New model would 'imperil' Australia's Super Rugby teams
New model would 'imperil' Australia's Super Rugby teams
WAYNE SMITH: The Australian
January 25, 2019
The prospect of Super Rugby moving from a 15-team competition to a 14 team model, with each franchise playing every other franchise once, is starting to alarm Australia’s provincial bosses as it becomes apparent it would mean only six home games every second season.
There is now a groundswell of support throughout Australia for the retention of the club most likely to be axed from Super Rugby, the Sunwolves of Japan. Not only does it seem illogical and shortsighted to cull the very country that will be hosting the Rugby World Cup this year and the Olympics — including sevens rugby — next year, but the sheer mathematics of a reduced Super Rugby competition are just starting to be calculated in Australia.
“That would be an issue, a massive issue,” said NSW Waratahs CEO Andrew Hore. “Remembering that in Queensland and NSW’s case, a significant proportion of our income goes back into community rugby, so that could have a profound effect throughout the game, unless that’s acknowledged.”
Melbourne Rebels boss Baden Stephenson said Rugby Australia needed to do everything they can to keep Japan in Super Rugby. “I understand that there are many competing priorities. However, RA needs to push for a competition structure that best suits Australian rugby and the sustainability of the Australian Super Rugby franchises. Potentially reducing to six home games isn’t going to cut it commercially or grow the game here in Melbourne.”
Brumbies chief executive Phil Thomson provided a succinct: “It would make our financial position even more difficult.”
The Queensland Reds new CEO David Hanham believes the Australian franchises could be imperilled if there was a cut to six home matches unless there was an uplift in revenue from the broadcast deal.
“Broadcast revenue plays the most significant role allowing the QRU to develop, grow and promote the sport,” he said.
“Therefore, we need to get the balance right between broadcast revenues, fan engagement and localised contest.”
The inherent difficulty of SANZAAR selling a scaled-down Super Rugby to the broadcasters, even one welcomed in theory by the bulk of fans, is that there would be less content on sale —– 98 matches in the regular season as opposed to the 120 games that will be played this year and next. So even though the SANZAAR joint venture partners will enter the negotiations with high hopes, the fact is that they probably will need something else to sweeten the pie.
That is likely to be the proposed 12-team World League, the concept put forward by World Rugby deputy chairman Gus Pichot as a way of replacing “friendlies” with meaningful Tests.
NZ Rugby boss Steve Tew told his domestic media yesterday that keeping NZ players in Super Rugby was becoming harder and harder, as Japan and France steadily increased their offers. “We want to look after our fans, we want to look after our players, we want to look after our competitive advantages and we want to increase the revenue we’ve got,” Tew said. “And all countries come to the table with similar expectations.”
Australia will be represented in Los Angeles by Rugby Australia CEO, Raelene Castle.
To be fair, SANZAAR will not even decide what proposal to take to broadcasters until its meeting in March and it is understood that the 14-team model is one of several it has investigated.
Other models examined have been for a return to the 12 or even 10 team models of the past but, surprisingly, also for an expansion to 16 teams. Still, the 14 and 15-team competitions remain the clear favourites.
Ultimately, it is understood that RA will decide unilaterally what Australia’s position will be, although the reality is not likely to be so black and white. Castle would scarcely put so much work into achieving alignment between the states and the national body only to antagonise them by taking a decision that would leave them financially exposed.
Yet Hore believes that simply confining the discussion to how many teams should make up the competition from 2021 would merely be superficial.
“I have been very clear and open in my opinion that we have a governance issues in and around Super Rugby that is inhibiting us from fulfilling Super Rugby potential. That needs to be addressed,’’ he said.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...38c5c6d7d3a39f
