South Africa may leave Super Rugby
South Africa may leave Super Rugby
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Australian Super Rugby sides may be central to a new trans-Tasman competition within five years Picture: AAP
WAYNE SMITH
SENIOR SPORT WRITER
7:37PM JANUARY 7, 2020
Australia and New Zealand are considering replacing the much maligned Super Rugby series with a trans-Tasman competition without South Africa supplemented by Japan — but it won’t happen until the next broadcast deal begins in 2026.
In other news, incoming Wallabies coach Dave Rennie will take a 10-day break from coaching the Glasgow Warriors in the Guinness Pro14 competition to make a flying visit to Australia later this month for meetings with his new Wallabies coaching staff and to confer with all four Australian Super Rugby sides.
It is understood that while some consideration was given to dismantling SANZAAR last year and allowing South Africa to go its own way — at least as far as Super Rugby was concerned — the idea was never seriously debated. But sources have told The Australian that when the talks are held in advance of the five-year cycle beginning in 2026, it would be very much an item for formal discussion.
That discussion would have to weigh up the considerable loss involved in cutting South African broadcasters right out of the SANZAAR television deal. But, on the flip side, if the republic’s four Super Rugby sides did move into northern hemisphere competitions, it would dramatically reduce SANZAAR’s travel costs.
While New Zealand, under former chief executive Steve Tew, showed little interest in indulging Australia’s enthusiasm for a competition that would bring all matches into the same relative time zones, the real impediment to a trans-Tasman series was that Japan was simply not seen as a viable player — yet.
Even through the SANZAAR members — Australia, NZ, South Africa and Argentina — voted to cull the Sunwolves from Super Rugby when the next cycle begins in 2021, Australia and NZ also made a separate commitment to help raise the standard of Japanese domestic rugby.
If Japan is able to demonstrate over the next five years that it has brought its domestic competition up to an acceptable level, then it would dramatically improve the prospects of a trans-Tasman competition becoming a reality.
With Tew, who did Australia no favours during his term with the NZ Rugby, now retired and former All Black centre and Taranaki boss Mark Robinson officially coming into the chair only this month, the hope is that the Anzac partners will again work more *co-operatively.
If a trans-Tasman competition was to take shape, the existing five Kiwi sides and the four Australian franchises would form the spine. The door presumably would be open for the Western Force to regain its place in the region’s top provincial rugby competition, though if Andrew Forrest’s Global Rapid Rugby proves a hit, the Perth club might not be interested.
The remaining places would probably be assigned to Japanese clubs, although where Argentina — which by 2026 presumably will boast the new chairman of World Rugby, Gus Pichot — sits in all this is anyone’s guess.
It may be, however, that by 2026 long-haul flights will have become so expensive that only Test sides can afford them.
Rugby Australia’s naming rights sponsor, Qantas, has pledged to cut its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050, breaking ranks with its global airline peers at a time when aviation’s contribution to climate change is being looked at more and more critically. It may well be that if Qantas continues to sponsor RA, it will demand some leadership from RA in helping to turn the tide.
It may well be that if carbon offset schemes push up the cost of international travel, the long hauls to Johannesburg and Buenos Aires will become a thing of the past.
RA, meanwhile, will go to public tender for its broadcast partner early next week after rejecting what it believed was a low offer from Fox Sports. It believes that the sizeable broadcast deals negotiated in recent years by the AFL, NRL and Cricket Australia were only made possible because of competition at the negotiating phase and sources have told The Australian they regard Optus as a realistic competitor.
While Optus would demand a different way of watching rugbythey also would bring a powerful balance sheet to the table. It is understood that international platforms such as Amazon, the Zone and Rugbypass have all indicated interest.
Meanwhile, Rennie will arrive in Sydney on January 27 and is expected he will meet with his assistant coaches, Scott Wisemantel and Matt Taylor along with new Wallabies team manager Chris Webb and national head of athletic performance Dean Benton.
He also will meet with the four Super Rugby coaches.
WAYNE SMITH
SENIOR SPORT WRITER
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...53e8d099a7f93c
South Africa may leave Super Rugby
- Will the 4 remaining Australian Super Rugby teams be able to survive financially a new 5 year broadcast cycle starting in 2021, let alone one starting in 2026 (with or without SA and/or Japan)?
- What about the festering sore which is the Melbourne Rebels?
