Melbourne awarded 15th Super rugby team

[blueandblack]

Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill has applauded "a vote for common sense" after Melbourne was awarded the franchise for the 15th Super rugby team when the competition expands in 2011.

The Victorian capital was chosen by independent arbitrators after the board of SANZAR (South Africa New Zealand Australia Rugby) failed to reach an agreement last month between it and a competing bid from South Africa's Southern Kings.

Former World Cup-winning captain David Kirk and retired New Zealand High Court judge Barry Paterson conducted the review of each bid before deciding on Melbourne.

The existing Super 14 competition will be reorganised along a conference system with five teams now in each of the three countries.

SANZAR said a 15th Super rugby team in South Africa would have reduced broadcasting revenue by between $US15 million and $20 million over the term of a contract.

"The Melbourne application provided considerably greater commercial benefit... than the Southern Kings application," SANZAR said in a statement.

O'Neill added in a statement: "This is a vote for common sense.

"Melbourne has an extraordinary capacity for sport and we can now deliver them a Super rugby side they can embrace and support in an established competition of genuine international standing."

Victorian Rugby Union president Gary Gray said the new franchise should get some concessions to contract players.

"So we'd be able to recruit experienced and successful players from other parts of the world, but importantly, there is a lot of depth in the Australian rugby ranks and part of the benefit of having the fifth team is to further strengthen what's sometimes referred to as the fairly low in depth ranks of quality players in Australia," he said.

The team will play at the purpose-built rectangular stadium opposite the Melbourne Park tennis centre and within sight of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

-Reuters

[beige]

Whew

[pieter blackie]

Is this a good thing or a bad thing

Now the small number of rugby players in AU are going to be split up even more Making the standard even lower

---------- Post added at 06:46 ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 ----------

And the small amount of money

[GIGS20]

How do people feel about Gary Gray calling for contracting concessions in the first 15 minutes.

I must admit I'm torn, I wouldn't want to see the new franchise put in the same position as Perth, but I don't think it's reasonable to treat them differently from all the others.

Either they are a 'split' team made up of 1/2 Aussie players and 1/2 PI or Argentine players or all teams have the same access to players/contracts/internationals etc

And if concessions are allowed, there should be a cap put on them. No point in giving Melbourne carte blanche to steal every promising prospect in perpetuity.

Possibly 3 years of additional payments allowed as seed money. It won't help the club recruit the right players. We've learned the value of highly paid mercenaries over here in the West, but a smart operator will still be able to pick the right talent and use the concession money to tip the balance and get them in the club.

I also think it'd be good to get some loyalty back at the provincial level. I am not a fan of players jumping from one team to the polar opposite such as happens all the time ATM. Matty Dunning and Berrick Barnes have both been great pickups for their clubs, but the fans have to overcome a bucketload of prejudice to accept them.

(Dunning's reinvented himself, the new, slim powerhouse that he has become is far superior to his tah stunk self of history.)

[palitu]

from the other thread, they said the govt has provided them with the "worlds best rugby stadium"...

Im fairly certain that isn't accurate...

[tic]

from the other thread, they said the govt has provided them with the "worlds best rugby stadium"...

Im fairly certain that isn't accurate...

Yeah right - well Brumby would say that, wouldn't he?

He is so myopic that he would never have heard of Ellis Park, Twickenham, Millenium, Suncorp etc.

It's an interesting bubble that has been built down there, but at the end of the day, and for all the frilly bits on top, it seats only 3000 more than Skilled Park on the Gold Coast (a city with 17% of melbourne's population).

[slomo]

congrats to melbourne, who will be their first 2 signings barnes and elmson ?..
Posted via Mobile Device

[jargan83]

Is this a good thing or a bad thing

Now the small number of rugby players in AU are going to be split up even more Making the standard even lower

---------- Post added at 06:46 ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 ----------

And the small amount of money

And a 6th South African side being pushed for political reasons was any better? Given that 2 out of the Saffers 5 sides usually prop up the rest of the ladder

from the other thread, they said the govt has provided them with the "worlds best rugby stadium"...

Im fairly certain that isn't accurate...

It's probably better then our stadium

[lara93]

crabsticks!!!!!

