Why was the ARC canned?

[waratahjesus]

in the nsw club comp (and i think its the same in qld, correct me if im wrong) we play to different comps, the shute shield and the tooheys new cup, during the shute shield they should play to qualify the top 3 or four teams for a national comp, then the others could play out a secondary nsw comp.

if they were able to do this around the country and divide some talent around, then they could play double headers at places around the country (not major stadiums, but country areas to spread rugby around) i think it has some merit, the notion of the ARC was wrong in the first place. there was no way in nsw and qld were people have the optiong of two or three different sports in a night that they were going to get behind what is essentially a third tier team!

[RuckNMaul]

i agree with both of you but at some time they will have to bite the bullet and start a national comp,
Id imagin if all the current franchises feilded there "Academy" sides for a start and mabey if Vic/SA initially shared a side and NSW and QLD could mabey also feild country sides?
that would be 7 sides for a start

[Moses]

The only way that Vic or SA will be competitive is if they ship a bunch of NSW/QLD players down there, and to trying to stick semi-professional players in a different state is doomed to failure. The Rebels were competitive but I haven't read any player interviews on living in Melbourne so can't be sure as to how that model would go long term. Truth is many of the players in this 3rd tier national comp have jobs that prevent them uprooting to VIC/SA.

I'd say you need 3 or 4 Sydney teams, and 2 or 3 QLD teams. I don't buy into that crap about Randwick and Uni can't play together, doesn't seem to be a problem with them playing for the Waratahs.

[Moses]

How's this for an intermediate model in the abscence of a national comp
- top 4 NSW clubs, top 3 QLD clubs and top 1 ACT club compete in a round robin
- relegation/promotion based on Shute Shield/QLD Cup
- unused contracted players from WA spread amongst the clubs
- get a low cost airline on board to ease the costs of cheap domestic flights between Sydney/Brisbane/Gold Coast/Canberra

[laura]

No

You aren't even including WA, only the 'unused players' we gain nothing from this. Your plan sounds more like a 'how to exclude WA from Australian rugby' more than anything else.

[waratahjesus]

agree with you there, except for the randwick/uni side.

a national comp doesnt work, thats why it failed, a professional team playing rugby league in perth failed and a professional rugby league team in melbourne needs million of dollars propping up every year, a semi professional league in this day and age involving people for a couple of months is never going to work no matter how much you want it to.

the much better option for everyone would be if the leftovers from super rugby played in the npc, that way you have an instant television product, structure in place and ongoing development for a few months. they should just use the model they came up with fro the new super rugby comp but apply it to a third tier!

[Moses]

No

You aren't even including WA, only the 'unused players' we gain nothing from this. Your plan sounds more like a 'how to exclude WA from Australian rugby' more than anything else.

The unused players from other NSW/QLD/ACT clubs would also have to be used.

It all depends on what the goal of the comp is - if you're hoping to see rugby in WA then bad luck cause the ARC has been shitcanned. Personally I want a tier between club comps and Super 14 that builds player talent with minimal operating costs. This could well work.

Long term expansion to WA would be great, but for now here's a plan that engages the existing club structures at a minimal price.

30 return flights Sydney to Brisbane = $6000, retail, two weeks in advance. 30 flights to Perth by the same token = $16140. Sure you'd get them further in advance and bulk discounts etc, but you're still looking at triple the bucks to fly west.

Perhaps a WA team could be based in Coffs Harbour, would that keep you happy?

[Flamethrower]

If Super Rugby changes it's format and the Aussie teams play each other twice why couldn't a "Seconds" type system be built around that.

[BLR]

If you're saying what I think you're saying FT then I agree, didn't I post something about a reserve grade being a solution. Have the reserve grade travel with the first team and play a game either as a curtain raiser or as a cheap alternative on the previous or day after. It doubles the amount of players that play, doesn't significantly put as much costs on the club as would be current (the academy players etc.) and alot of the costs of extra travel tickets could be recouped through putting the reserve game on another day and putting the tickets very cheap so as giving an option for those fans who are priced out of the Super games. Finals will be played in the reserve country that won the minor premiership perhaps so as to cut down on travel costs during the finals.

[Moses]

How many fans would be priced out of Super rugby?

[BLR]

How many fans would be priced out of Super rugby?

Well alot of the original Force supporters who didn't renew their membership because of the inadequate Subi ground making the investment not worth it. Although this isn't a significant money factor it is certainly the weighing up of the cost versus the benefit of watching Super rugby at the substandard Subiaco. Of course the reserve pricing may not bring those supporters back unless the reserve games were played at Members Equity. Non rugby supporters will most likely be the most affected by a cheaper reserve game if it was advertised as a Toyota cup with a sprinkling of 1st player stars. Example. Friday afternoon, finished work, not much to do, so head down with your work buddies to the rugby, have a few drinks, it could bring back alot of the mateship of rugby that you don't get in some of the bigger games.

Plus with a longer season teams will need more money and I don't think that ticket prices to Super matches will do anything but go up. Keep in mind that Bundesliga matches are about 10 euros a ticket, so there is surely to be people who are on 'struggle street' not able to come to games. (It's not the lucky country for everyone)

[Moses]

it could bring back alot of the mateship of rugby that you don't get in some of the bigger games.

You really need to come to a Tah Patrol game!

[BLR]

You really need to come to a Tah Patrol game!

Don't tell me, a bunch of Tah fans get together and rub baby oil on each other? How close am I?

[Flamethrower]

What I was leaning towards was just the Australian teams, so no overseas travel.
They could play as an opening match for the main game. This would give 90 odd players exposure to bigger and hopefully tougher games during the season than what club land can provide.

[RuckNMaul]

if you're hoping to see rugby in WA then bad luck cause the ARC has been shitcanned. Personally I want a tier between club comps and Super 14 that builds player talent with minimal operating costs. This could well work.

look where your posting this stuff mate, the majority of TWF's have a main common goal of seeing MORE RUGBY IN WEST AUSTRALIA.

Long term expansion to WA would be great, but for now here's a plan that engages the existing club structures at a minimal price.

How about we think outside the box and leave the existing club structures the way they are and focus on using the Super Rugby franchises to develop a tier of competition dirctly under themselves and if SA/Vic cant cut the mustard mabey the NSW and QLD surplus could create a "Southern Barbarians" side or the like

Perhaps a WA team could be based in Coffs Harbour, would that keep you happy?

ohh yeah that would be a great step towards distancing WA from the rest of the rugby nation so i see were your coming from.