It's easy for people from other states to whinge about the new teams, but I think having the 5th team is great.
- It balances the conference system
- We're finding far more talent than we would have otherwise (e.g. look at the Brumbies)
- 10-15,000 fans who show up each week in Perth and Melbourne actually get to watch some rugby and have a team - you wouldn't believe how happy it's made all my mates in Melbourne to have local rugby. Yes a lot of people are ex-pats but I've noticed a lot of Melburnians getting into it.
- It expands Rugby in new areas and expands the playing pool even further. Victorians who previously had to head north can now continue to call Melbourne home and help develop the game here.
You can't expect overnight results, but really things aren't looking as bad as people think. I don't quite get where the perception that the other conferences are much more powerful comes from. The Kiwi conference looks the strongest, with the Chiefs and Crusaders looking like contenders, and the Highlanders putting in a great showing. But the Blues are rubbish this season and the Hurricanes are blowing hot and cold.
Similarly what's so great about the SA conference? Bulls looking good, but the Brumbies almost had them at home. Stormers are title contenders and probably among the best in the comp, but are not unbeatable. Cheetahs and Sharks look okay but are inconsistent, but then the Lions are utter rubbish.
The Reds would be looking a lot better if they hadn't been hit by such horrible injury crises. Waratahs are doing their usual thing they've been doing for 5 years or more, being pretty iffy to begin with but doing enough to scrape into the finals long-term. The Force are actually doing quite well given how many people they've lost, and are doing no worse than they did under a 4 team system. Brumbies are doing better than they have in a while. Rebels are probably the only real disappointment this year - strong signs in the preseason haven't led to results on the field, especially the last few games. Seems like all the defence lessons have been forgotten.
TL;DR - give it time, it will need good management, but I think the 5 team system is good for Australian rugby.
- It balances the conference system
- We're finding far more talent than we would have otherwise (e.g. look at the Brumbies)
- 10-15,000 fans who show up each week in Perth and Melbourne actually get to watch some rugby and have a team - you wouldn't believe how happy it's made all my mates in Melbourne to have local rugby. Yes a lot of people are ex-pats but I've noticed a lot of Melburnians getting into it.
- It expands Rugby in new areas and expands the playing pool even further. Victorians who previously had to head north can now continue to call Melbourne home and help develop the game here.
You can't expect overnight results, but really things aren't looking as bad as people think. I don't quite get where the perception that the other conferences are much more powerful comes from. The Kiwi conference looks the strongest, with the Chiefs and Crusaders looking like contenders, and the Highlanders putting in a great showing. But the Blues are rubbish this season and the Hurricanes are blowing hot and cold.
Similarly what's so great about the SA conference? Bulls looking good, but the Brumbies almost had them at home. Stormers are title contenders and probably among the best in the comp, but are not unbeatable. Cheetahs and Sharks look okay but are inconsistent, but then the Lions are utter rubbish.
The Reds would be looking a lot better if they hadn't been hit by such horrible injury crises. Waratahs are doing their usual thing they've been doing for 5 years or more, being pretty iffy to begin with but doing enough to scrape into the finals long-term. The Force are actually doing quite well given how many people they've lost, and are doing no worse than they did under a 4 team system. Brumbies are doing better than they have in a while. Rebels are probably the only real disappointment this year - strong signs in the preseason haven't led to results on the field, especially the last few games. Seems like all the defence lessons have been forgotten.
TL;DR - give it time, it will need good management, but I think the 5 team system is good for Australian rugby.
