Australian Super 14 hopes headed by Manchester United and Real Madrid
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WRITTEN BY JAMES MORTIMER
FRIDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2009
The ACT Brumbies and NSW Waratahs will mount relentless tilts at the 2010 Super 14 crown next year, with both teams boasting a galaxy of Australian Rugby Union stars.
The Brumbies, the 2001 and 2004 champions, will be well placed to add a third title joining the Blues as the second most decorated team in the history of Super Rugby. Coach Andy Friend has 13 players at his disposal that are on ARU contracts, with four past or present test players joining their ranks from last year.
The Waratahs, the 2005 and 2008 runners-up, will have 12 players on “central contracts” and have been challenged by Phil Waugh to go one step further this year and break their title drought. As with the Brumbies, the NSW squad is man for man among the strongest in the competition.
Berrick Barnes, the highest profile Waratahs recruit, joked that the Brumbies will commence the Super 14 as the “Real Madrid” of the Southern Hemispheres premier rugby tournament.
But at the same time, NSW are in many respects comparable to any high profile football club themselves, all but the Manchester United of the competition.
Still, while their player rosters may indicate that they will rival any of the world’s richest and more decorated sporting clubs, it is in roster only, not in actual dollars.
The Brumbies are technically the smallest of Australia’s unions, and were in strife in 2006 when the Western Force was introduced. The Australian Capital Territory boasts a solid competition with the ACTRU premier division and the John Dent Cup, but it is considered a tiny contest when compared to what is essentially the country’s premier domestic tournament, represented by the Shute Shield in NSW.
Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan might have allowed himself a smile, especially when reflecting on how strong his clubs roster is, but any comparison to a bigger club ended there.
"It's nothing but funny," Fagan said.
"We've obviously got a few big-name players. All of that is built off the result of having a good program but the reality is we're 'little old Canberra' just minding our business.”
"We'd like to have the money of Real Madrid but these players aren't being bought with millions of dollars, they are being encouraged to come here through the IP (intellectual property) and hopefully the promise of an enjoyable time of playing footy with a lot of great mates."
It was the Force’s big third party deals and corporate backing that allowed them to lure talent, but all the money in the world can’t buy a winning culture or history, which the Brumbies have.
But while the Brumbies and Waratahs will have teams to compete with the current competition heavyweights - the Bulls, Crusaders, Hurricanes, Chiefs and Sharks, the other two Australian teams will be struggling if one was to base potential results on the strength of a team’s roster.
The Western Force will be significant weaker with few players on ARU contracts, while the Queensland Reds will have the lowest number of Wallaby representatives or central players since the game went professional in 1996.
The numbers will not be officially confirmed by the ARU, but it does raise the argument that Australian rugby power is spread unevenly.
This is in stark comparison to rival codes, with the NRL and AFL operating under salary caps. In comparison the ARU contract system acts as a “top up” system that allows in practice the best players in the country to play for any team they like.
Former ARU high performance manager Pat Howard is aware of the imbalance, but with the contracting system geared towards securing the top two or three players in each position, state interests are not prioritised.
"I know it may seem unfair (at present) but it's only a snapshot in time," Howard said.
"There are plenty of top-up players who can't make the (Wallabies squad), and Lote Tuqiri was a great example of that. That imbalance has existed in different ways in previous times.”
"For mine, I think (provinces) have to get their rugby program right.”
"Ultimately people move teams for opportunity. My feeling is, as a player you would rather be in a starting team playing against Matt Giteau rather than being on the bench behind him."
Some believe that the spreading of talent evenly via a draft could actually harm rugby in the short term in Australia. Even the stronger sides such as the Waratahs have by and large underachieved in recent times, and with both NSW and the Brumbies having such formidable sides, it could benefit the Wallabies in being able to draw from two “superpower” sides.
Certainly it has been a long time since two Australian Super 14 teams have looked so impressive on paper.
Still, it does give the teams in Australia an unbalanced look, and there is no doubt that the Reds and the Force could struggle next year with weakened rosters.
Former Queensland coach Phil Mooney never blamed the system, but was an advocate for the implication of a transfer fee policy, which meant that states were reimbursed for developing and then losing top level talent.
Queenslanders and Western Australians may have hard years in front of them, which could only get worse with the soon to be frenzied recruitment for the fifth Australian team. But while those respective unions may struggle if they cannot post the results, the nation as a whole will be excited by the opportunity that two such talent laden Waratahs and Brumbies could take, and win a third Super 14 title for Australia.
2010 Brumbies Squad
Alexander, Ben
Ashley-Cooper, Adam
Chapman, Mitchell
Chisholm, Mark
Edmonds, Huia
Elsom, Rocky
Fainifo, Francis
Giteau, Matt
Hand, Ben
Harrison, Justin
Hoiles, Stephen
Kimlin, Peter
Lealiifano, Christian
Ma'afu, Salesi
Mafi, Alifeleti
McCabe, Pat
Moore, Stephen
Mortlock, Stirling
Phibbs, Patrick
Shepherdson, Guy
Smith, Andrew
Smith, George
Smith, Tyrone
Taumoepeau, Afusipa
Timani, Sitaleki
Toomua, Matt
Valentine, Josh
Vanderglas, Henry
Yanuyanutawa, Jerry
2010 Waratahs Squad
Chris Alcock
Sosene Anesi
Berrick Barnes
Alastair Baxter
Kurtley Beale
Luke Burgess
Will Caldwell
Tom Carter
Ben Coridas
Dave Dennis
Damien Fitzpatrick
Adam Freier
Daniel Halangahu
Josh Holmes
Rob Horne
Cam Jowitt
Sekope Kepu
Drew Mitchell
Ben Mowen
Dean Mumm
Nemani Nadolo
Dan Palmer
Wycliff Palu
Tatafu Polota-Nau
Benn Robinson
Hendrik Roodt
Rory Sidey
Chris Thomson
Jeremy Tilse
Lachie Turner
Phil Waugh (C)
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Originally Posted by Timbo
