The End of Super Rugby

[FrankLind]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Super15/Secret-plan-to-kill-Super-Rugby-20130727

I really see this as caused by SA trying ot get 6 teams into the comp'.

I really wish the super 10-12-14-15 was shorter.
Perhaps split into two pools.

 

[Muttonbird]

I wouldn't be unhappy with a AUS-NZ franchise competition. NZDT to AWST is still quite a wide time zone but most of the rugby would be played within 3 hours fight time, ie AEST/NZDT

SA fans have never done anything but bitched about the travel when things haven't gone their way so let them beg at the European club competition's door or go back into isolation, which seemed to suit them well.

 

[Zander]

This would be much better in the interests of NZ and Aus. Rugby needs more local content at reasonable times to compete with the NRL and AFL.

 

[Scotty]

I wouldn't be unhappy with a AUS-NZ franchise competition. NZDT to AWST is still quite a wide time zone but most of the rugby would be played within 3 hours fight time, ie AEST/NZDT

SA fans have never done anything but bitched about the travel when things haven't gone their way so let them beg at the European club competition's door or go back into isolation, which seemed to suit them well.

Agreed. The comeback is always 'SA brings the money in', but my view is that long term NZ and Aus would be better off having games in their own time zone. It will lead to more games that can be sold to the tv networks as viable money makers.

Would of course keep the rugby championship/4N comp though.

 

[Set piece magic]

I think it would be a good idea, home and away for all teams..

Plus I think we are just generally more interested in playing NZ teams and have more rivalry.

If you were to look at people who are happy to go to a rugby game but aren't the biggest fan, If you say Crusaders or Chiefs they are certainly going to be lighting up and saying oh yeah Richie McCaw or oh yeah SBW etc.. then you think about say the Stormers and it's like well eh..

 

[JSRF10]

Interesting that the US want a pseudo national to compete which has NZ backing (for arguments sake the Eagles), whilst the Australians are favouring a link up with Japan/East Asia (Emperors). Could we see conferences along the lines of:

Tahs, Reds, Brumbies, Force, Rebels, Emperors

Blues, Canes, Crusaders, Chiefs, Highlanders, Eagles

Ten games against your conference rivals then play everyone else once, top 6 pay out the finals series. All the games in US/Asia could be scheduled so they are in the best possible times for Australian/NZ tv although afternoon games in Asia could be an issue in summer.

 

[Richo]

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of an Aust-NZ competition. Saffer teams don't pull fans to the ground and for casual fans the RSA away trip is like a rugby black hole. When you add the season being broken up by the June internationals, it makes the competition kind of bizarre. I think it would make a lot more sense to non-tragics and be much easier to follow. You could have two games Fri-Sat, with late games for the Force at home or Sunday afternoon games. There would always be Super Rugby on at predictable times, involving local teams.

I'd like to see a 10-team competition. Home-and-away for each team would make 18 games, which is too many. So perhaps retain the two conferences, but play all the teams from the other conference once and conference teams twice. That would mean 13 games. Top team from each conference makes the finals, then next two top based on record.

 

[Richo]

Interesting that the US want a pseudo national to compete which has NZ backing (for arguments sake the Eagles), whilst the Australians are favouring a link up with Japan/East Asia (Emperors). Could we see conferences along the lines of:

Tahs, Reds, Brumbies, Force, Rebels, Emperors

Blues, Canes, Crusaders, Chiefs, Highlanders, Eagles

Ten games against your conference rivals then play everyone else once, top 6 pay out the finals series. All the games in US/Asia could be scheduled so they are in the best possible times for Australian/NZ tv although afternoon games in Asia could be an issue in summer.

This idea would be fairly good too, although I think the US would really complicate things.

 

[JSRF10]

This idea would be fairly good too, although I think the US would really complicate things.

I think AIG are pushing it from what I've read, it would make the logistics a but more difficult but the novelty factor alone would make interesting viewing.

 

[Muttonbird]

I think AIG are pushing it from what I've read, it would make the logistics a but more difficult but the novelty factor alone would make interesting viewing.

You said it here. If you're doing it for the novelty factor then it's a circus and not in the interests of the game. It's enough we've had to entertain the Force and Rebels in recent years.

 

[Richo]

You just couldn't help yourself, Muttonbird, could you?

 

[Slim 293]

You said it here. If you're doing it for the novelty factor then it's a circus and not in the interests of the game. It's enough we've had to entertain the Blues and Highlanders in recent years.

Right on..........

 

[swingpass]

not to mention the lion-kings

 

[Richo]

Of the bottom six teams this season, 3 were from NZ.

Note to self: Don't tell anyone the Tahs came 7th.

 

[Dan54]

Probably because those 3 teams had to play Cheifs,Crusaders etc twice




Ok just having a wind up!!

 

[Muttonbird]

Right on....

That's fine except the Blues and Highlanders have played Super Rugby since day one.

 

[Rassie]

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of an Aust-NZ competition. Saffer teams don't pull fans to the ground and for casual fans the RSA away trip is like a rugby black hole. When you add the season being broken up by the June internationals, it makes the competition kind of bizarre. I think it would make a lot more sense to non-tragics and be much easier to follow. You could have two games Fri-Sat, with late games for the Force at home or Sunday afternoon games. There would always be Super Rugby on at predictable times, involving local teams.

I'd like to see a 10-team competition. Home-and-away for each team would make 18 games, which is too many. So perhaps retain the two conferences, but play all the teams from the other conference once and conference teams twice. That would mean 13 games. Top team from each conference makes the finals, then next two top based on record.

Its not about how many numbers pitch up at the ground but how many numbers switch on their TV to watch it.

In that SA rakes in most of the cash. Without us you won't have huge network deals to pay the bills.

I support the idea of leaving Super Rugby. We don't need it we can go and enjoy the CC and generate our own cash with the viewer totals.

The reason why SA wants to add a 6th team is not to get more money but that would make the competition more even.

If you’re counting, it turns out that the cumulative change in time zones in Super Rugby is 38 time-zones for South African teams (with 4 to 5 consecutive weeks spent away from home), compared to 20 time-zones and 2 to 3 consecutive weeks away for New Zealand and Australian teams.

Now add a 6th SA team now see how it evens up with the traveling.

 

[Ruggo]

I don't believe in expanding super rugby to accomodate SARU's mess. The next expansion of super rugby has to be the addition of an entire conference that extends the game across the entire southern hemisphere. We are not ready yet but it needs to include Argentina, USA, Canada, Japan and the Pacific Islands. The only way we could get the conferences up to six teams is if NZ and Australia added a pacific Island team each into our conference. That would be geographically plausible. The issue then becomes how do you fit three very proud rugby nations into two teams.

SANZAR would need to be abolished and replaced with a more inclusive administration.

 

[mxyzptlk]

Does the Heineken Cup squabbles have anything to do with this? A while back, there were discussions of some new competition comprised of English, French and South African teams -- which makes some sense, since South Africa's only two hours ahead of GMT (but is still a hell of a lot of travel).

I suppose an Argentina-South African SANZAR competition could recruit some NH teams if they wanted to. Could see that being used to pressure the PRO12 into capitulating with Premiership demands.

 

[Athilnaur]

I can see why SA teams would go elsewhere, the travel is brutal for all involved in particular SA teams but I sincerely believe it would be a backward step for the standard of downunder rugby. Much of our player development comes from playing the other conferences at Super Rugby level it seems to me.