Super Rugby 'morsdood' ??

[rowan]

I think it simply comes down to too much rugby. I agree that Super 18 wasn't the problem, although the convoluted schedule and sub-standard additions didn't help matters. But 30 years ago we had domestic championships and a few tests a year. & most of it wasn't televised. Now we've got domestic championships, a few months of Super Rugby, and about a dozen tests a year, including a two-round Southern Hemisphere Championships, 3 legged Bledisloe Cup series, and a meaningless tour in the Autumn to top up the coffers. & all of this is televised, along with everybody else's! That's way too much rugby even for the most ardent fan. I personally stopped watching most of it years ago, and now confine myself to finals and whatever tier 3 games I can pick up via streaming for a little novelty.

Garrin Lambley - Sport24 Editor

Let's not beat around the bush. Super Rugby is dead.

Deader than dead. Morsdood if you prefer the delightful Afrikaans translation. No amount of resuscitation will ever revive it, no matter what organisers and broadcasters will have you believe.

The basis for proof of life in any tournament in any sport is spectator involvement, particularly at stadiums and/or on their couches in front of the telly.

Fans through turnstiles keeps tournaments going. The day they stop attending or flick channels to Comedy Central is the day any tournament flatlines.

Saturday, April 21 in Durban was the day Super Rugby was read its final rites.

Once the biggest rugby clash on the calendar, the Sharks v Stormers showdown failed to register a blip on the radar.

So much so that Kings Park officials didn't even bother selling tickets to the top tier of the stadium, instead opting for shameless advertising banners. And the vast majority of the actual seats that were on sale, were empty.

On a side, yet related note, kudos has to go to whoever it was at Kings Park who managed to pull off the scoop of the century (maybe longer) in convincing new stadium sponsors Jonsson Workwear that it was in fact a good idea to part with no doubt millions and millions in cash to replace Growthpoint.

Word of warning to Jonsson's ... Kings Park will forever be Kings Park - or the Shark Tank - and shall never, ever be known as Jonsson Kings Park!

Not that anyone will turn up at Kings Park to ever see the new branding...

A couple of hours earlier, and Loftus Versfeld was a morgue will only a handful of fans (literally) who bothered to show up for their clash against the Rebels.

This despite the once proud Bullring faithful regularly cramming into the stadium. And the Bulls are now on a three-match win streak!

Newlands, once easily the country's most supported stadium, has seen attendance figures plummet in 2018. Their opener against the Jaguares attracted a little over 18 000 and in a vain attempt to attract fans, have moved kick-off for Friday's public holiday clash against the Rebels to 15:05 (from 19:15) in an attempt to entice fans and family.

Good luck with that!

Fans want to watch winning rugby. The Stormers are playing dire rugby at present. It's an equation that doesn't bodes well for the WPRU. The Rebels pose a definite threat to Rob Fleck's charges and it would be no shock should they walk away victorious.

And Ellis Park, despite the Lions playing winning rugby in recent years, will never escape the "it's dangerous to attend" excuse.

Official attendance figures at stadiums are nigh-impossible to find, mainly as they are an embarrassment to unions and are guarded under lock and key.

But know this for sure, if you ever hear a figure announced as the 'official attendance' at a match, take that with a pinch of salt, halve it, don't bother to carry the last digit - and then feel sorry for those tasked with putting bums on seats.

So why are attendances down at South African stadiums?

Too many reasons to mention each and every one, but my top 5 are (in no particular order):

1. Super 18 wasn't actually the problem

The format for the 2016 and 2017 Super Rugby (with 18 teams) was widely lambasted as being too complicated to understand and grossly unfair on certain sides. Fans and teams called for a change. SANZAAR stepped up and culled the Kings, Cheetahs and Force.

Fast forward to what was supposed to be an improved product and still no one cares (see lack of bums on seats).

We've just found new problems with the 'old' Super Rugby format to gripe about.

2. No one cares about derby matches!

For far too long organisers have believed derby matches were what the paying public wanted to see.

Note to organisers: Unless that derby match involves two New Zealand sides, no fan gives the proverbial SH1T!

