Rugby expansion

[Antony]

After listening to the podcast interview with Greg Peters, particularly what he had to say about super expansion into North America (with value added by a really great long comment by an American bloke in the comments section below), I just wanted to throw up a thread to see what people thought.

I'm really excited by that possibility. My league mates in Aussie have been raving about how the NRL's $1 billion broadcast deal means the end for australian rugby, but even a moderate degree of exposure to Asian and American markets would attract broadcast deals and global sponsors that would dwarf that amount (when considered per team).

I.e. what if after the Reds won in 2011 they'd been able to ink a global sponsorship arrangement with Nike or Red Bull or equivalent. Any problem with retaining talent (particularly junior talent vs toyota cup) would evaporate in an instant.

Considering the Olympics, the presence of a significant club infrastructure already, and the potential to woo college athletes/amateur wrestlers etc., I think within a decade the US could be on the table to some degree. So long as very liberal foreign player caps were allowed.

What are your thoughts?

 

[kronic]

On the Rugby Club last night, there was an interview with someone from Moore Sports who are well and truly heading down the path to a pro comp in the US, aimed at running by 2015. Obviously to piggy-back off the World Cup hype.

Tell your League friends the same could be said about Aussie Rules/AFL.

Rugby has the Olympics in its corner, simple. Plus an international component, International Rules and League doesn't count.

 

[Lindommer]

My league mates in Aussie have been raving about how the NRL's $1 billion broadcast deal means the end for Australian rugby.....

After next week when Nine goes belly up your league mates in Aussie will have to pass the hat around to keep the game afloat. Rugby league in Australia is a classic case of a big fish in a small pond; mungoers simply can't see the bigger world of rugby due to the glare of constant league publicity from the Daily Telegraph and Channel Nine. Wait til the Rio Olympics gives rugby a massive international boost.

 

[Scoey]

On the League v Union thing, this is an attitude that is displayed by League fans quite often. There is a constant need for them to rubbish Union and talk up the magnificence of the game they love. I am certain it goes the other way but to a far lesser degree. I feel that it simply highlights the insecurity of the League crowd about their own product.

Union is a global sport and yes support in Australia will wane and rise over time but it will never reach it's "end" in Australia. It may never be the number one code in Australia but it doesn't need to be to survive.

My understanding is that Rugby is growing in the USA, especially on the back of the RWC. If the States ever start a decent pro Rugby comp then I think globally, Rugby will benefit. The inclusion of the USA into the Super Rugby concept, with the money and hype that it would bring, may even make Rugby the no 1 code here. I may also be dreamin'

 

[RugbyFuture]

I think super rugby expanding into the US is stupid, only place it should expand is argentina though we could use us players. Super Rugby should slowly split into the conferences too, with super rugby as the henekin cup.

 

[Bowside]

Rugby would be very hard to kill in australia.

Too many rusted on supporters (many of them in high places), as well as an international game that grows stronger pretty much every year.

Its not doing very well at the moment, but far from dead.

 

[Dave Beat]

I think super rugby expanding into the US is stupid, only place it should expand is argentina though we could use us players. Super Rugby should slowly split into the conferences too, with super rugby as the henekin cup.

Arentina yes.
Pacific Islands - I think also should be assisted / included (econimics though).

 

[TOCC]

the pacific islands wont be financially viable for another 20 years if ever....

 

[East Coast Aces]

Heres my future plan for Super Rugby.

4 Conferences of 6 teams.

SA - Lions Cheetahs Bulls Stomers Sharks Kings
AUS - Rebels, Reds, Waratahs, ACT, Force, Hong Kong Pirates (working name)
NZ - Blues, Cheifs, Crusaders, Hurricanes, Highlanders, Brave Blossoms
Merica - 3 Argies, 1 Uraguay, 2 USA teams (LA, Texas) (due to airports and proximity to southern hamisphere)

Round Robins in each conference, everyone makes post season then elimination finals similar to a Tennis Grand Slam.
Should be about 2 weeks longer then the current draw
Get to work Greg Peters you have until the year before Rio Olympics

 

[KevinO]

Heres my future plan for Super Rugby.

4 Conferences of 6 teams.

SA - Lions Cheetahs Bulls Stomers Sharks Kings
AUS - Rebels, Reds, Waratahs, ACT, Force, Hong Kong Pirates (working name)
NZ - Blues, Cheifs, Crusaders, Hurricanes, Highlanders, Brave Blossoms
Merica - 3 Argies, 1 Uraguay, 2 USA teams (LA, Texas) (due to airports and proximity to southern hamisphere)

Round Robins in each conference, everyone makes post season then elimination finals similar to a Tennis Grand Slam.
Should be about 2 weeks longer then the current draw
Get to work Greg Peters you have until the year before Rio Olympics

Brave Blossoms would be from?

