'Super Rugby' 2021
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Players such as Semi Radradra, Charles Piutau and Taqele Naiyaravoro are currently running rampant in England, and Nichol admitted “feelers had been put out” to Europe-based talent with a view to them returning to play in Super Rugby.LOL - they're not coming back for some South Pacific Pesos
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@antipodean Piutau would be available for AB selection, so some extra coin available if he made it, but even then, he'd still be earning much less than up there.
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@antipodean said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
Players such as Semi Radradra, Charles Piutau and Taqele Naiyaravoro are currently running rampant in England, and Nichol admitted “feelers had been put out” to Europe-based talent with a view to them returning to play in Super Rugby.LOL - they're not coming back for some South Pacific Pesos
Of course, those players will never come back as they are earning mega bucks, so I'm not sure why Cully mentioned them. Piutau isn't coming back to NZ either as he choose money over playing for the ABs.
However, there will be plenty of PI players at UK and French clubs who aren't earning that sort of coin so if the money offered by Pasifika is comparable they might be keen.
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@Bovidae There is also the chance that CV, Brexit, etc will make clubs/unions enforce tighter country of origin rules, freeing up foreign players. For Ex UK post Brexit will not have PI and SA counting as locals, France are every restricting foreign players, Ireland/Wales are losing so much money and will want to cut wages...
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@KiwiMurph said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
@Derpus said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
@KiwiMurph It's not misleading when talking about the value to Fox - which is what we are discussing.
What do Fox care about FTA figures?
I meant just in terms of overall numbers viewing - of course FFA would get broadcast $ from Free To Air too.
Regarding the A-League Grand Final ratings see below (the maths seem out by 1k though).
A Foxtel spokesman informed the Herald 151,000 people watched the match on Foxtel. Of those, 84,000 watched via the Linear box services while 66,000 watched on either Foxtel Now, Foxtel Go or their over-the-top sports streaming service, Kayo.Haven't been able to find the full numbers including streaming (Foxtel Now/Foxtel Go/Kayo) but the Super Rugby Au Final had 89,000 that watched via Linear box services (compared with 84,000 for the A-League Grand Final). Pretty decent numbers I think - about double the figures for a usual Super Rugby Au game.
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The position of SA is likely to crystalise today. From Wayne K. Smith (paywalled):
South Africa set to quit Super Rugby and head for Europe
... the general council of SA Rugby meets to vote on whether to send its four strongest franchises north into what will become the European Pro16 competition.
After threatening for so long to switch its provincial focus from SANZAAR to Europe, South Africa finally is about to do the deed, though it has taken nothing less than a global pandemic to bring about this long-predicted outcome. Certainly within South African rugby circles it is regarded as an open secret that the general council will vote to send the Sharks, Stormers, Bulls and Lions into the Pro16.
Technically speaking, this arrangement is purely for 2021, in much the same way as NZ’s Super Rugby Aotearoa and Australia’s Super Rugby AU are also only holdover competitions for next year until the coronavirus crisis passes. After that, supposedly, they will all resume the 14-team Super Rugby series that, as SANZAAR members, they have committed to through to 2025.
At least, that is how it stands at present. The expectation, however, is that the SANZAAR executive committee will decide in 2021 to recognise that South African rugby’s future lies permanently in Europe, while Australia and NZ are likely to link up in a trans- Ta$man series. Sadly, the only loser out of this will be Argentina.
... For a brief time, the Pro12 became the Pro14, following the inclusions of the two Super Rugby sides culled in 2017, the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings. But, as the pandemic descended, the expanded competition took a new hit, with the Kings going into liquidation and the Cheetahs being grounded.
It could get very messy indeed in South African rugby if the general council approves of its four senior sides taking the places of the two Super Rugby rejects in what will become the Pro16. While the Kings look like going quietly, the Cheetahs are gearing up for legal action.
As The Sunday Times pointed out, there is also considerable disgruntlement within the general rugby population in South Africa. “The traditionalists will miss regular contact with New Zealand teams,” the newspaper pointed on the weekend.
True, the South Africans have had some great contests with the five Kiwi franchises, replicating the Springbok-All Black Tests. The final Super Rugby ledger records that of the 523 games played between NZ and SA, the Kiwis won 320 of them, a winning percentage of 61.18. But the South Africans also come out behind Australia over the quarter-century of Super Rugby, with the five Australian teams winning 225 games out of 424 with SA rivals, a win ratio of 53.06. ...
