Rugby Australia bring on ‘think tank’ over COVID-19 impact
Sydney: For years Super Rugby has made minor tweaks trying to find the perfect model to see the game return to its former glories. Never in their wildest dreams would Australia’s rugby establishment have thought that a virus could be the trigger that blows everything up though.
But on Monday afternoon, following Rugby Australia’s Annual General Meeting which revealed a $9.4 million deficit in 2019, chief executive officer Raelene Castle confirmed that the governing body had proposed to enlist a “think tank” that will put everything on the table, including the future of Super Rugby and the Test calendar.
While Castle said that they were continuing to work under the proviso that the 14-team Super Rugby competition – which includes four Australian franchises – for 2021, she openly revealed that all options were being looked at.
“Survival for the next three months is the most important piece, then we can sit down as a sport,” Castle told reporters on Monday afternoon.
“We proposed this morning (Monday) that we have a think tank that will bring together all the key stakeholders across the game and start thinking about some of those scenarios about what options for the game could be considered.
“At the moment we’ve got contracts in place around delivering a Super Rugby structure, with four teams, and that’s the model that we’ll be working to.
“But it would be crazy for us not to be thinking about other scenarios that might roll out. Be that domestic, international or the SANZAAR product.”
Castle’s comments a fortnight after she revealed that RA had put their broadcast negotiations on hold for the next six months, as the code in Australia attempts to ride out the devastating consequences of the coronavirus on the game.
At present, all of the SANZAAR unions are committed to Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship from 2021 to 2025 despite RA being the only major stakeholder yet to secure a broadcast deal.
Yet, given RA has yet to secure a deal they have an added vested interest in making sure that whatever professional elements of the game survive beyond COVID-19, the competition offers as much appeal as possible to broadcasters.
Castle said there will “definitely be a professional game” in 2021, but added “conversations” needed to take place in regard to the future of the game.
“2021, I think there’s a high probability the calendar won’t look exactly like it looks at the moment,” she said.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty around the cost of flights (and) how far players will want to travel.
“We all hope Super Rugby will get back to where it was previously and we are scenario planning for that, but I also think in the wider game we need to be having conversations about what a new calendar could look like from an international point of view and a SANZAAR perspective and also a domestic perspective.”