Super B comp much closer

Australian 'Super B' competition a step closer to reality after ARU dumps national academies\

Jamie Pandaram The Daily Telegraph July 15, 2013 10:00PM

THE ARU is close to forming a "Super B" competition after disbanding its youth academy on Monday.
The nation’s elite young players were told they would no longer be training under the ARU’s academy, set up two years ago, and would instead revert to the previous system run by each of Australia’s five Super Rugby franchises.

The ARU wants to set up a Holden Cup-style third-tier tournament that involves home and away games between the Waratahs, Reds, Brumbies, Rebels and Force. But unlike the rugby league version, which is for players up to 20 years, there is not expected to be an age limit for the reserve competition.

The Daily Telegraph has learned that the controversial national academy was given the boot after many complaints about its functionality within the game’s various levels, from club rugby to Super teams and the Wallabies. National academy players were called to an early morning meeting on Monday and told the academy had been axed.

The academy was formed by former ARU high performance director David Nucifora, who left the organisation early this year. The most talented young players in the country were drafted into two academy bases, Sydney and Brisbane, training three days a week while also training with their club or Super Rugby teams. Franchises will now take in the academy players they want, and other players must ply their trade in club rugby hoping for a break.

A major criticism of the academy was that it was "out of sight, out of mind", with Super Rugby coaches especially reluctant to use academy players because they were training under different systems and unfamiliar with game plans. Now each Super franchise looks likely to have a "B team" in the new third-tier tournament, which would sit above Sydney’s Shute Shield and Queensland’s Premier Rugby.

However, the franchises and ARU remain at loggerheads over who will actually fund the new eight-round competition.

ARU boss Bill Pulver recently said a possible new "Super B" competition could be played under differing rules to attract more live and television viewers.

"There’s multiple issues at play," Pulver said in April.

"One is to accelerate the development of elite players, another is to create more content available for television and a third is to get more people attending the games live. "So a traditional curtain-raiser game - a 40-10-40 game - where you’ve got to start at five o’clock is a tough sell. It’s hard to get people there at five o’clock. "We’re exploring a few innovative concepts of a one-hour curtain-raiser with a few rule changes such as no penalty goals, maybe a lot of short-arm penalties.

"A real focus on creating an environment for smart, creative running rugby; 25 minutes each way and designed to really show the Australian public, who are a little bit frustrated with stoppages in the game, that here’s a great chance to showcase Australia’s young talent in a one-hour curtain-raiser."