SA franchises look north
Super Rugby s future uncertain, PRO14 beckons
t seems likely more SA rugby franchises will head north and join the PRO14 tournament from 2021 and we could see the Stormers, Blue Bulls, Sharks and Lions in unfamiliar territory in the northern hemisphere competitions.
There has been fresh speculation that SA will leave Super Rugby for greener pastures in the northern hemisphere. This comes after the New Zealand Rugby Union announced its plans to stage a trans-Tasman Super Rugby competition in 2021 that will include five of their provincial franchises, three Australian teams and one Pacific Island team. This will also mean that there is no place for the Argentina side, the Jaguares.
The move has been on the cards for some time as Super Rugby has largely failed to attract sufficient interest due to the conflicting time zones. The Covid-19 pandemic has fasttracked those plans as New Zealand and Australia are already active, with their teams playing week in and week out.
The Super Rugby Aotearoa in New Zealand has been a major success, with Australia s
’
Ifranchises also playing their domestic competition. SA teams have been left in the wilderness a due to the coronavirus. NZR chief executive Mark Robinson pointed to the impact of the pandemic which, he claimed, was at the centre of what had been the extremely
“tough decision made around
” the new competition. He also stated that long-distance travel would be significantly reduced, which had been a huge obstacle to playing in SA and Argentina. SA Rugby s Jurie Roux
’ responded: The impact of the
“
Covid-19 pandemic has been massive and, in our sport, has asked fundamental questions of the viability of competitions and fixture scheduling.
SA Rugby has been kept
“abreast of the thinking in New Zealand and of the outcomes of the Aratipu Report to address the immediate challenges of travel restrictions that may stretch into 2021. As part of a Sanzaar joint venture, we will be examining how the mooted new competition will fit into the existing contractual competitions.”
Roux warned that there were legally binding agreements that bound all four members of the Sanzaar partnership SA, New
— Zealand, Australia and
Argentina that would be
— enforced if need be.
If anybody kicked anybody “out of Super Rugby, it was New Zealand kicking themselves out,” said Roux. I am less
“worried about those nuances. New Zealand has every
“right to determine their future, but in terms of Sanzaar and the joint venture agreement, there is a very legal agreement in place, and you ve got to act within that
’ legal agreement.
If you act outside of it,
“you re in breach of the joint
’ venture and you make yourself liable to legal action from the other parties in that joint venture.
But, as always, we ve dealt
“’ with everything in a very constructive fashion within Sanzaar and are still having discussions on what the year looks like and beyond.”
On the other hand, Rugby Australia has allegedly ignored a request to submit expressions
“of interest in New Zealand s
” ’ proposed new Super Rugby Competition. The expression of
“interest I m not interested in and
’ if they send it over, I won t open
’ it,” RA chair Hamish McLennan said.
He said RA s preference was
’ a 10-team trans-Tasman competition in 2021, with five teams from New Zealand and five from Australia. Teams from the Pacific Islands and Japan could be added in the future.
RA is also working on a plan B, eight-team competition without New Zealand. It would feature all five Australian teams, as well as teams from Fiji, Argentina and Japan s
’
Sunwolves.
The only good news is that the Sanzaar relationship should remain firm with regard to the Rugby Championship and all parties could maintain their Test partnership with the Springboks, All Blacks, Australia and Argentina in the four-nation competition.
The best option for SA franchises is up north in an expanded PRO14 tournament. The Cheetahs and Southern Kings are already playing in that competition. The financial strength, shorter travelling hours and better time zones for viewers are the major attractions.