Wednesday’s rugby news has Australia’s all-important third-tier established, Pulver discouraging Quade’s boxing, and a Chief’s front-rower considering retirement.
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Third tier finally established
The ARU has announced that a national rugby championship will run for at least the next two years. The construction of a third-tier competition to rival South Africa’s Currie Cup and New Zealand’s ITM Cup was enabled by a broadcast deal, allowing significant savings for the cash-strapped ARU. ARU chief executive Bill Pulver indicated the key difference between the short-lived Australian Rugby Championship of 2007 and this new competition was cost.
While the ARC demanded the ARU pay the broadcaster to televise it, leading to losses of a reported $4.7 million, the new deal, signed with pay television entities Foxtel and Fox Sports, involved a commitment ‘sufficient to cover the ARU’s costs of running the competition,’ Pulver said. Fox Sports will now broadcast at least one game each round, as well as the semi-finals and final. [/one_half]
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Player pathways the key
Bill Pulver has emphasised, ‘The long-term objective is to create a player development pathway for all the major regions in Australia.’ As a result, the competition will be fielding eight to 10 sides from Perth, Canberra and Melbourne, and probably three teams from Sydney and two from Brisbane. The Shute Shield and Queensland’s Premier Rugby have agreed to finish their seasons early so that the competition can start in mid-August, with finals around November. Those clubs included in the competition will be announced by the end of February.
The ARU are also hoping to develop a strong national under-20 program to complement the under-15 and under-17 Gold Cup levels and school competitions. In light of these strategies, Pulver asserted, ‘We’ll be looking back in 20 years and acknowledging what a pivotal moment this was in Australian rugby.’ [/one_half]
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ARU disapproves of Quade’s boxing
While Quade Cooper is set to fight on Anthony Mundine’s undercard on January 29, Bill Pulver has indicated that boxing will be off the table in future contract talks, concerned with the risk of injury. ‘Quade has an agreement in place which does allow him to participate in that [boxing]…I wasn’t around when that agreement was put in place,’ Pulver said.
Meanwhile, the Honey Badger has been named as a finalist in the 2013 RUPA Medal for Excellence. The award is given to the most highly respected Super Rugby players in Australia as voted upon by their peers, using criteria such as community work and effort in furthering their education. Cummins is nominated alongside other stars Israel Folau, Michael Hooper and Christian Leali’ifano. [/one_half]
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Hika Elliot considering retirement
Chiefs hooker Hika Elliot has undergone neck surgery to repair a bulging disc and will sit out the 2014 Super Rugby season. The 27 year old sustained the injury playing against Canada for the Moari All Blacks, inhibiting him from walking shortly following the match.
After the operation, where part of his hip bone was fused to his neck, Elliot said, ‘At the end of the day we’re talking about people’s lives and being able to walk.’ In considering his playing future, Elliot added, ‘I don’t really want to play Russian roulette with that side of things.’ Elliot has 85 Super Rugby caps since his 2008 debut for the Hurricane. He joined the Chiefs in 2009, a member of the squad that won back-to-back Super Rugby titles in 2012-13. [/one_half]
