SA to push for bigger Super Rugby
24 Jan 2013
MARK KEOHANE writes South Africa will this year support an expanded Super Rugby competition to accommodate the Kings and Lions. But Pacific Island teams will again miss out.
Any expansion can only happen in 2016 but take it as a given Super Rugby will comprise more teams, but they won’t feature teams from the Pacific Islands because there is no financial gain to be made.
Sanzar CEO Greg Peters told the media Sanzar’s three partners Australia, New Zealand and South Africa would make the decision to expand or not later in 2013.
Argentina, Canada, Japan and the United States are seen as the primary targets. Japan because of the cash cow it promises to be, Argentina as a commitment to the expanded Rugby Championship that featured the Pumas for the first time and Canada and the United States because they are seen as potential cash cows, especially the United States. The word is to have one team from each of those countries.
It is one of the reasons Canada and the United States will play in the Pacific Nations Cup, which again shows how poorly the Island representation of Tonga, Fiji and Samoa are treated within Sanzar.
South Africa has always been seen as the big brother to Samoa in terms of value attributed to playing against Samoa and giving the country’s rugby side as much playing opportunity as possible.
New Zealand and Australia do nothing to promote the virtues of any of the Island teams because financially they offer nothing in terms of broadcasting deals.
‘We are considering whether or not we will include new territories in Super Rugby and one of the factors we’ll be weighing up is their [Canada and United States] competitiveness,’ Peters told The Australian.
‘Super Rugby in its present form is a pretty successful model … and we are not going to water it down. But we’d be derelict in our duty if we didn’t consider expanding into areas. The United States is a very big market and so is Japan and Asia generally. Ultimately it all comes down to what is in the best interests of the three Sanzar parties.’
Peters said player welfare would be a consideration but an expanded competition may allow for the tournament to be split into two pools of 10 teams each, although Australia will definitely not want to lose the conference system and the double-header local derbies. It is proving massive in Australia and the current format gives Australia everything it has wanted in a rugby union tournament that competes with the AFL (Aussie rules) and rugby league’s NRL.
Television audience figures and match attendance were highest in Australian Super Rugby for derby matches and because Australia has no provincial domestic competition Super Rugby doubles as their domestic competition. Just how South Africa and New Zealand agreed to give up so much for Australia to have so much gain is a question that can never be answered by those who did the surrender. If it could they would not have done so.
Ideally South Africa should be playing in a Super Rugby tournament with the best from England and France. Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Japan should have their own Super Rugby tournament. Geographically that makes more sense, but the Celtic nations (Scotland, Ireland and Wales) remain the stumbling block to any South African participation in Europe.
New Zealand knows it can’t do justice to more than five teams, Australia is at its maximum and South Africa’s only need is to ease the political tensions and have all six regions represented. Then it is a matter of which new territories can make the existing Sanzar partners the biggest financial net gain.
Sanzar’s counter argument to the Pacific Islands is that it is the responsibility of the IRB to develop those countries. I don’t buy it, but then Sanzar has never been big on a purchase of morality.
540 Comments
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24 Jan 2013, 13:44 pm
@the curse-247:
we pushed for the expansion of teams so that we could accomodate the Kings and Lions, that was the whole point.
then you guys farked us on the vote.
24 Jan 2013, 13:44 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-239:
“239.i_love_u_bakkiesbotha said:
24 Jan 2013, 13:30 pm
@Transformation-226:
hahaha
oh Transie, i suppose next you’re going to tell me you still wear cowhides and carry a Xhosa spear..?..
i’d bet there’s a lot of Scots who’d think you a european Dandy
after all, you have often made mention of your ‘tastes’…”
Nou is dit AAN !!!!
24 Jan 2013, 13:46 pm
and your proof of this is where Bakkies? how do you know how NZ voted?
proof or STFU
24 Jan 2013, 13:47 pm
Who/what is “Japiegate”?
24 Jan 2013, 13:48 pm
@the curse-253:
Bakkies has inside information
24 Jan 2013, 13:49 pm
SANZAR appointed an arbitration panel to decide between the bids lodged by the ARU on behalf of Melbourne and the South African Rugby Union on behalf of the Southern Kings and the Committee decided the optimal location for a 15th team in Super Rugby was Melbourne.
24 Jan 2013, 13:49 pm
Does a European “dandy” wear cowhide?
24 Jan 2013, 13:50 pm
@the curse-256:
Yes indeed
Which kiwi voted for Melbourne
24 Jan 2013, 13:52 pm
why should NZ and AUs cowtow to the political minefield of SA rugby?
obviously SARU and the Kings didnt put together a good enough and professional enough application in comparison to the Rebels
again, blame your own officials for their incompetency it is no one else’s fault
24 Jan 2013, 13:53 pm
Keewees very militant today.
