SANZAR Announces the Expansion of Super 14 Rugby
New Australian Franchise and Conference Format to be Inroduced
May 23, 2009
SANZAR Chief Executive Andy Marinos announced significant changes to the Super 14 rugby tournament this week. The changes include the addition of a new franchise based in Australia, the introduction of national conferences played on a home and away and the extension to the Super rugby season to 24 weeks.
The introduction of a new Australian franchise will balance the representation of the three participating countries to five each, allowing a conference system based on nationality. Teams will play the other members of their conference on a home and away basis, with each team also playing a total of eight games against four of the five teams in the other conferences. These matches will be played on a home or away basis.
The New Super 14 Rugby Format
The winners of each conference will progress to the knockout stages where they will be joined by three wildcard teams. The wildcard teams will be the sides with the most points from the regular season. The ranking for the wildcard qualifiers is not limited to one per conference, so two teams from one country could make the playoffs through this means.
The wildcard teams and the lowest ranked conference winner will play a knockout match for the right to progress to the semi finals with the other group winners. From here, sudden death matches will produce the finalists and then the winner.
This format will add an extra five weeks to the Super rugby season which would bring it into conflict with the annual tests against the Northern Hemisphere sides. To counteract this, the tournament will go into a hiatus for the three weeks of the IRB international window.
The Super Rugby season will run from the end of February to the beginning of August, moving forward in Rugby World Cup seasons.
Falling Support for Super 14 Rugby
There has been concern at the drop in spectator numbers in Super 14 rugby this season, with a view that interest has only picked up as the competition has reached its climax.
This format will go some way to rectifying this and will look to generate higher spectator numbers through the number of local derbies which will be played through the season.
With an extended knockout phase, more teams and their supporters will be in the hunt for longer and the conference system will guarantee that at least one team from each of the SANZAR countries will make the playoffs.
The 5th Australian Franchise in Super 14 rugby
The decision to locate the new franchise in Australia was necessary for this format to work, but it does pose some difficulties. Rugby union in Australia faces competition for spectators from other sports such as Rugby League and Australian Rules football, competition which South Africa and New Zealand simply do not have.
There is also a question over the depth of rugby talent available to Australian sides. The existing Australian Super 14 teams are not performing well, with only the Waratahs threatening to make the playoffs in 2009. How, then, will a further Australian franchise be competitive?
This problem has been recognised by the Australian Rugby Union and will be mitigated by the ARU allowing the new franchise to award contracts to non-Australian players.
These changes will be introduced in the 2011 season after the expiry of the current TV deal which finishes in 2010.
