Where to for Super Rugby?

[Ignoto]

Yes, though the comment/inference about the Rebels spending up to the $5.5mil cap was interesting.

When the Force folded, they were the only Australian team allowed by RA to go over the cap to sign the ex-Force players. Combine that with who they recruited last year and it's bewildering how they stayed under it.

Then again, we've seen Melbourne teams have always thought salary caps don't apply to them!

 

[dru]

Me too. Some genuine local investment and teams is what I would love to see raising the standards throughout PI's, with genuine pathways. It would also be nice for the players to be based actually in the PI's with the profits circulating around the local economy. To my mind Fiji is the logical starting point based on the population and economics as you mentioned.

Fiji might have the population but in no way has the economics from within themselves to fund an internationally traveling Super team. The funds have to come from outside. Australia can't prop up that situation when we are struggling to survive ourselves so it needs world rugby or Private Equity.

With respect Private Equity are not likely to roll with it either, at least not as a Fiji based team.

Once that gets nailed home the concern over the term PI is surely moot.

 

[Dan54]

Me too. Some genuine local investment and teams is what I would love to see raising the standards throughout PI's, with genuine pathways. It would also be nice for the players to be based actually in the PI's with the profits circulating around the local economy. To my mind Fiji is the logical starting point based on the population and economics as you mentioned.

Very thing the panel on Breakdown said when they talked about it, said would be great, but like you think it needs to be based in Islands somewhere, and basically means have to be Fiji as they got only stadium/park to play on.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

After watching this weekends games I'm warming to a 6 team competition in much the same vein as the BBL or the original length of S12. Especially if in involves a Champions League style structure above it. Ten rounds of in season play. With the top 2 progressing to the major semi finals and the other four playing off to join them. So it would be 3 v 6 and 4 v 5. This would then ensure a minimum of 11 games for each team. With 13 being the maximum.

If we can get some PE involved then we could look to import 3-5 quality internationals per team. It could be built very much like the BBL in many respects.

 

[hoggy]

After watching this weekends games I'm warming to a 6 team competition in much the same vein as the BBL or the original length of S12. Especially if in involves a Champions League style structure above it. Ten rounds of in season play. With the top 2 progressing to the major semi finals and the other four playing off to join them. So it would be 3 v 6 and 4 v 5. This would then ensure a minimum of 11 games for each team. With 13 being the maximum.

If we can get some PE involved then we could look to import 3-5 quality internationals per team. It could be built very much like the BBL in many respects.

Exactly, it is frustrating why we are still looking at trying to cobble up a TT that in the end no one really wants, have we not learnt anything from the last 20 years, even NZR have got to look back at Aotearoa this year, the fans have made a huge statement.

Everyone goes on about broadcast revenue but without those fans, that revenue doesn't exist, how much of our game do we sacrifice because some pay TV breakfast viewer in the UK is deemed more important.

YES, YES, but that pays for the game here, remember "here" is because 20 years of that exact thinking.

 

[Quick Hands]

Fiji might have the population but in no way has the economics from within themselves to fund an internationally traveling Super team. The funds have to come from outside. Australia can't prop up that situation when we are struggling to survive ourselves so it needs world rugby or Private Equity.

With respect Private Equity are not likely to roll with it either, at least not as a Fiji based team.

Once that gets nailed home the concern over the term PI is surely moot.

Any islands team has to be based in Sydney or Brisbane and to be financially viable. Maybe one game per season in the islands

 

[Quick Hands]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...t-he-s-selling-a-fantasy-20200814-p55lqr.html

 

[hoggy]

Any islands team has to be based in Sydney or Brisbane and to be financially viable. Maybe one game per season in the islands

I would argue ultimately Aus will need 8 teams long term for a domestic competition, in that case first NSW would get a 2nd team for all the reasons we've gone over a 100 times, it is the one market in Aus that could support another stand alone team.

So why not look at an Island team based in Brisbane, it would be you 2nd Qld team as well, the stadia is there, genuine supporter base, of course it will take a big does of PE but it has proximity to Fiji and would tick a lot of boxes.

 

[barbarian]

Brisbane has proximity to Fiji??

 

[Dan54]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...t-he-s-selling-a-fantasy-20200814-p55lqr.html

Geez that write up is going to cop some shit in here, mainly because he saying what I was about people watching the best sports they can, I think he been reading GGR, he used the same examples of sport I did.
Can the moderators in this forum find out what name he coming in under and ban him??

 

[Dan54]

Fiji might have the population but in no way has the economics from within themselves to fund an internationally traveling Super team. The funds have to come from outside. Australia can't prop up that situation when we are struggling to survive ourselves so it needs world rugby or Private Equity.

With respect Private Equity are not likely to roll with it either, at least not as a Fiji based team.

Once that gets nailed home the concern over the term PI is surely moot.

I agree dru, they would need help, but seems Tahs might too according to write ups in paper.
But serious you are bang on mate, and I not sure RA is in position to help Fiji etc too much.

