As the 2013 Rugby Championship enters a defining phase, SANZAR will this week start the process of defining the shape of Super Rugby, post 2015.
They say they want a deal done by Christmas to present to the broadcasters.
Tony Johnson:
There will be change and it could be quite significant, because of a desire to bring in new blood and South Africa’s insistence on a 6th team, which alone means the end of the current system.
There are some non-negotiables:
- The aforementioned sixth South African franchise
- A demand from the players for a 12-14 week break between seasons
- The determination of New Zealand and South Africa not to allow the season to extend beyond its current 21 weeks
Then there is a wish list, items not in the non-negotiable column, but strongly desired by one or more parties:
- Moving the June test window to July
- Expansion into new territories.
And some differing attitudes that will have to be considered:
- South Africa generates by far the greatest revenue and feels entitled to a stronger influence
- South Africa likes the international component
- New Zealand likes the international flavour but gets most excited about “derby matches”
- Australia gets most excited about the derby and Trans-Tasman matches
- New Zealand and Australia play the bulk of their matches at night, in part to satisfy global audience demand
- South African matches are played mostly in day time where they are visible in Europe, but attract comparatively small viewership in the other Sanzar nations, which may be a factor in No 3 and No 4.
The task, as always, will be to shape these demands, desires and attitudes into a workable format to the satisfaction of the member nations and the increasingly influential Players Associations, that can then be sold to the broadcasters who pay the money that allows this competition to take place.
Sort all that out by Christmas?
I would have thought there’s as much chance of that as there is of Justin Bieber becoming the next world cage fighting champion.
Already possible outcomes have been touted, mainly in the Australian press, where there has been much talk of a split competition, with New Zealand, Australia and possibly Japan on one side, and South Africa and Argentina on the other, with the top teams (4-6 perhaps) from each coming together at the end for a playoff series, similar to the Heineken Cup.
Given the amount of exposure it’s been given do we assume the split format is what Australia wants? It might also be supported by some of the senior pros in all three countries who tire of the long-distance travel and time away from home.
But it is wrong to assume New Zealand’s backing for this proposal. The New Zealand Rugby Union is mindful of the money South Africa generates through its massive rugby audience, and would be reluctant to close that door. There is also a respect thing, and a strongly held belief that part of the reason for New Zealand’s continued success is the regular exposure to the tough challenges of playing in South Africa and against the powerful South African teams.
They are not necessarily going to give all that up just to save a bit of travel expense and protect some tiring bodies.
And I’m not sure if Saru would favour it either. As already pointed out it is the international component of Super Rugby that most appeals to South Africa. The Currie Cup looks after the “derby” aspect.
But while South Africa’s powerful position has to be respected, there is I suspect some minor frustration over the unbending stance on a sixth team, because it renders the current system unworkable. There is no way you can have five teams in two conferences and six in another. That would force a situation where each South African team would play conference games against three teams home and away and two teams just once which would make for some untenable imbalances.
However if there was a split competition, it wouldn’t matter how many teams were in each division, as long as they can get their matches played in the allocated time before the cross-over “post season” starts.
Expansion is another tricky point.
It is logical to try and bring Argentina in, but far from simple, given that nearly all of their players are based in Europe in the vice-like grip of the French club system. If they were to have a presence in Super Rugby it would need to be competitive, and not some kind of development team.
New Zealand and Australia have been eying the lucrative Japanese market for some time, and I note that given the number of Springboks plying their trade there recently there is a bit more interest from South Africa, which I’m told was previously not inclined to consider Japan.
Japan is a rugby minnow, but it is a powerful economy which could bring some real financial resources into Super Rugby. There are already enough good players there to field a couple of competitive teams comprising a mix of foreign and local talent, and it would be a positive step ahead of them hosting the World Cup.
However, Japanese rugby is largely controlled by industrial giants who own the club teams, and there is a lot of prestige and honour in that. Asking those giants to allow a new Super Rugby team with a massive profile to come in and possibly steal their thunder is likely to be a real challenge of diplomacy.
In the end, as always, it will be a case of the three different countries going in and haggling over what they individually want and what they don’t want.
Compromise has always been the way at the negotiating table, with one country prepared to make a concession to another to help get what they want. In the end they will have to agree, because the countries need each other.
I know some of you feel that South Africa would do fine just on its own. Financially it probably would, but South Africa’s surge back to the top of the rugby tree after isolation was greatly helped by regular exposure to the rugby of New Zealand and Australia, and it would surely be a retrograde step to back out of Sanzar.
And before someone screams “we’ll go to Europe”, forget it. It is unworkable, unless you want to play your rugby in the summer and turn all your provinces into clubs. I just can’t see Leinster or Bath wanting to play the Sharks in Durban in January.
I confess to not having any firm solution in mind. I like the idea of fresh blood, but this competition cannot take up any more calendar time than it already does. I love the international flavour and, like most, I believe the June window has to be moved… but until everyone north of the equator agrees to that I’m not sure how Sanzar can manage it.
The answers don’t seem all that obvious, which is why I’ll believe in Santa Claus before I believe they’ll get it sorted before Christmas!
Ah, Tony Johnson’s blog. Shouldn’t you give him a bit of credit on this article? Thats the right thing to do.
1 @ leon:
You are 100% correct… I have instructed EVERYONE to give the needed credit where due!
I’ll change it right now!
@ grootblousmile:
Great stuff. You should read Dewald Potgieter’s new blog on that semi final. Very good read.
