7s circuit where you pool both open teams and colts together?
 

The Ghost of Raelene

David Codey (61)
You're correct about charging for admission. I also don't think if Super Rugby was free we'd have full stadiums. No admission charged but St Josephs v St Ignatius at Leichardt got 17,000 a couple of years ago.

I remember when there use to be a buzz at schools game for who was going to the Waratahs or the Wallabies that night. Now, nothing. You usually hear from people who go to the Schools games every week "Are they on tonight? How are they travelling?"

As well as our own failures I do put part of it down to the un competitiveness of the comp as a whole. Crusaders winning so many on the bounce made it uninteresting. ABs holding the Bledisloe as long as they have made it less interesting for the fringe fan. It's happened in other sports. Weve heard it in State of Origin when NSW won 3 in a row in the early 2000s "Origin was dead". Then QLD rattle off a decade and tbh Origin felt dead and the NRL did a good job of creating a David v Goliath portrait for a couple of series.


I think we overplay 7s as something that puts bums on seats. It's fun for the public at the Olympics but besides Rugby fans no neutrals tune into it or care. Even amongst Rugby fans we still see it as kids and guys who can't make a 15s side. Yes this is shifting as it's become very specialised but they still jump to 15s if they get an offer. I don't mind the idea. Could it be something thrown into a match day at Super Rugby games??
 

SouthernX

John Thornett (49)
I think we overplay 7s as something that puts bums on seats. It's fun for the public at the Olympics but besides Rugby fans no neutrals tune into it or care. Even amongst Rugby fans we still see it as kids and guys who can't make a 15s side. Yes this is shifting as it's become very specialised but they still jump to 15s if they get an offer. I don't mind the idea. Could it be something thrown into a match day at Super Rugby games??

I was thinking super rugby 7s would be a good alternative to NRC for development - at conclusion of club rugby finals - if there’s a cost associated issue with NRC squads travelling interstate then it would be halved only sending 7+ reserves (double that if you sending colts, triple that if you sending the super a 5 week carnival where every super rugby franchise hosts the super rugby 7s.

I know going 7s route over NRC model means our front rowers miss out but maybe alternative is we let our super rugby front rows go over and get developed in the NPC in NZ.

I think with our next tv deal. It’s important we are offering Fox/stan/Netflix content that is filled most of the calander year. I think I’m going to cancel my Stan subscription once qpr season ends because I’ll have other avenues to watch the European tour.
 

PhilClinton

Mark Loane (55)
Rugby 7s is not a substitute for rugby 15s. They're two different games.

This is an oversimplification but I think you'll find attention spans and engagement will lapse quickly if fans have rugby 7s to watch all the time. There is only so much unstructured footy of blokes/women running through big gaps and around each other before it becomes repetitive.

I watch rugby for a contest - scrums, lineouts, breakdown battles and collisions. None of that is really prevalent in 7s.
 

The Ghost of Raelene

David Codey (61)
I can see that being a novel way of testing young playmakers. Always thought 10s offers a better product as their all so fit now you can defend a field with 10 and maintain a bit of structure unlike 7s.

Think I'm with you in Stan. I'm not a Tennis or Soccer watcher so holds little value to me.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I was thinking super rugby 7s would be a good alternative to NRC for development - at conclusion of club rugby finals - if there’s a cost associated issue with NRC squads travelling interstate then it would be halved only sending 7+ reserves (double that if you sending colts, triple that if you sending the super a 5 week carnival where every super rugby franchise hosts the super rugby 7s.

It's half as many players but it results in 14 minutes of rugby instead of 80.

A session of 7s will always be expensive to run with professional players because of the number of players you need to make it long enough.
 

PhilClinton

Mark Loane (55)
Netflix really pushing the live angle this year.

They've been dipping the toe into the live products with Dave Chang cooking live for the last few months (not a bad watch) and now they've announced they're streaming the Jake Paul v Mike Tyson PPV fight in July.

Will be interesting to see if they throw their hat into the ring for some major US market sports soon.
 

SouthernX

John Thornett (49)
Rugby 7s is not a substitute for rugby 15s. They're two different games.

This is an oversimplification but I think you'll find attention spans and engagement will lapse quickly if fans have rugby 7s to watch all the time. There is only so much unstructured footy of blokes/women running through big gaps and around each other before it becomes repetitive.

