We, the rugby mad community, have all given our impressions, solutions and cures for the fatigue factor and player burn-out suffered by players…. but would ONE GLOBAL SEASON not alleviate all these concerns?
Think about it for a while… let the concept sink in….
Is’nt this a radically different but plausible solution? Is’nt this what we should have done a long time ago, in the world?
At the moment we have two seasons world wide, a Northern Hemisphere rugby season and a Southern Hemisphere season, respectively!!
Why is this necessary… is plain stupid stubborness standing in the way of our beautiful sport?
Let’s lobby for ONE INTERNATIONAL SEASON!
It will mean 1 International window and NOT TWO (June as well as End of Year) windows.
It will also mean that the Teams are at the same levels of fatigue world wide, no Hemisphere will be at a disadvantage (European Sides are at a disadvantage in June at the end of their season, Southern Hemisphere Sides are at a disadvantage during the End of Year Tours when it’s the end of their season).
Will it ever happen?
I doubt it!!
The IRB should play a leading role here but as you know, the questions are numerous and serious… When will the season start? When will it end? Which Hemisphere will have to budge the most? What are the financial ramifications? What are the pro’s and what are the cons? How does it affect sponsorships and broadcast rights and schedules?
In a perfect world considerations like the usually foul winter weather and milder summers (generally) in the Northern Hemisphere compared to the glaring heat in summer in Africa, Australia and Argentina, it would make sense to adopt most of the Southern Hemisphere winter rugby calendar… it would also make sense considering the Festive season at the end of each year….
The year could roughly be scheduled as follows:
- The Super 14 / Heineken Cup ect [Feb – May]
- The first part of the International window – Tri-Nations / Six Nations [May, June & early July]
- The second part of the International window – Southern Hemisphere vs Northern Hemisphere Tours [July & August]. Teams could Tour every second year, meaning one year you play at home and one year away, ALTERNATELY teams could have abbreviated tours and still have their home component every year. The main aim here is that the previous International window which was split into 2 sections (June Tours by Northern Hemisphere to the South and November Tours by the Southern Hemisphere up North) will be slightly shortened and combined into one.
- The Domestic Competitions – Like the Currie Cup in SA, the New Zealand NPC, the French Top 14 and the Guiness Priemiership [Sept, Oct, till middle November]
- A 6 – 8 week enforced break where NO TEAM ACTIVITY IS PERMITTED over the Festive Season. ALTERNATIVELY, split the break into 2, a shorter break mid-year and a longer break end of year.
Would that make too much sense for people to take seriously?
Dragons…… 🙂 ooops, sorry wrong site 🙂
GBS, I think there are too many financial consequenses involved in changing. Ideally we should all have the same season, but it ain’t gonna happen anytime soon I’m afraid
BOKS CONSIDER GRAND SLAM TOUR – News24
Is it a potential opportunity to make history or rugby suicide 10 months before the kick-off of the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand?
A global season is an excellent idea, with say 3 months of no rugby down time. However the less rugby they play the less money the players will earn, and that I can’t see them being happy with.
@4 Loosehead
They should then be paid more to accommodate the change. IMO it will be a better return on investment since the injury toll will be less.
#1 Howzit Whatever, lekker to see you here boet, too many idiots on that other site.
I would love for the Boks to win a Grand Slam, but back to back World Cups would be 10 times better, and to have both would be awesome. I believe it can be achieved. The Currie Cup will have to take a back seat in 2010. Start coaching a proper Springbok A side asap for the EOYT. In order to have your best 15 available for the business end of the WC, the bulk of our current Springbok team needs to skip the EOYT. It’s not rocket science anymore. Jake White proved it.
I know they are only considering a Grand Slam tour, but even if they don’t secure it, the tour will still be just as hectic.
Dont know GBS.
Was originally a fan of a global season but the more I think about it the more I dont like it.
Commercially I think it is suicide. If we get a global season the Super 14 will compete with the HC, and the 3N with the 6N. Since we know where the money is in this game I think the SH teams will suffer greatly.
Also how would the international window work? Who would tour where? Will it alternate meaning one season no international rugby (other than 3N) in SA, Aus or NZ? Or would we tour there, play a couple of tests, and then they tour here?
If all 8 major playing nations are on tour at the same time this could become very congested.
Is 3 months enough for local competitions after this international window?
To me it will seem that everything is crammed (rather uncomfortably) into a 9 to 10 month period, with another period where nothing happens.
What happens in that nothing time?
Can we afford to take rugby out of the calendar for 2 months worldwide?
The issue with fatigue to me is simple, rather than a complicated global season, simply manage your top players better with the amount of games they play (11 tests is non negotiable which leaves you with 15 or so other games they can play in a year).
Fatigue needs to be managed at union/club level, not test level.
Test rugby needs to be the ultimate prize in our game.
Makes sense, but Money will decide.
I’m not sure if a global calender will work, but our problem is not in my mind the calender, but the amount of games being played in certain competitions.
Firstly the Super competition is to long, and the 3n could be cut down as well to free up space for players to rest.
I would alternate the 3n competitions with tours, and the 6N should do the same. I think the majority of rugby lovers would lile to see tours return.
I for one would love to see us play more meaningfull tests against the northern hemisphere teams.
And get a Emerging Springbok team to tour Europe yearly and play 6 international teams like Uruguay, Spain etc. I’m sure those teams would welcome a second string bok team with open arms, and it would improve the quality of those teams if they play quality teams more regularly.
