With talks of proposals to shift the current Super Rugby format well underway, news from Australia is that the Waratahs, Reds and Rebels are considering merging to form a unified coastal team.
Sportsbusiness.com’s website reports that the news agency said the proposal is designed to create an east coast rugby powerhouse and will be presented to the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) at a board meeting on February 24.
Under what would be the biggest reform to the structure of rugby in Australia since the game turned professional, the Waratahs, Queensland and Melbourne would hand over limited control to the ARU but retain ownership of assets.
Fairfax Media said the proposal, while still in the very early stages of negotiations, aims to pool the three unions’ assets and create a more powerful player in the Australian sporting landscape.
The move would be akin to the centralised model in New Zealand, where the country’s five Super Rugby teams maintain control over their own administrative and membership operations but hand control to the NZ Rugby Union (NZRU) on issues including high performance.
The ARU already controls the Rebels, after the club’s founding backer Harold Mitchell ended his funding last year.
New South Wales and Queensland, the two biggest rugby markets in the country, are said to favour the proposal.
While he would not comment directly on talk of a merger, ARU chief executive Bill Pulver said the union is in regular talks with Super Rugby bosses over future plans.
“I have made no secret of our financial challenges at an administrative level,” he said.
“Doing nothing is not an option and our discussions within the Australian rugby community will continue.”
Fairfax added that Canberra’s Brumbies and Perth’s Western Force are believed to have opted out of the proposed collaboration at this stage but have not ruled out joining the new entity in the future.
Can’t see this particular merger happening, the Tah’s and Reds are the only 2 Aussie sides with a bit of history stretching back many years and the rivalry still continues. No way they will merge, that’s like asking WP and the Bulls to merge.
What, saw the headline at first and thought it was April 1st! They must be in bigger financial trouble than had thought if they are thinking about doing this. The sheer distance between Brisbane and Melbourne/Sydney would make this an expensive idea, let alone whatever ‘history’ there is between the Waratahs and Queensland. They pushed to get the extra two franchises (Force, and Rebels) who were just admitted without any playoffs so not on merit (please take note all those Kings bashers) and now they thinking of merging their two biggest franchises, are we missing something?
@ nortierd:
But a merger between WP & the Bulls could only benefit & strengthen rugby in the Cape, Nortie!
BrumbiesBoy wrote:
Maybe we can settle for getting Slaptjips back, they can get Fleck.
Our backline might even score a try or two
@ nortierd:
Go for it, maybe you can give them Thelo too!
4 @ nortierd:
5 @ BrumbiesBoy:
Hey watchit!
We do not want Fleckie and DEFINATELY NOT Wakefield!!
Eish!
@ grootblousmile:
Don’t stress GBS, Thelo will only be interested in a merger with the Crusaders, he can double his teams fan base and make his daughters happy
😆
@ nortierd:
7 @ nortierd:
Oh yes, I forgot that Thelo’s daughters support the Saders… eish!
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