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And from NZ behind the paywall
New Zealand Rugby is now believed to be looking at just one expansion option for Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021, based in South Auckland.
Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021 will be a six team competition if New Zealand Rugby's board sign off this week on a proposal to include a Pasifika team.
Despite inviting expressions of interest and indicating a desire to run at least an eight-team competition next year, NZR is believed to be looking at just one expansion option for 2021.
A proposal has been tabled to run a Pasifika Moana team out of South Auckland which will be funded by a mix of broadcast and sponsorship income and governed by respective representatives from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
A number of other initiatives are thought to have been proposed to help Pasifika Moana be competitive, which include the ability of currently contracted New Zealand players to be loaned to the new team.
New Zealand's five Super Rugby teams run with about 38 contracted players, some of whom barely play in any given season.
Allowing some of those players to be released, while recruiting others from the Islands and New Zealand provincial sides should enable a competitive squad to be built.
There are plenty of high quality coaches available, with former All Blacks coach Graham Henry having been sounded out about an advisory role and Auckland's Alama Ieremia one of a few current coaches with strong Pacific links thought to be interested.
While the team would only have a few months to prepare for a proposed late February-early March competition start, it would be enough time for them to make a meaningful impact.
Finding players might not be the biggest problem, however. Paying them will be but it is believed that Sky TV are striving to see how they can make it work.
If the broadcast rights holder believes the inclusion of Pasifika Moana will add value to the competition then it is believed it will table a financial package that will form the basis of the new team's income.
While there are concerns about a Pasifika Moana team in South Auckland cannibalising support and taking fans away from the Blues and Chiefs, they are thought to be unfounded.
Most analysis has concluded that Pasifika exists as a strong, independent brand with a worldwide following that will increase the overall fan base of Super Rugby and be attractive to sponsors and global broadcasters.
Far from diluting the value of Super Rugby, the research is believed to suggest the inclusion of a Pacific team will grow interest and expand audience reach.
Having publicly stated their desire to see a Pasifika team included, the pressure has mounted on NZR to green-light the proposal, with well-placed sources suggesting that if it doesn't agree at its board meeting this week to Pacific inclusion, it never will.
There is unanimous agreement that a six-team format next year will be more engaging and more practical than the five-team format of this year.
And inviting Pasifika Moana to take part in 2021 will pave the way for them to be included longer term when borders re-open and it becomes feasible to make longer-term plans.
At the moment, New Zealand can't grant licences beyond next year as they remain tied to Sanzaar obligations.
Next year is being treated, contractually, as a one-off due to the on-going impact of Covid-19 which has made it impossible to plan with any certainty whether teams will be able to travel beyond their own national border.
What is clouding the future of Super Rugby further is the uncertainty about South Africa's longer term intentions.
An announcement is expected this week on whether South Africa will take up an invitation to place more of its teams in the European Pro 14 league and for how long.
If they, as expected, decide to commit to that competition for the long haul, it will pave the way for New Zealand and Australia to potentially re-engage in formal negotiations about forming a cross-border Super Rugby competition in 2022, while also discussing the prospect of a champions' league style play-off next year.
Despite the strained relationship between the two caused by New Zealand's unilateral decision to take control of Super Rugby in this part of the world, there is growing optimism that both nations will come back to the table early next year and consider a format in 2022 that will see five New Zealand teams, five from Australia, Pasifika Moana and Fiji play in a revamped Super 12.
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Jesus. Welcome the Manukau Southern Kings.
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@gt12 said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
Jesus. Welcome the Manukau Southern Kings.
hey, diluting the competition has worked really well in the past. Don't get snippy. More teams means more product means more money. I mean, it's not like you're going to pack Eden Park to watch a 5 team comp with high quality
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@canefan they may want to, but does Europe want them? The seasons are still really hard to align unless folk want to play rugby in summer in SA.
It's hot in summer in SA, and a long flight from western Europe.
I'll wait to see how it goes first I think
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@Godder said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
@nzzp hopefully the Pro 14 accepting them was somewhere in the proposal.
Pro 14 is one thing - but when are they going to play and prep for internationals? Pro 14 is September to May - so how does that fit in with playing NZ/Aus? Looks like they could be our June tourists in future, which is a real pity. We'll be sick of playing Aus and Arg when we're done
