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STATHI PAXINOS
October 20, 2009 - 11:02PM
Has rugby missed the boat in Melbourne.
SANZAR, the body representing the rugby union governing bodies in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, will meet today to determine where Super rugby's 15th team will be based when the competition is expanded in 2011.
It has come down to a choice between Melbourne - which lost out to Perth last time around - and Port Elizabeth in South Africa.
But where is the buzz, the hoopla, the excitement? Compared to five years ago when the Australian Rugby Union's snub of Melbourne gave birth to the Western Force, the apparent difference in interest levels cannot be more marked.
The ARU had an ideal opportunity to gain a footprint in Australia's most lucrative sporting market in 2004, but opted to put the country's fourth team in Perth. Melbourne had been the frontrunner then, as it is now, but the general belief is that the ARU, riding high on the success of the 2003 World Cup in Australia, ran scared from a head-on clash with the AFL.
Rugby is now in a far weaker position - both on and off the field. Of Australia's four football codes, it is struggling the most. Crowd numbers and ratings are down, and the Wallabies have been in decline for several years.
The remarkable success in recent years of both the Melbourne Storm and Melbourne Victory is also likely to further dilute the public's interest in rugby.
However, despite that, Melbourne should - if common sense prevails - be awarded the 15th team.
Back in 2004, the buzz around Melbourne's chance of finally securing a quality rugby team was intense - newspapers, television and radio outlets were awash with information, its promise was the element that convinced the Victorian Government to invest in the new rectangular stadium that is now nearing completion on Swan Street - and the outrage at the snub was genuine. This time around, it appears as though the concept has barely registered on the city's psyche, except for the diehard expats from rugby heartland areas.
Part of the reason has to be the way this selection process has been applied. It has bordered on shambolic, as the ARU attempted to bring together rival parties that were competing to run the ship. The Victorian Rugby Union made mistakes in the lead-up to the 2004 decision but on the whole ran a well co-ordinated bid. This time around its energies have been diverted from the main goal as it became embroiled in a struggle for power.
From the beginning the VRU claimed it was being sidelined in favour of Sydney interests, not least the ARU itself, and allegedly refused to work with its rival VicSuper15 consortium. The ARU has since appointed an independent adviser to sort out the mess and devise a suitable ownership structure and the erstwhile competing interests have kissed, made up and formed one consortium that is now angling to be part of any new team.
But still there is no guarantee that a decision will come out of the SANZAR meeting today. There is speculation that South Africa will hold firm to its desire for a Port Elizabeth team, and that the stalemate will force the process into arbitration.
All this has taken away from any sense of excitement about the process. So with the future of Super rugby to be decided -hopefully - today, only time will tell if anyone cares any more?
Source: The Age
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/spor...1021-h73n.html