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Sunday arvo Tests return after ARU sees the light
GREG GROWDEN
April 23, 2010
Afternoon delight ... the Wallabies salute the crowd as the sun sets over the then Telstra Stadium in 2005. They had just beaten Samoa 74-7. Photo: Getty Images
THE Wallabies playing Test matches on Sunday afternoons appears a certainty after the announcement yesterday of a lucrative five-year SANZAR broadcast agreement worth $US437 million ($471m).
The agreement, which runs from 2011 to 15, represents a 35 per cent increase on the current five-year deal, with the Australian Rugby Union gaining a 30 per cent increase in its SANZAR share.
While Fox Sports has again secured the Australian rights for Super rugby and Test matches, the Nine Network is the new free-to-air rights holder in Australia, replacing the Seven Network.
Nine will show the Wallabies Tests, plus a weekly one-hour highlights program on Super rugby.
A prime lure for broadcasters is the expansion of Super Rugby to 15 teams next season and a three-conference format. This will result in an increase of 34 matches next season, while the number of Super matches in Australia will rise from 26 to 40. Local derbies in Australia will rise from six to 20.
As part of the new format, the broadcasters and the SANZAR partners (New Zealand, Australia and South Africa) are looking at playing double headers and triple headers during the Super season. One format involves playing triple headers on Saturday nights, with kick-offs at 5.30pm, 7.30pm and 9.30pm.
ARU officials are also eager for regular Sunday matches, involving kick-offs at either 4.30pm or 5pm. They believe that this will boost crowds, and especially draw families with children, who are not interested in attending night fixtures.
The broadcasters have also told the ARU that specially selected afternoon games will also attract strong ratings, prompting great interest in scheduling Australian Tests at home on Sundays.
The ARU has noted that Sunday matches involving the Queensland Reds have been a success.
ARU chief executive John O'Neill said yesterday he was ''a great advocate of Sunday afternoon football''.
''We have to be open-minded about improving the game,'' O'Neill said. ''Over the last two years, I have been really thumping the table about how disillusioned people are with the game. Whilst the tweaking of the laws has improved the game, and better rugby is getting some people back, they are still not coming back in their droves.
''And when you lose people it is really hard to get them back. Our real objective is to enthuse customers. We have to look at what customers want, and Sunday afternoon games loom large. I wouldn't even mind playing Test matches on a Sunday afternoon. It is well and truly on the agenda.''
For many years, rugby supporters have complained about the lack of afternoon Test matches, and the return to Sunday fixtures is bound to boost crowds, especially for matches involving the northern hemisphere countries.
SANZAR has appointed a Canadian company - Optimal Solutions - to organise the new Super draw. To construct a balanced draw, the company will take into account numerous factors, including preferred venues and minimising travel costs.
The preferences of the three countries, including New Zealand's eagerness to play local derbies on Anzac Day, will also be considered.
The New Zealand Rugby Union announced yesterday a record $NZ15.9 million ($12.1m) loss for 2009, attributing it to the impact of the global recession, together with investments in hosting the 2011 World Cup. The investments contributed $NZ6.3m towards the loss, while the operational loss was $NZ9.6m.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/un...0422-tg0i.html
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