NZ and AUS should do the same.
12,
Correct, tests (and super rugby) are first prize, local takes a back seat.
GBS mentions amateurism, I think it is found more at union level than at international level, that is where to my mind the problem lies.
Club before country.
Please do not call it Emerging Boks…
Rather have a Bok A side, our proper B team.
14 – Morne
I agree, let us use local competitions as a stepping stone for International rugby (S14 & Tests), and as a place to regain form for players allready in the international scene.
I feel that our boks don’t need a S14 and CC competion. It’s either the one or the other. And to say that players in the CC needs to play against the boks to better their game is shortsighted, most CC players play in the S14 anyway.
Keep the CC, but leave the test players out of it. The moment that the unions know for a fact that they will not be able to use their boks in the CC, they will take development more serious.
Firstly the idea of getting the NH to play in their summer, would be hard to sell to them.
The winter culture of rugby is inset.
Secondly we do not need to be thinking about developing a second team then calling it something different such as an emerging team or “B” team.
Nobody is interested in “B” teams or emerging teams, least of all sponsors and financial managers.
The public want to see the best play and that is what they will pay for.
The real way to do it is to develop a squad of Boks, all with the same status that is strong enough to field different players on any consecutive test week end that are good enough to win.
This is what the coach and SARU should be striving towards.
I sense that the All Blacks understand this and are working towards it already.
9@ Morne – I do not foresee a congestion problem… this November and in fact every End of Year, all Southern Hemisphere Teams go on tour up North and play ALL the Northern Hemisphere teams… so ALL top ranked International teams are involved anyway, without congestion….. so why should a Global Season be different, I do not understand how you get to that point!
Is there really such a convergence of viewers between the Super 14 compared to Heineken Cup… ect?? Would intelligently scheduling matched over a whole weekend (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) not alleviate things?
These are indeed the serious and numerous questions one needs to ask, investigate… ect.
Why do you foresee a problem with a period of no rugby… at the moment we have that anyway, one period of nothing for us down South (Dec & Jan) and another period of nothing for the North (period before their season starts)…. where’s the problem, I don’t see it????
We are used, worldwide to winter and summer sports…. cricket in summer, rugby in winter…. ect.
The fact remains that people like Tim Noakes warns us that an 8 week break is essential every year, in addition to careful management… wonder what he would have to say about this suggestion….
snoek @ 16
well said!!
oh
and morning everyone
its been a while
how’s everyone doing?
20@ Asbak – Hello. Dinge is maar deurmekaar hier by my, is blerrie besig hier teen die einde van hierdie wilde jaar… en dan dit ek nog met ‘n vrou in Hospitaal ook, ‘n seun wat hier is vir vakansie… en julle klomp moegoes hier oppie blog…
Almal wil ge-entertain word…… flok
gbs @ 21
wat soek jou vrou in die hospitaal?
j ALWEER kind gemaak?
17@ Tight Head – I agree that it would be a hard sell up North…. there are many, mant considerations and questions, like I said.
The reality is, the World is now a Global Village in many ways, the methods of old where the South was worlds apart from the North is much less of a problem… hell, one could even break the rest period into 2 sections, one mid-year (say 2 weeks) and one at the end of the year (say 4 weeks)…
This is however the only alternative which I see to combat having to rest the front line Bokke in domestic competitions and / or at the End of Year Tours, thus diminishing the interest and viewer interest in those competitions. Think about it, the Northern Hemisphere now send 2nd stringers on tour to us yearly during June… and what happens, we clobber them…
If one devalues domestic competitions (by resting senior players) one takes a very potent viewing motivation away for supporters, who then argues that it’s watered down and therefore of less interest. People want to see the best in action, when any action is on!
21 – GBS, YES now you talking boeta. Think so many of us have wanted a global season for a very, very long time. It makes sense.
Only straight after the Tri-Nations and their 6 Nations all teams take a break for 3 weeks before playing the NH tours. I also like the idea to alternate us going north one year and them coming down here.
The Seasons are fine that you say above. Only FEB in Durbs? That is the hottest month and most humid. Maybe Sharks just travel to NZ in Feb to start their S14 😀 to miss the humidity.
GBS like yesterday another very interesting article.
20 – Morning Ash.
22@ Asbak – Nee, ek het my deel gedoen vir die samelewing… ek hettie onlangs broodjies gebak wat nou uit die oond moet kom nie.
Handbriekie se operasie is ookie kosmeties van aard nie, dit was maar net tyd om die enjin bietjie te overhaul…
gbs @ 26
jong die snaakste ding gebeur mos gister met my
….
gisteroggend sê die vrou sy’t by die trappe afgeval by ons woonstel
gisteraand sê sy my sy verwag
nou wonner ek net
😯 waar de d*nner het sy ingeval!!! 😀
17 – TH agree there. We need bigger squads at the highest level.
Will we ever have that? We missed something this year by taking a understrength 2nd side. Not very wise at all. Think our very best 2nd side could compete very well and would be pushing some places in the Test squad. Those players never got a chance.
We do have to have bigger squads to cope with so much rugby being played. Players that can fit in and it would make no difference if one got injured. Need to get up to speed there and quick. Otherwise we wont have these great players for long if they are played into the ground the whole time.
27 – Ash 😆
27@ Asbakkie – Ek ruik ‘n rot… djy moenie jou vrou rondstampie, jong!
Hehehehe
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