Originally Posted by
chibi
That's incorrect, if so, they wouldn't have allowed for such a convoluted competition model. And remember, if they truly believed in the value of playing South African teams, then they wouldn't have signed off on a competition where they play them less.
Unfortunately for them, the Kiwis know they are always in a precarious position. They have neither the financial clout nor money-generating populations of their two original SANZAR buddies, so they know very well that the only bargaining power they have is on the field. I would say that rather than looking for a product that sells, they are looking for a provincial and test competition where they can ensure they remain on top, which would give them leverage with the broadcasters looking to include the best teams and players. If South Africa and Australia dominated Super and test rugby, New Zealand know they would become the third cousin also-ran very quickly, eventually maybe bringing less to the table than Japan or Argentina. They have to ensure their prominent position on the playing side, it's an imperative. This resets back to what they wanted in 2001, while including the Asian and South American markets, without the burden of having those teams in their conference for home-and-away fixtures, unlike the Australian and South African conferences.
No way, NZ's basis for national self-esteem hinges on being able to stick it to their "big brother" in the one thing they do better than Australia. Just like the Canadians love beating the Yanks in ice hockey, even though the majority of Americans are uninterested. Can you remember the malaise that country went though during the Wallabies dominance period? Or when John Hart was in charge? It was palpable, they need this for now; especially with the uncertainty of the world at the current time, and political correctness, this is one of the few things they can unashamedly get behind. To take it away from them, like the Wallabies were doing in the 80s and 90s would be abject cruelty. It's not like they have cricket, basketball, netball or rugby league to fall back on at the moment either, Australia has advanced away from them at the moment. Australia are also on their way to becoming the best women's soccer team in the world, so that's another boon for Australia on the world stage.
Besides, we need a thumping like this to remind us of the shitty position Australian rugby is in; after all, we wouldn't want be complacent and get ambushed by a team we really hate, like England.
Ha ha haaa, not really bullies, more like crybullies. Similar thing, but involves sooking and whining to get your way, it started many years ago when Kevin Roberts was involved with NZ Rugby; after his bungling resulted in losing the 2003 RWC sub-hosting rights and then vetoing WA's entry into Super Rugby as retaliation; damaging irrevocably the relations between the ARU and NZRU. But as I just mentioned, you can't really blame New Zealand for this- they are in a precarious bargaining position, and rugby (especially as a way to one-up Australia) is intrinsic to their national self-image.
Ha ha haaa, I think that SARU and the ARU might be feeling that way and it's their own damn fault! But that's because the NZRFU are the most clever of the the three SANZAR originals. I think the ARU is the most inept, and it's playing into NZ's hands. It won't take much to turn Aussie rugby around, all it requires is an exciting product. We've seen that when the Reds won the title. The crowds will come. Now the Shute Shield has shown that you don't need the highest level of rugby to draw a crowd, just excitement and passion. This is something the ARU should take note of, just like the A-League or the NBL, decent rivalries and free-to-air coverage can trump not having the best players in the world if done right. Australia may not need to win at Super Rugby level for our domestic teams to have a following, we could go for a domestic competition instead.
That could be true, though you could also achieve something similar by opening up the salary cap and actively bringing in guys like Twiggy or whoever else to bring the European guys home, letting the investors pay the professionals. Still don't understand why the Rebels weren't allowed to hire whomever they wanted, that would have freed up players to other provinces and brought big-name guys down-under. This would increase our top quality player-pool and allow the ARU to divert it's funds to development instead. That would help the Wallabies in turn. Reducing the franchises just keeps the same player-pool split into four rather than five, it doesn't do anything to improve the Wallabies. Again, I put this down to the ineptitude of the ARU, who have the biggest potential markets in the original SANZAR, yet have done bugger-all with it.