@ leon:
my apologies i wanted to press preview and check it first but somehow i pressed the wrong button. Of course i was hungry and was called to table. Did you fix it Groot Chief or must i do it?
4 @ superBul:
Fixed!
@ leon:
I read it and i think he learned fast from the Gov. never your fault, dont take the blame ever
@ grootblousmile:
Thanks
@ grootblousmile:
Ai ou maat ek is lelik in n hoek. My rug het finaal opgepak lyk my. Al 2 weke van hel, ek kan nie my werk doen nie. Ek loop skaars 15 tree dan wil die been nie meer nie, al die moeilikheid le in die onderste deel van my rug. Ek sal seker binnekort Pretoria toe moet gaan vir n operasie
@ superBul:
No, I don’t think he blame someone else. He takes it like a man. He only explains his thought pattern at that stage of the game. It’s easy to sit on the sideline and blame, but we don’t know whats going on in the team dynamics. I’ve got al lot more respect for him after that blog.
8 @ superBul:
Jong, rugoperasies is mooosa goed… vat moer lank om daaroor te kom!
Kan jy nie ‘n “Rug Brace” dra en aanstrap om die onderrug te immobiliseer nie… en dan maar ‘n ekstra hand aanstel wt jou soos ‘n skaduwee moet volg en jou hande, bene en werksvoete moet wees nie?
Ek dink as jy jou rug stut en genoeg immobiliseer… en iemand anders kry om die werk te doen, rus hy dalk genoeg om te kan herstel, maar dit sal absolute selfdisipline van jou verg om nie self te wil grawe en kak en arbei nie!
8 @ superBul:
Rug- en nekoperasies is bliksems, maak partykeer dinge net erger…
9 @ leon:
Dewald het daai aand van daai semi al vir ons op die na-wedstryd perskonferensie vertel hoe hy geredeneer het… en ek respekteer hom daarvoor.
@ grootblousmile:
Kom hy weer terug vir volgende jaar se super rugby of is hy ook nou permanent in Japan?
13 @ leon:
Nee Dewald kom nie terug vir Super Rugby nie, maar hy en sy ouers is ‘n close familie…. hy sal terugkom SA toe om verder rugby te speel oor 2 jaar of so.
Kyk, die man se Pa was ‘n blogger hier op Rugby-Talk (Pollard se Pa ook, by the way), so ek weet dis goeie mense, die ouers van Dewald… en ek het sy Pa ook al persoonlik ontmoet. Daai aand na die semi het ek eenkant met Dewald gesels, net na die perskonferensie, terwyl Frans Ludeke deur die joernaliste gemob is. Dewald se girl en hy het uitgesien na Japan… maar hy was taamlik bekommerd oor sy 2 honde en sy familie.
Watch, ek gaan hom nog kry om vir ons ook te skryf, het dit daai aand ook met hom aangeraak, dis ‘n slim seun daai, ek hou van sy skryfstyl ook.
@ grootblousmile:
Dit sal great wees as hy hier kan skryf. Ek geniet ook sy skryfstyl.
@ superBul:
Feel for you Super. My lower back went into spasm yesterday, and I am badly immobilised.
Tony Johnson really shows us what the problems are in expanding the competition. It will take some really tough negotiating, and some people with the wisdom of Solomon to come to an equitable solution for all. But while Johnson does mention the broadcaster, he doesn’t really make mention of what its requirements are, and that would be to increase its audience and more airtime for rugby. Not an easy thing.
I agree that they need to play less games, If you look at the Super series this year where all SA were occasionally battling with injuries. This doe effect Springbok selection at times. They will have to come up with a plan and soon. Players are leaving not only for more money, but also for less rugby. My suggestion was toe either bring in a player management system, where you force teams to rotate players.
Bring in a law that a player can only play 160 minutes of rugby per month. This way you bring in newer and younger players, most of your players stay fresh and get proper time to get over niggles and injuries. This will also make for a more interesting competition as the teams going to the semi’s and finals will need to plan their rotation better to ensure that they have their best teams available come that time.
The other option is to break the teams up into two devisions. So say there are 16 teams, that will be two conferences of 8 each. This means 7 games per team before playoffs. Take the top 2 teams from each conference into a semi final situation, or take the top 6 into a playoff situation. This way, a team going the full distance will play a maximum of 10 to 13 games depending. This will give all national teams longer times to prepare for June/July tests. And most national sides will have a lot less injuries.
@ superBul:
Sorry to hear about the back.
Think twice before allowing anyone with a scalpel near you IMO.
GBS may have a point with the brace and an “apprentice” type person.
Good luck.
Blah blah blah.
The system currently is flawed.
SARU seem incabaple of neogiating successfully with the people from “down under”, and SA Rugby continually seems to draw the short end of the stick, which is usually VERY sharp and normally gets inserted into the nether regions by our Aussie and Kiwi mates.
On the other hand “Darren?”, the Aussies in particular seem incapable of negotiating in good faith, and (it seems to me) that the Kiwis don’t give a toss as long as the status quo continues and they’re allowed to play Rugby.
After all, being so far from the cilivised world, they only really compete successfully worldwide at Rugby Union and to a lesser degree netball, so they have to accept anything they get and be happy with it.
Soapbox, soapbox, soapbox……..
Come on SARU, grow a pair and show us you’re not just a bunch of prats in high position, on high salaries, paying yourselves big bonuses out of dwindling profits, and that you actually give a sh1t for the average SA Rugby lover.
(Gets down from soapbox and pours himself a Captain whilst considering his Superbru picks for the weekend………………….)
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