SA's Super Rugby sides play each other home and away, in a slightly different guise they play each other in the Currie Cup. Then if that's not enough, they play each other again in the Currie Cup playoffs.

It's all too much! And too much of the 'same, same' look and feel to maintain interest.

3. Laws are rubbish, referees even worse

I'm tempted to suggest the World Rugby law book is ripped up and referees just do their own thing on the day for the 'surprise' element. Isn't that actually what happens in any case ... !?

Rugby's laws are factually the worst of any sport. There's no consensus on what is even forward, back or flat, and don't get me started on the rolling maul or what constitutes a yellow card.

Fans are naturally frustrated weekend after weekend by calls made against their team. Frustration leads to those fans simply 'giving up'. Enough's enough. For the sake of one's own health, that's perfectly understandable. Why dice with blood pressure death every 7 days?

Fans 'giving up' leads to empty seats. Or the Discovery channel.

4. No stronger without 'weakest 3'

By culling three teams in the off-season, SANZAAR would have you believe we're now left with the 15 strongest sides. A 'strength v strength' scenario if you will.

Wrong!

The standard of play by the Australian sides is diabolical, the Blues are the red-haired step-child in New Zealand that no one wants to talk about, the Sunwolves are 'better' but only because they're now loaded with SA/NZ/Romanians, the Jaguares continue to baffle and from a SA point of view, no side actually improved as the Cheetahs and Kings (ok, not the Kings) weren't divvied up among the four remaining sides to make any of them any stronger!

5. Money talks ... but also drives away fans

Rugby is a family sport. Dads and sons, moms and daughters, it's a fun afternoon out.

Except when you return home bankrupt.

Tickets plus transport plus food plus drinks X your family size X 8 home Super Rugby matches and it's become impossible for the average man in the street to attend.

And then Newlands' hierarchy confirm it will cost you as much as R950 for a single ticket to watch Rassie's Springboks against Eddie's England in June.

As mentioned, there are many, many more reasons for Super Rugby's demise. If you're still reading, drop us a line at mysport@sport24.co.za with your 'Top 3 reasons Super Rugby is dead' and we'll hit the publish button.

Perhaps if you have a defibulator for Super Rugby's future, let SANZAAR know!

In all seriousness, stats don't lie. Despite the same output, I can confirm that readers of Sport24 aren't as interested in Super Rugby this season as previous years. Everything from the Proteas v Australia ball-tampering scandal, the Commonwealth Games, the English Premier League, the Absa Premiership and the Masters - and many more - have proved more popular.

80 minutes is up.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Columnists/Ga ... p-20180423

[rowan]

Another issue may be predictability. It's getting to be like the RWC where we know who's going to win 9/10. Well, perhaps it's not quite that bad. The Jags have caused a few upsets, no team is unbeaten (many years since anyone has been) and even the Blues had that miraculous win against the Lion's in J'burg. But predictability is definitely a factor, nonetheless.

[rowan]

Hypothetically-speaking, what would happen if Super Rugby were dissolved after 2020?

For South Africa I think the answer would be quite simple: They'd just return to the Currie Cup, which is by far the oldest and most successful provincial competition in the world. They could also continue to field teams in Europe, of course.

For New Zealand it would mean more or less the same. But there the Super franchises have proved so successful and popular, it would be a shame to ditch them and just go back to the old. So perhaps they could continue a mini-Super Rugby series with Australia, if only involving 8 teams in a round-robin leading directly to the final (total 7 rounds plus final - 2 months).

For Australia - as above. NSW & Queensland were the major beneficiaries of Super Rugby, having had practically no organized competition beforehand, other than playing one another and travelling to NZ for one-off trophy games (prior to the South-Pac Series). Melbourne and Perth would continue to be involved in the revamped domestic league, of course.

For Argentina - focus on the proposed South American version of MRL, which is expected to get off the ground in the next few years, involving professional clubs based in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, at this stage.

For Japan - they have their own highly successful club league.

[Lizard]

It would be interesting to know what “Plan B” might be stashed away. I think going back to a 9 or 10 team 1st Div, NPC-style comp would be seen as a backward step. Given that no one has ever seriously suggested a 6th Super Franchise I think most think we’ve got the number of pro teams right. A comp with 5 NZ sides, 4 Aussie and a PI team might work.

