It had to happen folks, G&GR has gone global. Great piece for your consideration by guest author and ling time lurker ‘Duke’ from the good ol’ US of A. It gets better after the first sentence.
Take it away Duke.
The Reds are the best Australian rugby team. Because I said so. Of course there are other opinions, but we don’t really have a way to settle it. Sure we could look at the end of season ladder, but that doesn’t really account for how a team performs in the cauldron of finals footy.
If only there were an Australian championship to settle this…
Introducing a small, but AWESOME, change to Super Rugby
The Awesome Super Rugby Format
- An Australian and New Zealand Conference
- 15 regular rounds
- Play local conference teams twice: home & away (10 games)
- Play other conference teams once. home or away in alternating years (5 games)
- Top four teams from each conference go through to their respective conference finals.
- Each conference plays for a conference championship.
- Home final for the highest on ladder
Example format
| Australian conference | New Zealand Conference | |||
| Rank | Team | Rank | Team | |
| 1 | Reds | 1 | Hurricanes | |
| 2 | Brumbies | 2 | Blues | |
| 3 | Fiji | 3 | Chiefs | |
| 4 | Rebels | 4 | Crusaders | |
| 5 | Waratahs | 5 | Moana | |
| 6 | Force | 6 | Higlanders | |
An Australian Championship!
- The semi-final becomes a must-watch local conference CHAMPIONSHIP
- We get an all Aussie conference final!
- Aussies will feel good about winning something
- Okay, also with Fiji – but they are incredible and Australia’s second team
- Local derbies in the regular season become MORE important, because if a team beats someone in their conference, it has a greater impact on conference ranking.
A mini Bledisloe!
The final becomes BIGGER. The top Australian side versus the top New Zealand side. The final has some patriotism behind it. People from both conferences will be interested all the way to the final.
It’s the perfect amuse bouche for the Bledisloe
From a Reds fan: “Can’t stand the Tahs but still want them to beat the Kiwis”
But the final is not the two best teams……..
The argument about the final not being the two top teams is a distraction and is holding us back. As much as Aussies hate to take advice from Americans, ALL US major professional leagues use conferences. And guess what? The Superbowl is BIGGER than ever.
Still not convinced
But it might not be the two top finishing teams in the final..
This again? The eventual champion will still have to beat the best team to get to the final. And the playoff games before the final become more important – think of the TV ratings!
Tinkering with the format again?
It’s only the finals structure. We can deal with it.
Too difficult to understand?
It’s not. It’s less complicated than the major professional leagues for US sports. Surely a bunch of private school educated sport fans are as smart as American sport fans.
What if we add another two teams?
Add a wild card round for the fourth play off spot. How exciting! The other teams get a week off and the top team plays a more fatigued side in the quarter finals – adding more value to finishing first.
Don’t forget Women’s rugby
Anyone watching women’s rugby over the past few years can’t help but notice how a little bit of funding makes a huge impact. Surely schedules can be aligned to at least have the local derbies played at the same time and maximize the crowds for each. THEN we have a final series with the top NZ and Australian women’s teams.
Super rugby always manages to make the geography of the teams a weakness, we can make it a strength.
A little change.
A tremendous impact.
