The future of Super Rugby - and where it might be heading

[jargan83]

A bridge to South Africa

The Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions are happy in the United Rugby Championship in Europe, but there are other ambitious unions such as the Free State Cheetahs and Pumas who would like to take part in a professional competition.

Stuff understands that the Super Rugby door is not shut to South Africa, particularly if they could form a composite team to run out of Perth, where expats form a key part of the rugby community.

As a concept, it certainly is somewhat left-field, but South African rugby appears to have accepted a future in which it has a foot in both hemispheres, and the Cheetahs and Pumas contested the Currie Cup final in 2023.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/133301795/the-future-of-super-rugby--and-where-it-might-be-heading

[shasta]

Well that proves one thing; NZ Rugby journos struggle for relevance over Christmas/NY too.

[chibi]

"The Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions are happy in the United Rugby Championship"

I wonder if Western Australia would be happy in Japan League One?

[todd4]

The games I really enjoy are when the Force are playing the other Aussie sides. Probably why NRL & AFL are so popular, every game can be seen as a local derby.

[James]

I enjoy any game that is competitive and part of a meaningful competition. Reviving GRR (without rule changes) would be great for player development and fans- more games. If RA won't initiate anything, maybe the Force should (if they can).

[andrewg]

I enjoy any game that is competitive and part of a meaningful competition. Reviving GRR (without rule changes) would be great for player development and fans- more games. If RA won't initiate anything, maybe the Force should (if they can).

Please, let's NOT return to the time of regular travel across the Pacific or Indian Oceans to play rugby. It's an expensive, pointless pursuit.

The time is right to move SR to a more time-zone GRR-type structure, not a return to the madness of a global competition.

Argentina needs to align with the Americas (USA, Canada and other Sth Am countries) to grow the game.
Sth Africa with Europe - which has already happened.

The professional game needs to split Australia and New Zealand teams on 2 time zone based (East & West) conferences which include Japan, the Pacific and progressive growth of the game in Asia with an end-of-season play-off amongst the top 4 (2 from each conference in a showcase of the best).

The season needs to be lengthened with an Australian competition (a new NRC with more teams) in much the same way as the existing Pacific competition and NZ has the NPC.

None of this can occur without the approval of World Rugby and the member unions including RAu as well as new funding models (which are likely to be different for all countries as one size is not going to fit all).

[shasta]

"The Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions are happy in the United Rugby Championship"

I wonder if Western Australia would be happy in Japan League One?

I have been watching those ZA teams competing in the Champions Cup (ex-Heineken Cup) & the Challenge. No wonder they are comfortable. Mostly competitive gripping matches. They & NZ then also have vibrant development comps.

What we need, as has been said, is something similar. Unfortunately without that, I'm worried we'll see the decline & player drain continue.

[AndyS]

Hard not to feel that, having endlessly kicked the can down the road on sorting out a proper professional development structure, RA and 'Australian' rugby may have simply run out of road. They refused to do it while part of a larger group, now they are broke and increasingly standing alone...

[shasta]

I sometimes wonder whether Todd's scenario of a national comp is the only viable way forward.

Super Rugby is probably in it's death throws unless we become magically competitive overnight. It would likely need to be limited to 6 teams, maybe including a Pacifica outfit to maintain and lift standards.

If NZ, as would be likely, did the same, an 8 team championship could follow.

[James]

I've always thought the ideal would be to have a Aug/Sep/Oct domestic product. Whether that's 8 from Australia or 6 plus Fiji/Pasifika doesn't matter (but I think you need 8 teams). You could then have an April/May/June collective competition with our 8, a handful from Japan, and the 8 from the NPC. The only way to make the current product more workable would be to dilute NZ's strength, which they are reluctant to do. Perhaps falling back on existing structures (NPC) would meet their needs.

[shasta]

The only way to make the current product more workable would be to dilute NZ's strength, which they are reluctant to do.

Their reluctance in some areas has been detrimental to their own interests, I think. But anyway; now it is what it is as they say in the classics. Diluting NZ's pool to make "us" more competitive would be damaging to Oz Rugby and just provide another pathway in the All Black production line. So I'm not keen on that at all.

Perhaps falling back on existing structures (NPC) would meet their needs

Yep; and if Super Rugby was no more both countries "NPC's" could be moved to earlier in the season. Although I suppose there would still some be opposition to that from NZ, with claims it would damage club Rugby.

[AndyS]

And justifiably so, just as it would club rugby here. It would thoroughly nuke the NPC in particular though, which is specifically why they created new SR teams from nothing in 1995. So IMO, more likely that they would try and go the sort of SRao mooted in the Aratipu report and leave Australia entirely to its own devices.

Personally, I think everything comes back to the lack of a domestic comp in Australia. They keep screwing about, and things just keep being screwed. I have often thought that the only hope might have been GRR, and Australian rugby might ultimately be the last victim of Covid.

[Rugby]

Please, let's NOT return to the time of regular travel across the Pacific or Indian Oceans to play rugby. It's an expensive, pointless pursuit.

The time is right to move SR to a more time-zone GRR-type structure, not a return to the madness of a global competition.

Argentina needs to align with the Americas (USA, Canada and other Sth Am countries) to grow the game.
Sth Africa with Europe - which has already happened.

The professional game needs to split Australia and New Zealand teams on 2 time zone based (East & West) conferences which include Japan, the Pacific and progressive growth of the game in Asia with an end-of-season play-off amongst the top 4 (2 from each conference in a showcase of the best).

The season needs to be lengthened with an Australian competition (a new NRC with more teams) in much the same way as the existing Pacific competition and NZ has the NPC.

None of this can occur without the approval of World Rugby and the member unions including RAu as well as new funding models (which are likely to be different for all countries as one size is not going to fit all).

Great post and definitely like your proposals.

[Rugby]

Please, let's NOT return to the time of regular travel across the Pacific or Indian Oceans to play rugby. It's an expensive, pointless pursuit.

The time is right to move SR to a more time-zone GRR-type structure, not a return to the madness of a global competition.

Argentina needs to align with the Americas (USA, Canada and other Sth Am countries) to grow the game.
Sth Africa with Europe - which has already happened.

The professional game needs to split Australia and New Zealand teams on 2 time zone based (East & West) conferences which include Japan, the Pacific and progressive growth of the game in Asia with an end-of-season play-off amongst the top 4 (2 from each conference in a showcase of the best).

The season needs to be lengthened with an Australian competition (a new NRC with more teams) in much the same way as the existing Pacific competition and NZ has the NPC.

None of this can occur without the approval of World Rugby and the member unions including RAu as well as new funding models (which are likely to be different for all countries as one size is not going to fit all).

Great post and definitely like your proposals.