 

[Number 7]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...t-he-s-selling-a-fantasy-20200814-p55lqr.html

Malcolm Knox has had a few really uninformed digs at rugby in the last year or so to the extent Ive stopped taking him seriously. Some of his articles are written in a way where I am sometimes not sure if it is parody.

Obviously there is a fair bit to be played out with regards how a TV package might look and my reading of what Clarke/McLellan have put together seems the first ambit in what will be an evolving negotiation,especially considering the uncertainty regarding the participation of our Kiwi friends. The thing that I think some people continually miss with regards to the pay TV dynamic at the moment is that Fox/Optus are seriously short of content to air. Yes, their balance sheets aren't great but they need local content to be relevant to subscribers here and at present they dont have a lot so Rugby has some relevance to them in this context.

So why not look at an Island team based in Brisbane, it would be you 2nd Qld team as well, the stadia is there, genuine supporter base, of course it will take a big does of PE but it has proximity to Fiji and would tick a lot of boxes.

A Pasifika team based in Western Sydney would be a great way to engage what is the largest Pacific Islands community in Australia, especially considering the lack of development officers the Waratahs now have.

 

[Brumby Runner]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...t-he-s-selling-a-fantasy-20200814-p55lqr.html

A load of crap IMO. I watch and enjoy the NZ derbies but my preference is the local derbies being served up in SRAu. I think there are more fans with similar response than some quarters wish to concede. SRAu will prosper if given the chance and if managed effectively.

This article reads like it came directly out of the NRL media office.

 

[sendit]

I agree with hoggy that if we are to go it alone we need a few more teams involved. Im liking SRAu but i'm already starting to get the feeling of it being too small and not enough variance in teams, that feeling is only going to grow over time if we stay at 5-6 teams

 

[hoggy]

Brisbane has proximity to Fiji??

Probably not a big difference Sydney is an extra hour, more that it ticks a few more boxes. Ultimately if we are to get to 8 teams as a sustainable domestic base, and you base a pacific team in Sydney, you eventually will have to have a 2nd team in Queensland.

My thinking is surely NSW would be the one market in Aus that would support another standalone franchise.

 

[The Honey Badger]

A Pasifika team based in Western Sydney would be a great way to engage what is the largest Pacific Islands community in Australia, especially considering the lack of development officers the Waratahs now have.

I am not convinced Rugby is ever going to work in Western Sydney. When people wont even travel to Parramatta to watch a SS final.

Happy and wanting to be proved wrong but it seems anything west of Camperdown struggles for Rugby.

 

[KOB1987]

A load of crap IMO. I watch and enjoy the NZ derbies but my preference is the local derbies being served up in SRAu. I think there are more fans with similar response than some quarters wish to concede. SRAu will prosper if given the chance and if managed effectively.

This article reads like it came directly out of the NRL media office.

Knox has been pushing the barrow that union needs to merge with league in Australia for ages. He can't be taken seriously and has no concept of the global nature of rugby. At least he recognises that we have good players in union, and his logic is more due to the lack of any tribalism and niche following. He's right on both counts there but in no world will RA be handing the reins to the NRL.

 

[The Honey Badger]

I would argue ultimately Aus will need 8 teams long term for a domestic competition, in that case first NSW would get a 2nd team for all the reasons we've gone over a 100 times, it is the one market in Aus that could support another stand alone team.

So why not look at an Island team based in Brisbane, it would be you 2nd Qld team as well, the stadia is there, genuine supporter base, of course it will take a big does of PE but it has proximity to Fiji and would tick a lot of boxes.

Agreed - a 5 or even a 6 team comp is going to get stale very quickly

 

[kiap]

Agreed - a 5 or even a 6 team comp is going to get stale very quickly

And an 8 team pro comp will soon go broke if implemented quickly.

Use of the word 'ultimately' is fair enough but the job of adding sustainable professional teams shouldn't be underestimated. Only this weekend the media were contemplating a semi-pro waratah roster.......

ONE extra team (more likely none) is the likely limit for a pro rugby comp in 2021, given there are only 19 covid-ridden weeks to get there.

Of course if you're talking semi-pro, then dial it up to 7 whenever you want. That's NRC deja vu all over again.

 

[hoggy]

And an 8 team pro comp will soon go broke if implemented quickly.

Use of the word 'ultimately' is fair enough but the job of adding sustainable professional teams shouldn't be underestimated. Only this weekend the the media were contemplating a semi-pro waratah roster...

ONE extra team (more likely none) is the likely limit for a pro rugby comp in 2021, given there are only 19 covid-ridden weeks to get there.

Of course if you're talking semi-pro, then dial it up to 7 whenever you want. That's NRC deja vu all over again.

Of course I agree with this, even a single team added next year is probably a step to far, but the most important thing is making sure the building blocks are in place to enable the RA to have options moving forward.

The general consensus is a TT would garner the best broadcast deal, yet there is no real evidence that rugby here will be better of long term signing up-to a structure that is specifically designed to suit NZ.

The problem is as we are seeing with the Waratahs, what choice do you have when theirs no money left in the debit card.