New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

[flippikat]

SA coming back would be awesome. I think us and Aus have missed them badly. Not just for SR itself but I reckon our test teams are worse off for our players not being regularly exposed to the way SA teams play the game.

But like @flippikat says, they're in a much friendlier time zone now and with their WC win, all seems good for them. Unless the commercials with URC are shit but no idea on that.

If SA got an invite into the 6-Nations, IMO they'd leave the "Rugby Championship" in a heartbeat.

It's only the doggedly closed-shop attitude from the 6-nations members that's keeping SA linked to an annual Southern Hemisphere competition - and that's just at test level.

I think South Africa's preference would be to be in the 6-Nations, with the odd old-school All Blacks & Lions tour - including mid-week games, and have little to do with Australia, Argentina or the Pacific Islands outside World Cup tests.

 

[Matua]

If SA got an invite into the 6-Nations, IMO they'd leave the "Rugby Championship" in a heartbeat.

It's only the doggedly closed-shop attitude from the 6-nations members that's keeping SA linked to an annual Southern Hemisphere competition - and that's just at test level.

I think South Africa's preference would be to be in the 6-Nations, with the odd old-school All Blacks & Lions tour - including mid-week games, and have little to do with Australia, Argentina or the Pacific Islands outside World Cup tests.

World Rugby need a bullet if they let SA join the 6 Nations. TBF they deserve a bullet for letting them go north at franchise level. The NH - SH split was perfect, which benefits world rugby, yet they let things get completely unbalanced.

 

[Wb1234]

Possible for nz to join the comp sa joined ?

 

[flippikat]

World Rugby need a bullet if they let SA join the 6 Nations. TBF they deserve a bullet for letting them go north at franchise level. The NH - SH split was perfect, which benefits world rugby, yet they let things get completely unbalanced.

Ah but that's the way it's heading. It all depends on how long the 6 Nations countries can stand keeping SA halfway-in & half-way out of their circle - and the money potential of SA fully joining Europe is HUGE.

Possible for nz to join the comp sa joined ?

Players & NZ fans were already switching off/complaining about travel & timezones to South Africa under Super Rugby.

To compete in the "United Rugby Championship that SA super rugby teams joined would mean travel to/from Scotland, Ireland, Wales & Italy on top of games in SA. Same timezone issues PLUS extra travel.

SA were smart to link with markets in roughly the same timezone (and wealthy ones too) but NZ shares it's timezone with almost no-one, and the best it can hope for is trying to get Pacific Rim locations up to speed ASAP.

 

[The Great Dane]

South Africa re-joining Super would be the final nail in professional RU's coffin in Australia. Talk of Argentina, the USA, and Japan to a lesser extent, is no better.

All it'd achieve is massively increasing costs, bringing back the dreaded bad time slots, adding a whole heap more games against teams that the general pubic in Australia simply doesn't give a f**k about to go along with the Kiwi teams and Dura, and proving that the ARU and rest of SANZAAR haven't learnt a damn thing from their history.

The only sensible way forward for Australian RU is a small national competition, maybe with a champions league attached to the end. How they achieve that in their current financial situation IDK, but that's the direction they've gotta push things if they want to get the sport back on track in this country.

It's not dissimilar to the FFA hitting a dead-end with the NSL and needing to restart with the A-league to move forward.

 

[Wb1234]

Ah but that's the way it's heading. It all depends on how long the 6 Nations countries can stand keeping SA halfway-in & half-way out of their circle - and the money potential of SA fully joining Europe is HUGE.


Players & NZ fans were already switching off/complaining about travel & timezones to South Africa under Super Rugby.

To compete in the "United Rugby Championship that SA super rugby teams joined would mean travel to/from Scotland, Ireland, Wales & Italy on top of games in SA. Same timezone issues PLUS extra travel.

SA were smart to link with markets in roughly the same timezone (and wealthy ones too) but NZ shares it's timezone with almost no-one, and the best it can hope for is trying to get Pacific Rim locations up to speed ASAP.

Yeh but the games would be very competitive ?

in terms of preparing the all blacks for the wc it would be a huge boost than playing also rans like Australia ?

 

[Wb1234]

South Africa re-joining Super would be the final nail in professional RU's coffin in Australia. Talk of Argentina, the USA, and Japan to a lesser extent, is no better.

All it'd achieve is massively increasing costs, bringing back the dreaded bad time slots, adding a whole heap more games against teams that the general pubic in Australia simply doesn't give a f**k about to go along with the Kiwi teams and Dura, and proving that the ARU and rest of SANZAAR haven't learnt a damn thing from their history.