[rowan]

It would be interesting to know what “Plan B” might be stashed away. I think going back to a 9 or 10 team 1st Div, NPC-style comp would be seen as a backward step. Given that no one has ever seriously suggested a 6th Super Franchise I think most think we’ve got the number of pro teams right. A comp with 5 NZ sides, 4 Aussie and a PI team might work.

Yes, they could do that. Still means basically a manufactured Aussie team though. Only NSW and Queensland are really at the same level as the top provincial sides in NZ. Wellington used to whoop ACT in the old Capital Cup trophy match that preceded the South Pacific Series & Super Rugby. The Fijian Drua could complete the Super 9.

[rowan]

Fans have their say - ticket prices, rule changes, predictability, declining (South African) standards, among reasons given: https://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRu ... d-20180424

[cashead]

It would be interesting to know what “Plan B” might be stashed away. I think going back to a 9 or 10 team 1st Div, NPC-style comp would be seen as a backward step. Given that no one has ever seriously suggested a 6th Super Franchise I think most think we’ve got the number of pro teams right. A comp with 5 NZ sides, 4 Aussie and a PI team might work.

I'd rather have the NZRU make it absolutely imperative that they take the Jags and the Sunwolves, and incorporate them into such a comp, and return to the Super 14 structure.

Retain the NZ teams
Retain the Aussie teams and re-introduce the Force
Keep the Sunwolves
Keep the Jaguares
Introduce 2 new teams: a PI team based in Manukau, playing out of Pukekohe (where there would be a built-in support base due to demographics), and a restructuring of the Blues catchment area to split it into Auckland/Manukau and North Harbour/Northland, playing primarily out of North Harbour Stadium.

In terms of player numbers, use the North Harbour/Northland team as an odds-and-sods side: the players that are probably good enough to play Super Rugby but miss out like Matt Vaega, Michael Little (now plying his trade for the Sunwolves), Sam Anderson-Heather, Marcel Renata, Jordan Manihera, etc. Guys that are apparently good enough to play for the Maori All Blacks or captain top-level provincial sides or even play test rugby, but are deemed "not good enough for Super Rugby" because they had the temerity to appear for a less glamorous provincial team. There's probably enough out there to put together the core of a competitive squad.

There's obviously still going to be a skills shortage, but that's where you can get some mileage out of the kinds of deal that the NZRU put together with the Harlequins, and is apparently putting together with other NH clubs and provinces. It could also provide some Northern interest if someone like Chris Robshaw or Tim Visser lured over for a season or two like James Haskell was.

Anyway, you then do a simple round-robin format of the 14 teams, where you play each other once and the top 6 teams go through to the quarterfinals, where 1st and 2nd place have a bye. Semifinals should then look like 1st v. 4th/5th, 2nd v. 3rd/6th. Home advantage is given to the team placed higher, and none of that "conference winners" shit.

Bonus points should be harder to come by, so the current mode of "score 3 tries or more than your opponent has" and "lose within the threshold of a converted try" should be retained.

[rowan]

Interesting comments. There seems to be a consensus toward splitting the Pacific and South African regions, with the only question really being whose camp the Jaguares would fall into. I think historically and geographically they are more aligned with SA. Whether they could follow South African teams into European competition is another matter. I think they need to be localizing pro competitions more, rather than globalizing them, to create more opportunities for players on the domestic scene.

[rowan]

