SANZAR agree to future shape of Super Rugby competition

By staff writers
May 14, 2009 SANZAR have agreed to the future shape of the Super Rugby competition, but it will be reported back to the respective unions before being made public.

The agreed structure was agreed to as a result of a meeting of the executive committee of SANZAR in Dublin on Thursday.

SANZAR chief executive, Andy Marinos, said that the agreed structure will be reported to the respective unions first, and then made public.

“Whilst there was a robust and constructive discussion of the issues, it was clear that the partners were all united in wanting to continue playing Super Rugby and Tri-Nations,” said Marinos.

“We have agreed on a way forward and wish to inform our stakeholders before making any further comment.”

The current SANZAR agreement on Super 14 expires at the end of 2010.


http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...002381,00.html

I can't f@#!%$g believe IT!

Serious??

It's disbanding and Aus and NZ are going to form the Trans-Tasman championship. Please,please,please let it be so.

"Robust and constructive discussion ..." Most people would just call that an argument :P

Victorian Rebels Welcome!!

So lets hope its a Super 15 in 2011.... add one Melbourne Super franchise... divide into 3 national conferences. Introducing a top 6 semi final series... I make it 24 weeks total of Super 15 rugby not including any full tournament bye weeks... That's around 76 hours of additional Super rugby for the broadcasters…

All played under the approved IRB 10 ELVs…

Just may have saved Southern Hemisphere rugby... Lets hope this the case… This will help bring back players to Australia and keep some here... Australian rugby will be all the stronger for it...

Sanzar nations agree on rugby format

By MARC HINTON - Rugbyheaven


We now have an expanded Super 15 rugby competition after the three Sanzar nations finally reached a compromise around the boardroom table in Dublin today, though the champagne corks were not exactly being popped by any of the protagonists.

NZRU boss Steve Tew gave a distinctly guarded thumbs-up to the solution reached between the New Zealand, Australia and South Africa partners who make up the Sanzar collective over the future of Super rugby. This follows a prolonged impasse, where major sticking points had emerged over each country's vision for the future.

At one stage New Zealand and Australia had even threatened to go it alone in an Asia-Pacific competition, prompting South Africa to respond with a threat to look to align with the northern hemisphere.

Finally some common ground has been found and a "delighted" Tew said that would now be taken to the broadcasting partner by the June 30 deadline. He added that "all the boxes had been ticked" in terms of key detail, such as revenue proportions and time-frame.

However, we will have to wait until next week for details of the new competition for 2011 and beyond as all three nations go back to their stakeholders with that information before releasing it publicly.

But be assured it will be a Super 15, it will feature an expanded conference-based format and it will offer significantly more product to the broadcasters for whom the competition is being tailored.

Asked by Fairfax Media about which nation had had to make the compromises to get the new competition over the line, Tew made it clear that no one was exactly dancing a jig following the Dublin pow-wow.

"Everyone had to make some compromises," said Tew. "It's fair to say we're all satisfied. No one is overly joyed and no one is bitterly disappointed, which when you try to get three parties to agree to something as complex as this is probably the right result."

Tew would not confirm that the new competition will be the Super 15 that has been broadly outlined in discussions prior to this meeting, but effectively rubber-stamped that aspect of the agreement.

"I think you can plan reasonably confidently that will be part of the detail, but I'd rather not go much further than that at this stage," he said.

The NZRU chief executive also indicated that perhaps it had been the South Africans who had to make the most significant shifts in terms of their preferred model, when he explained the way forward from here.

"All three parties were pretty keen to get home and give our shareholders a little bit of insight into what's been agreed before we went public. That's particularly important for the South Africans so we've agreed to that."

Timing has been a particular sticking point prior to today's meeting. South Africa had wanted to retain a February kickoff to the expanded competition, while New Zealand and Australia were adamant a March start was the earliest they would agree to.

New Zealand and Australia are hoping to move away from the summer sports overlap in February and also see the benefits in giving international players a longer break between seasons. On the other hand, the South Africans are reluctant for the new competition to impinge on their provincial Currie Cup which starts in July.

Further complicating matters is the June IRB-enforced test window.

In terms of the 15th team, the sticking point heading into today's discussions had been over whether Australia or South Africa should get the new franchise. Though, given the desire to establish three distinct conferences with more “local” matches, it was hard to see how a sixth South African side could fit in with that.

Tew denied the Sanzar relationship had been damaged by the at-times bitter and public nature of the negotiations, with the Australians in particularly airing many of their concerns through the media.

"We have a very deep and very long relationship with both countries and I'm confident our relationship with both is in very good shape," said Tew.

He added that it was not unusual for three parties with such different interests and drivers to go through robust debate in a process like this. "It's a pity that it's been played out in the media to the extent it has been, but that's just the way it's been. We haven't played that game ourselves."

The Kiwi boss also assured the New Zealand rugby public that their best interests had been served, though he conceded there was a qualifier.

"You do have to make some compromise to get the bigger picture ticked off. Certainly our view was to remain in a three-way venture with Australia and South Africa was in the best interests of New Zealand rugby. All the information we've been getting from the broadcast environment, sponsors, and market research steered us down that line."

The successful Tri-Nations competition had not thrown up "too many issues" though Tew said there had been a further meeting with representatives from Argentina with a view to their eventual inclusion.

It's fair to say that things are not exactly rocketing along in that area.

"That remains a work in progress and it's still to be determined whether we can fit Argentina into a Four-Nations and add some value. But we haven't dismissed it either," said Tew.

"They still have quite a bit to do, and they need to go away and do it and do it pretty quickly, frankly."

But overall Tew felt it was a significant day for southern hemisphere rugby.

"We're very pleased," he said. "We needed some certainty, we needed to get work done now on detail so we can be in front of the broadcasters as per our contracted timetable.

"We can now take this information forward into our discussions with the Air NZ Cup unions next week and with a little bit of luck and a following wind we might be able to nail that quite quickly too.

"Then we will have real certainty about our competitions."

Not that it was actually an issue, but one thing which we can be assured of with a SANZAR competition remaining the status quo is that the Western Force will remain in Perth.

Agree with you on that Coach.

It wasn't an issue but would have become one if the Trans-Tasman or Asia-Pacific competition models were to become a reality.

SANZAR agree to future shape of Super Rugby competition

May 15, 2009

Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill has hailed a resolution to Super 14 expansion plans following a crisis meeting in Dublin.

While details of the new competition structure are currently being kept secret, Australian, New Zealand and South African officials have agreed to a new competition format from 2011 that is expected to see the inclusion of a new Australian franchise.

Governing body SANZAR will table their plans to broadcasters before the end of next month with the current deal to expire at the end of 2010.

O'Neill, who was involved in the Dublin meeting, said final agreement with New Zealand and South Africa on a way forward was a significant development for rugby in the southern hemisphere.

While the ARU had made contingency plans for an alternative trans-Tasman competition, O'Neill said their first priority was to expand the Super 14 with South Africa.

"After what has been a long and at times robust process, that ambition has now been realised," he said.

"We are excited about the future as SANZAR prepares to present to broadcasters by the end of next month.

"We are not at liberty at this stage to discuss competition structures or the new-look season calendar in detail.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...002381,00.html