Amandla.
24 Jan 2013, 13:54 pm
@the curse-259:
Oh so now it’s the Kings’ fault!
24 Jan 2013, 13:54 pm
Dawn
I did, such is my lack of morality and sway with the SANZAR arbitration panel that decided the outcome
out for now, my sides hurt too much from laughing at Bakkies delusion.
24 Jan 2013, 13:55 pm
I’m struggling to keep up here!
24 Jan 2013, 13:56 pm
@the curse-262:
Ag nee man don’t go!!!
It’s a slow day in the oil industry!
24 Jan 2013, 13:59 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-248:
Yes Houston…Professionalism has slowly instilled the discipline they need to play at that level. But having played against them most of my life, they have traits that will always be there, just have to bring it out of them.
24 Jan 2013, 14:00 pm
@the curse-259: You just hit the nail on the head again, Pops.
You’ve done it a few times today, well done, keep it up.
24 Jan 2013, 14:02 pm
@Dawn-252:
you are so silly
@the curse-253:
you sit there and ask me such nonsense with a straght face..?..
shocking really.
we each have a vote, we voted for SA to get the franchise, three guesses who you guys voted for…
@Dawn-254:
its the insulting emails they (anzac sanzar officials) were caught red handed sending to each other, remember?
it went along the lines of; ‘these Japies are stupid and we dont like em, so fark em’.
24 Jan 2013, 14:05 pm
@Dawn-258:
ex(flippin)actamento!
they treat us like dooses then look us straight in the face and act like ‘thats not how it went down’
its farking insulting really.
24 Jan 2013, 14:06 pm
still waiting for the links Bakkies
the ones that prove NZ did SA over at the IRB
where is your proof for any of your delusional ramblings?
heresay is not evidence
24 Jan 2013, 14:08 pm
Yup, John O’Neill did the dirty on the other two and I still wonder how he got away with it. His parting gift to the Australian Rugby Union.
24 Jan 2013, 14:08 pm
@the curse-269:
be careful what you wish for, Pops…
24 Jan 2013, 14:08 pm
@gunther-205: You forget that Luke is still rather well liked in the Cape.
@the curse-247: The Bulls can move north.
24 Jan 2013, 14:09 pm
@Yetirat-270:
did the dirty on who?
dont be afraid to say it.
and with assistance from who?
24 Jan 2013, 14:12 pm
@the curse-220:
Dit gaan goed dankie, en aan jou kant.
Really nice to see you back and at Bakkies.
@Te Rangatira-224:
Thanks pal
I love rugby so therefor I respect the hell out of your teams and players.
24 Jan 2013, 14:12 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-246:
No it wasn’t. The super 12 ended in 2005. It became super 14 from 2006 till 2010. From 2011 onwards, the competition became superrugby, with a 15 team conference system…
As it were, the Bulls have only won the super 14. Only three teams ever won the super 12 (Blues, Crusaders and Brumbies).
24 Jan 2013, 14:12 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-272:
If you say so
24 Jan 2013, 14:14 pm
Given that SANZAR could not reach a unanimous decision the matter was sent to arbitration. The arbitrators felt that the Southern Kings’ bid was more advanced with regard to business and financial planning and organization structure and governance. They also felt that the Southern Kings also had a stronger player base and rugby tradition. Revenue however, from the sale of broadcasting rights to Australasian broadcasters, would be reduced by US$15–20m over the course of a five-year agreement should the 15th team be resident in South Africa.
On 12 November 2009, after an arbitration process between themselves and South Africa’s Southern Kings, Victoria was awarded the 15th Super Rugby licence, as it was considered more financially viable to SANZAR] The bid was provisionally offered to the Vicsuper 15 consortium but when the ARU declined to offer a AUD4.3m grant commensurate with funding supplied to the other Australian franchise, the Mark Ella led consortium withdrew its bid. The licence was subsequently awarded to the Victorian Rugby Union’s Melbourne Rebels.
24 Jan 2013, 14:16 pm
@nortierd-274: Bakkies and Pops are the interweb version of Laurel and Hardy. Legends both.
Interweb walk of fame sh y te.
24 Jan 2013, 14:16 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-268:
I was so happy when the Bok came back into Top Rugby…They are the team by which we,Nz, judge ourselves. We were brought up to hate you…thats the greatest respect we can give…. even though the hatred has definitely been watered down over the years
24 Jan 2013, 14:16 pm
Transformation-226 :
hahaha
oh Transie, i suppose next you’re going to
tell me you still wear cowhides and carry a
Xhosa spear..?..
you’re now being an arse. you reckon i share much with scots because i wear clothes? wtf do anzacs wear?
do you also wear kilts?
what would i and a frenchman have in common CULTURALLY that i wouldn’ t have with a new zealander?