I think the American conference would need a Canadian team instead of Uruguay, and maybe spread the Texas team to a mid to north state and that way they will attract a wider supporter base. After all the Churchill cup was mainly hosted in Canada or Colorado.

The post season travel could be a bit extreme, might need week breaks in between post season match's.

 

[TOCC]

For the growth of the game in the US, having 2 teams in a competition like Super Rugby would be the worst thing for them...

USA Rugby needs to raise its own competition with teams spread across the country, not condensed down into 2 teams...

 

[Antony]

Brave Blossoms would be Japanese I assume.

I like the idea of Canada getting involved - it's a weird situation there, women's rugby is quite big I think, but men's is barely present behind American football and ice hockey. They clearly like proper contact sports though.

I also think any American involvement would have to be based out of the north-east. The irish heritage in Boston etc. means that rugby is vaguely on the radar there.

I'm still psyched about the possibilities.

 

[bfc]

I currently live in Canada, and have lived in the US.

I would say that rugby has a wider profile in Canada. Many high schools have teams and it seems that almost every city of any size has clubs. Most kids who play football (of the Canadian/American variety), which is a fall game, also play rugby in the spring. And this is the case right across the country.

The US is different. Rugby is much more regionalized. The game is relatively known and somewhat popular is some parts of the country (California and New England being traditional areas of interest). But there are also parts of the country where it's not known and not played.

Now with the population difference (the US has more than 9X the population we have) I'd think more people play rugby in the US. But the average Canadian is more likely to know something about the game than the avergae American.

I find it hard to see professional rugby occupying more than a niche market in either country as both markets are already quite saturated with pro sports. But I'd love to be proven wrong.

 

[kronic]

http://www.espnscrum.com/heineken-cup-2012-13/rugby/story/171040.html

Sarries denied New York showdown

aracens' ambitious globe-trotting plans have been dealt a fresh blow with the news that their hopes of playing Munster in New York later this year have been dashed.

The Aviva Premiership club planned to switch their Heineken Cup clash on December 16 to the MetLife Stadium - an 82,500-capacity stadium which is the home to American football sides the New York Giants and New York Jets.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Munster were positive about the prospect of playing the high-profile European clash on American soil. But the attempt to switch the venue fell down because of technical issues at the MetLife Stadium.

The revelations come after it was revealed that Edinburgh rejected a proposal by Saracens to stage their Heineken Cup clash between the two teams in Cape Town.

Saracens chief executive Ed Griffiths told the newspaper: "We are in a unique position this season because our new stadium, Allianz Park, is not ready and we saw this an opportunity to take some top-class rugby matches where we could create big events that people want to watch.

"I went to New York in July and looked at the MetLife Stadium. We looked at the size of the pitch and it came down in the end to the fact that we would need to put rugby posts into the artificial turf.

"The owners of the two NFL teams didn't want the poles going into the turf, they wanted them going in behind the line so it wouldn't affect the line where their score a touchdown.

"It was disappointing because we wanted to put it on a grand stage and the MetLife Stadium is a fantastic venue at Meadowlands. My feeling was if we had been able to play there we would have had a great occasion.

"The indication from Munster, too, was that they would be eager to receive a proposal. I think they had worked out for an Irish team to go to New York made quite a lot of sense."

 

[TOCC]

Thats the other thing, it would be silly to think that the 6Nation countries wont try and get their claws into the US and Canada before SANZAR does..
I

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Isn't there already a Pacific Competition involving US, Canada, Japan and the PI's?

This would be a good grouping to develop a conference around, to eventually rival 6N, and TRC.

 

[TOCC]

Isn't there already a Pacific Competition involving US, Canada, Japan and the PI's?

This would be a good grouping to develop a conference around, to eventually rival 6N, and TRC.

No, the Pacific Nations Cup is just the pacific islands... The US plays in the Super Cup(Russia/Canada/Japan/Russia) and also the Churchill Cup(USA/Canada/England Saxons)

 

[wamberal]

Isn't there already a Pacific Competition involving US, Canada, Japan and the PI's?

This would be a good grouping to develop a conference around, to eventually rival 6N, and TRC.

The PIs will never be part of a professional conference, sadly. They do not have the grounds, or the sponsors, or the tv audience.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Nearly there then. I think there was a comp a couple of years back with the 3 PI's, Aust A, Junior Darkness, and Japan as well.

Maybe the conference then should be Russia, Canada, Japan, US, Georgia, and the 3 PI's.

Pool A: Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Japan.
Pool B: US, Canada, Russia, Georgia.

 

[kronic]

The Super Powers Cup and Churchill Cup have been canned.

I don't know what they are doing this year. US and Canada are part of the Spring tests, that's all I know.