All these years, I thought they already had one

Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Jake White believes a player draft system might be exactly what South African rugby needs to help strengthen Super Rugby franchises.
Writing for All Out Rugby, White says that rugby in the country could take a leaf out of the books of many other professional sports and not only in terms of a draft system.
"If you’re running a professional sport, you have to actively learn from rival codes around the world. Part of what I do as a rugby coach is to visit professional teams and learn from them. I went to visit Toyota’s women’s basketball team the other day - half of the team plays for Japan’s Olympic basketball side and I went there to see how they train, how they recruit and contract players, what formations they play in, how their analysis system works, who does their conditioning to make sure they can jump higher, and who works on their hand-eye coordination. All of that applies to rugby in one way or another," White wrote.
Looking at a player draft, in particular, White believes that such a step would help ensure each Super Rugby franchise had its fair share of top talent.
"The way the game is set up now, we’ve got unions that stockpile the best players and murder the market for all of the other teams," says the 2007 World Cup winning coach.
"The NFL has marketed the annual college draft so that it’s a successful event in itself and people all over the world tune in to see who gets picked first overall. Soccer has a transfer window, Rugby League, pro baseball and pro football have a draft system. Rugby Union has nothing.
"Part of that is because the game is much newer to professionalism. But maybe we need to start learning from those other sports. We’ve been quite quick to learn about jumping from basketball and using wrestling techniques for our breakdown, but we haven’t taken the same lessons from other sports’ structures."
White feels that South Africa still had not jumped at the opportunities professionalism presented, particularly in Super Rugby.
"We weren’t even able to fully embrace professionalism when the opportunity was presented in Super Rugby. In New Zealand, they’ll pick a guy from Auckland to play for the Crusaders, but in South Africa we probably don’t have one guy playing for a Super Rugby team that doesn’t also play for the main province in that ‘franchise’.
"We’ve got to decide whether we want rugby to be professional. If we do, then it’s time to go all in," concluded White.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRu ... t-20180502

[rowan]

Mark Reason is not a happy camper . . .

Last weekend all four New Zealand teams (the Chiefs were on a bye) routinely and repeatedly infringed whenever the opposition came close to the line. It was clearly coached cheating. And there is only one way to put a stop to it. Bring in red cards.

Referees need to be given a 'red zone'. They need to be told to apply escalating sanctions when teams repeatedly infringe within 10 metres of their line. The second offence warrants a yellow card. The third offence is a red card. Believe me, teams would then get onside very quickly. Believe me, teams would then stop pulling down every lineout that threatens the line.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/opi ... -in-crisis

[rowan]

Tired of being the Kiwis' punching bag?

It is understood two more South African sides will enter the PRO14 for the 2019-20 season with another jumping on board for the campaign after.

Natal Sharks are understood to be the first team likely to commit to joining the Cheetahs and Kings in taking on sides from Wales, Ireland and Scotland on a regular basis in domestic competition.

The Lions and Stormers are the most likely to follow suit, though which of those two would join first is unclear.

South Africa’s franchises have grown increasingly disillusioned with competing in Super Rugby alongside opposition from New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... s-14622260

[rowan]

[rowan]

Already smacked down . . .

SANZAAR have dismissed claims that three further South African teams are planning to leave Super Rugby to join the PRO14 tournament.

According to a Walesonline report, the Sharks, Lions and Stormers are keen to play in the PRO14 and that they are likely to commit by the start of the 2020/21 season.

The Cheetahs and Southern Kings were axed from Super Rugby last year, along with Australia’s Western Force, and the two South African franchises and started playing in the PRO14 during the current 2017/18 season.

But SANZAAR, as publicly announced last year, reiterated that they are in the middle of a detailed strategic review to determine the future of Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship.

This major internal review is being driven by the SANZAAR Executive Committee and the Member Unions: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.

SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos said via a press statement on Monday: “SANZAAR is currently engaged in a detailed strategic planning process that has the ultimate and very important aim of producing a road map for the competitions’ future formats up to and including 2030, and in the shorter term the delivery to market of competitions for the next iteration of SANZAAR’s broadcasting rights.

“As part of this process the member unions have fully committed to the strategy and their future participation. Any talk of a change to the stakeholder relationship and partners withdrawing, creation of new teams in new markets and Trans-Tasman competitions is unsubstantiated speculation and simply wrong.

“This 12-year strategy is designed to address the challenges facing our game and to clearly articulate SANZAAR’s vision and purpose in terms of a sustainable future. The desired outcome is the delivery of competitive, innovative, engaging and financially sustainable competitions to ensure the continued success of the Member Unions and the Super Rugby clubs/franchises.

“Everything has been on the table – status quo, expansion, contraction, competition formats, etc – as part of our initial blue-sky thinking. We basically started with a blank piece of paper and now we are doing the detailed analysis on what is viable, sustainable and best for our competitions.