The only sensible way forward for Australian RU is a small national competition, maybe with a champions league attached to the end. How they achieve that in their current financial situation IDK, but that's the direction they've gotta push things if they want to get the sport back on track in this country.

It's not dissimilar to the FFA hitting a dead-end with the NSL and needing to restart with the A-league to move forward.

Union in Australia should accept it’s a tiny sport and go back to two teams

 

[final say]

South Africa re-joining Super would be the final nail in professional RU's coffin in Australia. Talk of Argentina, the USA, and Japan to a lesser extent, is no better.

All it'd achieve is massively increasing costs, bringing back the dreaded bad time slots, adding a whole heap more games against teams that the general pubic in Australia simply doesn't give a f**k about to go along with the Kiwi teams and Dura, and proving that the ARU and rest of SANZAAR haven't learnt a damn thing from their history.

The only sensible way forward for Australian RU is a small national competition, maybe with a champions league attached to the end. How they achieve that in their current financial situation IDK, but that's the direction they've gotta push things if they want to get the sport back on track in this country.

It's not dissimilar to the FFA hitting a dead-end with the NSL and needing to restart with the A-league to move forward.

I think the main issue for Super Rugby is the top down approach. Resting players, topping up their contracts ect. Players are literally signed to the national team- if that's the obvious goal how are people going to get excited About their club?
Makes the whole thing look like a training run / selection audition for internationals, so it has no soul to it.
Add to that that it's a rubbish sport where even the fans don't know what the f**k they're doing half the time and it's the perfect storm.

 

[flippikat]

Yeh but the games would be very competitive ?

in terms of preparing the all blacks for the wc it would be a huge boost than playing also rans like Australia ?

Yeah, but the only ways NZ Super Rugby teams could hope to be in a competition with teams in Scotland, Italy etc is a "champions league"-style thing or superbowl match.. not a week-to-week ongoing competition.

 

[final say]

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Canard]

Warriors are two more losses from the wheels falling off the bandwagon.

 

[Dark Corner]

It's a blindingly obviously choice. Christchurch sells out trial matches ffs.
Rugby league will rule NZ, it's literally twice as good as Rugby. Twice as fast, twice as much ball in play. Twice as many competitive teams with rosters of talent worth twice as much.
Sure the All blacks... ok: take all your talent and put it into 1 team .. good for you.
There will always be someone fascinated by a lineout but there's also bird watching and stamp collecting..

But then again Rugby League should rule North America as it's three times a s good as NFL/CFL, three times as fast and harder tackles with no pads.

 

[The Great Dane]

Same could be said of WA, SA, and VIC as well...

Wouldn't hold my breath for Gus's, or any of his ilk's, impassioned speech about helping to grow the sport and juniors outside the "heartlands" in this country though. Pretty weird how that works isn't it.

Two teams won't be enough for NZ either. If you add the second it has to be with a concrete plan to add the 3rd, probably 4th, and maybe even 5th, years down the track. Just dumping another team there then leaving them to fend for themselves for another 30-40 years won't achieve much.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Just dumping another team there then leaving them to fend for themselves for another 30-40 years won't achieve much.

Same principle applies to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.

 

[The Great Dane]

Same principle applies to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.

And? I never suggested otherwise.

Though in saying that, simply dumping sides in Perth and Adelaide would be a better than the current state of affairs in those cities.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

And? I never suggested otherwise.

Though in saying that, simply dumping sides in Perth and Adelaide would be a better than the current state of affairs in those cities.

NZ2 and NZ3 will provide better returns than Adelaide and Perth. There's never been a better time to raise rugby League's profile in New Zealand. Ironically, the growth of rugby union in Europe and Japan is providing rugby league with an opportunity to grow the game in New Zealand and the South Pacific.

 

[Wb1234]

NZ2 and NZ3 will provide better returns than Adelaide and Perth. There's never been a better time to raise rugby League's profile in New Zealand. Ironically, the growth of rugby union in Europe and Japan is providing rugby league with an opportunity to grow the game in New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Excellent observation

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Chief_Chujo]

Same could be said of WA, SA, and VIC as well...

Wouldn't hold my breath for Gus's, or any of his ilk's, impassioned speech about helping to grow the sport and juniors outside the "heartlands" in this country though. Pretty weird how that works isn't it.

Two teams won't be enough for NZ either. If you add the second it has to be with a concrete plan to add the 3rd, probably 4th, and maybe even 5th, years down the track. Just dumping another team there then leaving them to fend for themselves for another 30-40 years won't achieve much.

Are you honestly saying a team in any of those states would produce the same amount of Rugby League players as a second NZ side? Really?