I watch rugby for a contest - scrums, lineouts, breakdown battles and collisions. None of that is really prevalent in 7s.

this is a good point and I agree.

one thing I think our footballers lack is game fitness, they are not playing enough rugby and you can see it across all facets of pro rugby in Australia… whether it’s our wallabies quitting at the 68th minute of a Bledisloe match or first game of season against kiwis in early rounds of super rugby.

I can’t help but think it’s because the rugby calander for most super players is feb-august
 

MLF

Frank Row (1)
There's no way they broke even. And there's no way they got 40k to the games. The lower bowl of Allegiant seats 28k. Shot from above show plenty of empty seats. They could have taken. All those sitting in the two upper tiers and sat them in the lower tier and still not have filled it. I've seen Raiders games with 50k in that Stadium. Totally different look.

I was thinking super rugby 7s would be a good alternative to NRC for development - at conclusion of club rugby finals - if there’s a cost associated issue with NRC squads travelling interstate then it would be halved only sending 7+ reserves (double that if you sending colts, triple that if you sending the super a 5 week carnival where every super rugby franchise hosts the super rugby 7s.

I know going 7s route over NRC model means our front rowers miss out but maybe alternative is we let our super rugby front rows go over and get developed in the NPC in NZ.

I think with our next tv deal. It’s important we are offering Fox/stan/Netflix content that is filled most of the calander year. I think I’m going to cancel my Stan subscription once qpr season ends because I’ll have other avenues to watch the European tour.
I like this thinking. I think Sevens can pretty reliably be something that tops up the coffers (Christ knows we need it!) if you did a limited 4 or 5 week season over Christmas party season and Jan/Feb in Syd, Mel, Bris, Per and ran it like a corporate friendly Spring Carnival thing on a Friday arvo/night.

If you did a decent targeted ad push from Aug/Sep onward I reckon you'd fill a bunch of marquees around the likes of Woollahra Oval with financially liquid REIT and Consulting types for Christmas Parties. It would be ripe for corporate and alcohol partnerships. And you could have a dedicated family-friendly hill separated from the boozers so it's not solely catered to corporate Moet guzzlers.

I reckon it would be decent TV fodder on Nine FTA if you had the KOKO lads running it like a 3 hour long light-hearted rugby-themed magazine show with a bunch of 7 minute long rugby halves running through it.

It would be a good opportunity to midwife a broader NRC XV comp by introducing 10 geographically based teams that could then go on to become NRC XV teams. The teams could be selected via combines with invited colts and NSW/QLD Cup Leaguies keen to earn some extra coin over the summer and potentially catch the eye of Aussie 7s selectors.

Getting more rugby on the table is crucial for TV deals but also for selling the appeal of the speed, characters and fun that Union is capable of producing in a timeslot that the other codes are vacant in. And a limited season with a real emphasis on game-day experience could be a nice money-earner through ticket and F&B sales along with broadcast.
 

PhilClinton

Mark Loane (55)
Just found out this isn’t a PPV - available to every Netflix subscriber. Will likely do absolutely insane numbers

Yeh that’s big. Love or hate them both, they’ll generate hype and this will be huge.

Is it a proper fight or exhibition? I didn’t think Tyson would get a licence anymore or whatever it’s called.
 

LeCheese

Greg Davis (50)
Yeh that’s big. Love or hate them both, they’ll generate hype and this will be huge.

Is it a proper fight or exhibition? I didn’t think Tyson would get a licence anymore or whatever it’s called.
Exhibition - doesn’t mean Mike will go easy though… scary stuff
 

WorkingClassRugger

Michael Lynagh (62)
Rugby 7s is not a substitute for rugby 15s. They're two different games.

This is an oversimplification but I think you'll find attention spans and engagement will lapse quickly if fans have rugby 7s to watch all the time. There is only so much unstructured footy of blokes/women running through big gaps and around each other before it becomes repetitive.

I watch rugby for a contest - scrums, lineouts, breakdown battles and collisions. None of that is really prevalent in 7s.

I think we need to look to do something with Japan in the form of a Cup competition. Either as a pre-season or post-season event. Could even do it as a lead in to the November tours. Or even during.
 
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