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SANZAR have revealed their proposed plans for an extended Super rugby competition that, if successful, will launch in 2011.
A complete overhaul of the current system will see the addition of a 15th Super rugby franchise from the Australia region however not necessarily from Australia.
The 24-week competition will guarantee each team a minimum of eight home matches and a 16-match regular season. A new six-team finals series will include an extra round with two sudden-death qualifiers before the semi-finals.
For the first time in the competition's history teams will be divided into three national conferences of five teams each.
Teams play the other four teams in their conference twice while also playing four out of the five teams from the other two conferences.
The six-team final series will consist of the three conference winners and three wildcard teams with the three wildcard teams and the conference winner with the least competition points to play an elimination round in order to advance to the semi-finals.
The new competition will stretch from the last weekend in February to the first weekend of August with a three-week bye period to accommodate the June international Test schedule.
The Tri-Nations will commence following the "Super 15" final in mid-August.
"The biggest thing the ARU conceded was the break in June, we did that so we could get a competition that starts the same time," ARU boss John O'Neill said.
While SANZAR has yet to confirm Australia will have a fifth team in its conference, O'Neill was adamant that was the rational conclusion, despite a strong push from South Africa for another team from that country.
O'Neill said he expected expressions of interest from Melbourne, Gold Coast and Western Sydney in addition to South Africa, while he also thought there could be potential bids from Japan, the Pacific Islands and possibly even New Zealand.
He said the decision on the 15th team would be "a common sense majority decision" made by the SANZAR board before the end of this year.
O'Neill felt the major criteria included an applicant's financial wherewithal, its commercial value and potential rugby audience.
"It's not rocket science, there's plenty of examples of how to do it well and there's some examples of how not to do it well," said O'Neill, who likened the process to establishing soccer's A-League a few years ago.
While some Australian Super coaches have expressed misgivings about the depth of playing talent for a fifth local franchise, O'Neill was adamant that wouldn't be a problem and that the existing teams would not be weakened.
"We will not be making the same mistakes that were made when the Western Force were established, we will guarantee that the strength of the existing franchises will not be diluted," O'Neill said.
He said the range of recruitment options for a fifth Australian franchise would include repatriating locally born players and buying players from the Pacific Islands and possibly Japan and Argentina, as well as mounting further raids on the rugby league ranks.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...002381,00.html
Interesting I wonder who the three 'wildcard' teams will be? One from each nation - possible compromise for the South Africans???
"The only trophy we won this day, was the blood and sweat we left on the pitch.... and it was enough"
"Rugby may have many problems, but the gravest is undoubtedly that of the persistence of summer."
Chris Laidlaw, New Zealand rugby player and sportswriter. Mud in Your Eye: A Worm's Eye View of the Changing World of Rugby (I 973).
It'll just be the 3 remaining teams with the highest points - they do similar things in the US.
I'd rather they'd just picked one system or the other to be honest - purely on merit or purely the top 2 from each conference. You almost have to keep two ladders this way.
I'm not a fan of missing out on playing 1 team from each of the other 2 countries either but the 3 week break for the June tests explains that one.
Either way, it still makes more sense than the NFL draw so I'm sure I'll get used to it![]()
Last edited by beige; 19-05-09 at 20:42.
Dog's f'n breakfast!
The draw will dictate the season.
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
SANZAR Media Release
Super Rugby expansion plans revealed
The Super Rugby competition will stretch from the last weekend in February to the first weekend of August as part of a new-look tournament agreed by the SANZAR partners.
The revamped tournament will feature an extra team as well as an expanded finals series as part of changes to be proposed by the SANZAR partners to broadcasters next month.
The new 24-week Super Rugby competition guarantees each team a minimum of eight home matches and a 16-match regular season. A new six team finals series includes an extra round with two “sudden-death” qualifiers before the semi-finals.
All teams will have a three-week bye while the tournament is suspended during the June International Test window, while the Tri-Nations series has also been given a new time slot in the calendar to run at the conclusion of Super Rugby.
The expanded competition has a 2011 launch date, with the current broadcast agreement to expire at the end of 2010.
"It has been an intense negotiation but we believe the outcome is a very good one for rugby, for the SANZAR alliance, for our players and fans and for broadcasters,” said Andy Marinos, the CEO of SANZAR.
“We were all committed to an expanded tournament and have been able to make it work, taking into account the different landscapes of our domestic game. What we have agreed upon is a competition with added domestic interest and a compelling international component that will see Super Rugby retain its status as rugby’s toughest provincial competition.”