“There is an incredible amount of detailed work taking place in this review and we have specialist groups working across all aspects of the review. Therefore it is very disappointing that various aspects of the initial work in terms of potential tournament formats been taken out of context and aired in public.

“Potential expansion into new markets for example should not be confused with only an increase in teams. We are already in the process of taking the established product to new markets. Matches being played in Singapore, Hong Kong, Fiji and Samoa are examples of this.”

“We are especially mindful at present that we have just come out of a process that has seen a contraction of Super Rugby. The introduction of new teams or any form of expansion would need to meet a defined set of criteria that have been established.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-unio ... 4zdrl.html

[rowan]

From what i've seen the Kings, in particular, and Cheetahs have been playing their home-games in almost empty stadiums, indicating there is very little interest among South Africans in European club rugby. Last time I looked, however, South Africa was getting the best crowds for Super Rugby games - the best crowds for any domestic (ie non-international) rugby competition in the world, in fact. So is there any real advantage in breaking away from SANZAAR entirely to join European competition, or are the South African unions just trying to get themselves into a stronger position for the next round of negotiations?

[rowan]

[scuzzaman]

Just remember, I told you that South African rugby - the Springbok and the Super sides - are going down. they're on the long slow train to utter irrelevance.

They will fight to the death (if they're smart) against any competition they're involved in having a promotion/relegation system, because they know they're becoming Leeds United.

[rowan]

Interesting perspective expressed in the NZ Herald:

The NRL blueprint does what Sanza(a)r haven't managed since their first thundering hoofsteps into expansion more than a decade ago, that is to provide a coherent framework for its flagship competition.
This week's minefield of Super Rugby misinformation proves there's an Indian Ocean's worth of distance between Sanzaar and a logical long-term strategy.
The NRL's key pillar is to get more people playing the game, a simple but noble concept.
"If we don't attract more young players, then our game dies," commission chairman Peter Beattie said.
Upon this bedrock the NRL have identified a women's competition (which will kick off this year), and new stadia to improve the fan experience as achievable goals.
They are also looking at expansion, with clearly identified markets in Perth, country New South Wales, Brisbane's Western Corridor and New Zealand targeted.
Sanzaar's generalissimos meanwhile leave the world map unfurled on their boardroom table while shuffling troops hither in tither in South Africa and Australia, opening up new fronts on the east (Japan) and South America (Argentina), while pondering new theatres in the Pacific.

More here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?ob ... ef=twitter

[zer0]

As far as I understand it the NRL is just copying the AFL, which is also who he alludes to when he says "if we don't attract more young players, then our game dies".

[morepork]

The NRL has State of Origin for motivation. Soup rugby has the RC. Enthusiasm for the RC is hampered by competition with the world cup for emphasis and gets hammered by relative irrelevance. The big traditional motivators for tribal interest in the RC are feeding off the scraps of old rivalries....ABs and Boks, the Beldisloe battles post-1980-odd. Give the fans a reason to be parochial by linking Soup and the RC to the world cup motivator which means attracting investor interest in the parochial base. Auckland has the largest Polynesian population on the planet. Get an investor entity interested in tapping into that and watch the punters flock in. Rock the boat. The RL world cup pales in magnitude to the union WC, but the turn out in NZ for Tonga and Fiji in the last RL iteration was beautiful to behold. Challenge the old boy network. Playing in Japan should be a potential banana skin for every team, just as Argentina used to be in the days of real tours. The ABs losing to Ireland in Chicago should be seen as an example of motivation of the fan base in unfamiliar environs, and there is no reason to discount the possibility of similar fan positivity based on the assumption that historical rivalries are unassailable. FTW.

[rowan]

As far as I understand it the NRL is just copying the AFL, which is also who he alludes to when he says "if we don't attract more young players, then our game dies".

Yes, I think the reality is that NRL is terrified of union and has been ever since the game went pro and began to compete for players on a level playing field. Now the cross-code flow is mostly to the XV-a-side version. Obviously union has the added attraction of a fairly legit World Cup that is certainly rated among the world's major sporting events. & far from mocking union for focusing on developing rugby nations, league might try and take a leaf out of the parent code's book rather than trotting out a bunch of Sydney-siders disguised as Lebanese and Italian rugby league players every four years...