24 Jan 2013, 14:17 pm
Nortie
ka pai. (thanks)
someone’s got to keep him honest
24 Jan 2013, 14:17 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-267:
Bakkies
The e- mail was derogatory and upsetting, but I believe a lot at that time had to do with the dislike of Doc Luyt at that stage.
We can now look back at the shambles that is the Lions and say he was good at what he did, but a lot had to do with the way he was perceived by the SANZAR cousins and that may have made it easier for them to want to teach us a lesson.
Mind you, it’s just my opinion and I might be way off, but we didn’t exactly endear ourselves during readmission and still carried on as we were the best in the world.
24 Jan 2013, 14:18 pm
@BrumbiesBoy-266:
and the rebels have brought what exactly to super rugby?
empty stadiums, pathetic rugby and poor scenery
do they even have cheerleaders..?..
24 Jan 2013, 14:21 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-278:
Makes for entertaining reading.
24 Jan 2013, 14:24 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-283:
They brought a vodka stealing Pom who sometimes masquerades as a fly half to the party for our entertainment.
Let them be.
24 Jan 2013, 14:26 pm
@BrumbiesBoy-266: read & weep fake Aussie
” The arbitrators felt that the
Southern Kings’ bid was more advanced
with regard to business and financial
planning and organization structure and
governance. They also felt that the
Southern Kings also had a stronger player
base and rugby tradition.”
even the decision to include the Rebels was fortified by greed & not pure rugby intentions hehehe…
24 Jan 2013, 14:28 pm
Bakkies, do you honestly think SA deserves 6 super rugby teams?
NZ for all you know may have voted for Taranaki or Hawkes Bay to be included instead of the rebels. as they made applications to be the 15th team also.
but 5 teams from each country suited the whole conference idea, wrapped it up nice and neat.
I
24 Jan 2013, 14:32 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-283: They beat the Saders….they party HARD (really hard….)and they actually play a nice brand of rugga. Me, I dig ‘em.
24 Jan 2013, 14:33 pm
maybe NZ didn’t vote for the kings because we care too much for our saffa brothers?
as almost all here tell us, they are going to be embarrassing for SA fans apparently
we are caring people and didn’t want to see you guys more embarassed
24 Jan 2013, 14:45 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-283: With respect Bakkies, you’re missing the point.
What Pops is saying is don’t blame the Aussies and Kiwis because the Saffers didn’t get their way in trying to force in a sixth Super Rugby team.
24 Jan 2013, 14:45 pm
http://www.sport24.co.za/OtherSport/Cycling/SA-to-re-test-50-top-cyclists-20130124
This should be good for about 50 woeful dissertations courtesy of the multi alter Sybil in the US of A.
24 Jan 2013, 14:46 pm
Canada and the USA are to be included in the Pacific nations cup this year
great for them imo
24 Jan 2013, 14:47 pm
@Transformation-286: That may well be, we all know how greedy the suits are.
But the Rebels didn’t get in at the expense of an existing Aussie team, did they now Einstein?
24 Jan 2013, 14:47 pm
Pretoria – A Pretoria family and a restaurant owner have laid charges against each other following a vicious fight over a pizza.
An argument over R14 for a few strips of chicken turned into a physical fight between the Coetzer family and Dawie du Toit, 53, owner of the Van der Stel Kuierkroeg and Restaurant, reported Beeld.
Bakkies jou doring. The customer is always right.
24 Jan 2013, 14:50 pm
That Hore moved faster than any subsequent thread since.
24 Jan 2013, 14:50 pm
@Transformation-280:
hahaha
take it easy, Trans
we’re on the same team, remember
how good were Bafana!
am really chuffed at the win, except for the silly shenanigans it was top class.
i’m firmly back on board the bafana bus
24 Jan 2013, 14:52 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-296:
Uh oh
Cardinal mistake
Cause he’s black swerve the subject to Bafana Bafana!
Nou is dit AAN !!!!!!!!!!
24 Jan 2013, 14:53 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-294: Them Coetzer’s do love their chicken….
24 Jan 2013, 14:53 pm
@nortierd-282:
you are a reasonable man,Nortie.
true, i suppose it cuts both ways but the idea of one partner colluding with the other somehow seems a little more distasteful than us behaving like dooses.
just my view on it.
24 Jan 2013, 14:54 pm
@nortierd-285:
well, the Kings bring far more than that if you ask me.
they can suck it.
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