Key features of the proposed new SANZAR landscape are:
• A 15th team playing in the Australian conference will be added to Super Rugby following a tender process open to all territories, and with SANZAR making the decision on the new side’s location. A timetable for tenders will be released shortly to ensure adequate lead-in time is provided to the successful bidder;
• The Tournament will kick off in the last week of February and conclude in the first week of August, except in 2011 when the calendar will be shifted earlier to accommodate Rugby World Cup;
• Teams will be divided into three national Conferences of five teams each. The new team will compete in the Australian Conference;
• Teams play the other four teams in their Conference twice (home and away);
• Teams play four out of the five teams from the other two Conferences (four home, four away);
• All teams will have a three-week bye during the June Test window;
• The three Conference winners and three wildcard teams with the highest number of competition points from any Conference qualify for the play-offs;
• The wildcard teams and the Conference winner with the least competition points will play an elimination round to meet the two Conference winners with the greatest number of competition points in the semi-finals;
• Tri-Nations will always kick-off in South Africa in mid-August and conclude with two of the three trans-Tasman (Bledisloe Cup) matches in early October to allow for early release of Springboks to Currie Cup. This will allow for Tri Nations Tests between particular teams in particular countries to become permanent fixtures on the rugby calendar.
Australian Rugby Union Managing Director and CEO John O’Neill said: “This new structure will enable us to further embed Super Rugby as the premier provincial competition in world Rugby.
“The extended season, the home and away local derbies and a new-look finals series – we are building on what has already been an enormously successful Rugby tournament.
“This is an important and necessary evolution for Super Rugby and the fans, I’m sure, will embrace the changes we have made.
“From an Australian perspective, having a presence in the marketplace from February to August delivers us the capacity to compete with the other codes from a stronger and more compelling position. Australia is the only country in the world where four football codes compete head to head.
“Expanding the Super Rugby season presents us with a wonderful opportunity to further increase the profile and popularity of our game – and in the long term that will benefit SANZAR and the game worldwide.”
NZRU CEO Steve Tew said the agreement was a welcome one for rugby in New Zealand given the value that New Zealand’s fans, players, partners and media place on the strength of the southern hemisphere competitions and the contribution that makes to maintaining the competitive edge for rugby below the equator.
“We have said at every juncture that our preference was to maintain the three-country alliance and to build on it. We are delighted that we have reached an agreement which allows us to move the Super Rugby competition to a new platform which we believe will capture and excite rugby fans in all three countries. It will also create benefits for our players and Super Rugby franchises and give us a certain competition structure we can build on in future years and a protected window for our domestic competitions.”
The SANZAR partners will present the proposed structure to the rights-holding News Corporation by the end of June. Any new deal only comes into force from the 2011 season.
*if teh new team is an Australian Franchise
Issued by SANZAR
Its a start more Super rugby in 2011 pity we can't do it for next year...
Each Conference gets a champ... I do like the wild card weekend in the NFL... however this is a little different... The three-week break will also help late season injuries to recover….
As a Bonus we get an Australian Conference competition... It should have a name...
The Australian Triple Crown.
Hang on...it will be 4 now...the Aussie Grand Slam.
We might even get a trophy.
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I think its a great idea, at least one aussie team will get through and hopefully it will be the Force, I reckon we will be approaching our peak just at the right time, more home games and more importantly more Force time!, Bring it on
Well at the end of the day we still more-or-less got what we wanted. Now we see if News Corp is happy...
Doesn't sound too bad so far, have to see how it plays out. 5th team in australia is good and may lay to rest these stupid force moving to melb rumors....
From the Australian - this just gets wierder -
THE Gold Coast has emerged as the dark horse to become the location for the fifth Australian team in an expanded Super rugby series.
ARU chief executive John O'Neill confirmed yesterday that SANZAR had agreed to expand Super rugby to 15 teams in 2011 and that the new franchise would be located in a newly created Australian conference.
The race for the 15th Super rugby franchise is expected to be between Gold Coast, Melbourne and western Sydney, although South Africa says the Southern Kings, based in Eastern Cape province, will also make a bid.
An informed source with strong connections to powerbrokers in Australian rugby has told The Australian a decision had already been made to base the team on the Gold Coast.
Melbourne had been the favourite for admission to Super rugby since losing to Perth for the last license awarded, in 2005.
A new ownership structure for the expansion team flagged by O'Neill yesterday may tip the scales in the Gold Coast's favour.
The rest of the article here -
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html
yes and 4 games vs Aussie sides, you can't play your own team
8 games you play each local team twice
Posted via space
Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
I have to say, this is an unreasonable amount of stuffing around for three extra games
C'mon the![]()
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