[James]

Is this a good thing or a bad thing

Now the small number of rugby players in AU are going to be split up even more Making the standard even lower

---------- Post added at 06:46 ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 ----------

And the small amount of money

Since there will be more games in the expanded competition the teams will have a bit more cash to splash and I think part of the plan is opening things up a bit with marquee signings. It will make the standard of play in Australia lower but then again if New Zealand had a new team or South Africa had a new team the same thing would happen if perhaps to a lesser extent. I said before that if the ARU allows 3 marquee players if only temporarily (subject to ARU approval so that every team doesn't take the same kind of player) then the 4 current teams will have 8 players they don't need between them and then if you can convince 8 players to come back from overseas (which wouldn't be that hard) you have half a squad and you haven't really affected the depth of Australian rugby. Then you can use club land and a few locals and junior stars to fill out the ranks.

[TOCC]

The recruitment process is going to be very interesting, ive always supported a system where the new side is allowed to recruit upwards of 70% foreign based players in the first 2 years, reduced to 50% in 2013 and 25% in 2015.

This will avoid the overall strain on the Australia player pool, alternatively they could introduce more foreign players for each team..


I know some people arent happy about the expansion, and it will be tough for the first couple of years, but the overall revenue and exposure increase which Melbourne will provide will be beneficial to rugby union nationally in years to come.

[beige]

I would favour spreading the imports around all 5 franchises but, like James said, with the ARU having final say so we don't end up getting 5 fly-halves.

The rule in NZ (where they do allow imports) is that the NZRU decides whether or not the role could be filled by a local, although I'm guessing they're a bit less autonomous than the Australian teams.

[AndyS]

Melbourne beats off the Kings' challenge

SANZAR has announced Melbourne as the 15th Super Rugby team, to join the competition when expansion occurs in 2011.

An arbitration panel - consisting of former World Cup-winning All Black captain David Kirk and retired New Zealand high court judge Barry Paterson - was tasked by the SANZAR executive committee to decide on the location of the 15th Super Rugby team.

The key reasons for the arbitration panel selecting Melbourne over the other applicant, the Southern Kings from South Africa, were:

• The Experts commented that both applicants were able to point to excellent infrastructure support, and both provided sound business plans and financial forecasts, with the support of their National Unions, guaranteeing financial viability.
• The Southern Kings proposal was more advanced with regard to business and financial planning and organization structure and governance. The Southern Kings were also able to point to a strong rugby tradition, a large playing base and presented a stronger case than Melbourne as to their rugby readiness.
• These strengths of the Southern King’s Application did not, however, offset the benefits in geographical location and commercial value to SANZAR (both of which criteria the Experts were asked to place considerable weight on) that the Melbourne Application was able to deliver.
• The 15th Super Rugby team will play in the Australian Conference under the new Super Rugby competition format from 2011. This means they will play both home and away against the other four Australian Conference teams. As a result the Southern Kings would be required to make two crossings of the Indian Ocean in a season. The local derby aspect of matches in Australia, an important issue for generating attendances and broadcasting value, would also have been diluted and it would not have been possible to schedule at least two matches in each country each weekend. In addition having the team resident in South Africa introduces additional costs to SANZAR of around NZ$720,000 per annum.
• The Melbourne Application provided considerably greater commercial benefit to SANZAR than the Southern Kings Application. Evidence was provided that revenue from the sale of broadcasting rights to Australasian broadcasters would be reduced by US$15-20m over the course of a five year agreement should the 15th team be resident in South Africa, with little or no commensurate rise in the value of South African broadcasting revenue.....

http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/...ws/2048700.htm

[James]

When is the vBookie going to settle the vBets and give me enough vCash to buy a vTank?

VvvvvvVvvvvvvVVVVVvvvvvv.

[Burgs]

It's the sensible and logical decision and will be good for Australian Rugby in the mid and long term, so congratulations Melbourne.

Whether it is good for Australian Rugby in the short term will rest largely with the ARU and the dispensations they can allow.
I'm probably leaning towards TOCC's model (perhaps not as high as 75% though) of a tapering overseas content, perhaps tied to an increased quota (1 or 2 more) for the other four teams.
Competitiveness is the tool that leads to depth, provided it remains controlled.
More important than anything else, the SANZAR nations must stem the tide north and find ways to compete with the NH nations for loyalt....strike that, signatures on contracts.
The main tool remains national selection versus Euro's however, as the world becomes financial again SANZAR must develop deeper drought reserves and prove they have world's best product.
Financial success will then lead to addressing the other priority of dragging the Tier2 & 3 nations along with us, both at grass roots and Provincial/Test.
Above all, I'm glad sanity prevailed and I'm glad it is OVER!