Has another Super team for 2021 been hit for six?
As New Zealand Rugby weighs up what Super Rugby might look like in 2021, Stuff can reveal that the Aratipu Report made an unfavourable assessment about whether New Zealand could deliver a sixth Kiwi franchise.
Super Rugby Aotearoa will almost certainly return in 2021, but discussions are ongoing about whether a sixth franchise could add value to the competition.
A Bay of Plenty bid and several Pasifika entities are reportedly interested in taking part.
However, sources have confirmed to Stuff that the Aratipu Report, led by Blues chairman Don Mackinnon, concluded that player depth would be a serious hurdle for a sixth New Zealand franchise.
Those who took part in the report already believe the current Super Rugby franchises are struggling to find adequate replacements when injuries test their depth, making it unlikely that a new Kiwi franchise could find a squad of 38 Super Rugby-quality players without cannibalising the Crusaders, Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes and Highlanders.
NZ Rugby is not bound by the findings of the Aratipu Report, but its findings highlight the pitfalls of going down the New Zealand path in terms of competition expansion.
NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson said on Sky’s Breakdown show on Tuesday that he had received eight expressions of interest, excluding the existing five franchises, to take part in next year’s competition.
Reports from Australia suggested the Western Force could be a wildcard contender, while Stuff reported on Sunday that a Moana Pacific bid was in the mix, and had some strong backers as well as a potential tie-up with CountiesManukau.
Stuff understands that there is such a groundswell of support for the Pasifika team that it is inevitable it will happen.
Crucially, the existing Super Rugby franchises are behind the project, viewing it asmorally the right thing to do while also believing that it could open up some unrealised commercial opportunities for rugby in New Zealand.
However, there are competing schools of thought about the timing for the Pasifika team’s inclusion, with some prominent figures wary of establishing a new side in 2021.
There are fears that if the team is uncompetitive, it could damage the entire
competition’s reputation and hurt its longer-term prospects when the time comes to discuss the format in 2022-2025.
On the flipside, some advocates for Pasifika rugby believe a good side can be put together in short notice if the
willpower is there, and that the appetite among Pasifika talent to be part of the side is enormous.
NZ Rugby is expected to make a decision on what Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021 looks like in the next fortnight.