[morepork]

As far as I understand it the NRL is just copying the AFL, which is also who he alludes to when he says "if we don't attract more young players, then our game dies".

Yes, I think the reality is that NRL is terrified of union and has been ever since the game went pro and began to compete for players on a level playing field. Now the cross-code flow is mostly to the XV-a-side version. Obviously union has the added attraction of a fairly legit World Cup that is certainly rated among the world's major sporting events. & far from mocking union for focusing on developing rugby nations, league might try and take a leaf out of the parent code's book rather than trotting out a bunch of Sydney-siders disguised as Lebanese and Italian rugby league players every four years...

Union is in damage mode in Oz. A domestic crisis. Lights on goal posts, etc etc.

[rowan]

Praise for the expanding Saffas from Colin Cooper:

After rumours surfaced earlier in the week that South African sides were contemplating a switch to Europe, a rumour that drew a response from governing body Sanzaar, the only New Zealand franchise coach in South Africa at the moment was a natural target for comment.

Cooper said he couldn't imagine the competition without South Africa.

He said the travel factor was a negative in the competition but was confident Sanzaar could organise it so that the travel was not so much of a factor.

He said he didn't sense frustration from the public over the quality of the product which had shown the benefits for South African teams this year.

Cooper said: "I think all the South African teams are playing a more balanced game. They are still using their set piece well, but there is also expansiveness now. I think South African rugby is looking good and exciting.

More hrere: http://superrugby.co.nz/News/32393/sa-h ... gby-cooper

[rowan]

SA Rugby has the power to destroy its NZ counterpart - financially, at least . . .

Cape Town - South African teams leaving Super Rugby for tournaments in Europe would have dire consequences for New Zealand Rugby, a Kiwi scribe has warned.

A recent report indicated that SA teams were planning to leave Super Rugby for the PRO14 competition in Europe.

The Wales Online website reported that the Sharks would be the next South African side to join the PRO14 competition for the 2019/20 season, with the Lions and Stormers potentially following suit the season thereafter.

SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos strongly denied the report, but Mark Reason, a columnist for New Zealand’s Stuff.co.nz website, feels the southern hemisphere governing body’s boss may be in for a rude awakening.

“This is feverishly wishful thinking from the chief executive of SANZAAR. The reports are full of substance and make absolutely terrifying reading for New Zealand Rugby,” Reason wrote.

“If South Africa do decide to leave but for a skeleton team or two in Super Rugby, then the competition's revenue streams will plummet. Such a fall would be enough to bankrupt NZR by 2023. At their current rate of spending, New Zealand Rugby need a significant rise in income from their next Super Rugby television contract just to break even.”

SANZAAR’s TV rights deal expires at the end of 2019 and Reason fears that South Africa will seek greener pastures in the north.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRu ... e-20180515

[scuzzaman]

Oh, NZ rugby is doomed.

Again.

Wake me up in time for the funeral, will you?

[rowan]

An Aussie view . . .

The players themselves are also partly responsible. The number of stoppages because of ‘injuries’ was ridiculous – I lost count of how many. Just because you have a niggle doesn’t mean you need to stop play for a couple of minutes and get checked out. You are playing a contact sport, of course you are going to get a niggle or two!
In rugby league, if you have a slight issue, you get checked out by trainer while play goes on – great!
A couple of weeks ago I watched the Kiwi match between the Blues and Chiefs, and it was so good! Both teams playing exciting, flowing, talented rugby. No wonder we are approaching 40 games in a row lost to New Zealand teams.
The day after the Brumbies-Rebels game, the Raiders played the Cronulla Sharks, with close over 10,000 fans turning up – and yes, it was cold. But there were families of all generations there and it was a great game!
This is happening week in, week out and it’s just sad comparing the two all the time.
I’m going to have to seriously consider if I want to go spend the money for a rugby game or stay at home to watch several sports on the couch.

https://www.theroar.com.au/2018/05/18/b ... nt-6330629

Probably doesn't help either that the Aussies keep losing