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SA plans bad news for Sanzar

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Very interesting if there's any truth to it:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/2267728...ews-for-Sanzar/

South Africa's confirmation that it will protect the Currie Cup at all costs has pushed a stand-alone Australasian Super rugby competition on to the table. As a Sanzar working party flew out to the republic yesterday for further meetings to nut out the future of Super rugby past 2010, South African rugby bosses struck a pre-emptive blow.

It was reported that a special meeting involving South Africa's five franchises and broadcaster Supersport had agreed en masse to pin their flag to their provincial competition.

The developments, reported in the Sondag newspaper, are a blow to New Zealand and Australian hopes of expanding the Super 14 to 15 teams with three conferences and an expanded playoff format starting in March.

With the Currie Cup starting in July, and the NZRU committed to the IRB's June test window, it is difficult to see where an expanded Super rugby format would now fit.

NZRFU chief executive Steve Tew admitted South African rugby's apparent line in the sand would not make things easy and could conceivably see two entirely separate competitions.

"We would have to consider that [an Australasian competition] and we have. Making finals work with competitions running at different times is difficult anyway and that's why we have looked at teams from Japan and the Pacific.

"It could be that competition is what we end up with, but it will continue to evolve.

"Whether we get final clarity is a matter of speculation right up to D-Day and from previous experience we are prepared for that this time as well."

Sanzar's current broadcast agreement with Newscorp runs until the end of 2010, but it hopes to have a deal in place by May to renew the television rights for the Super 14 and Tri-Nations.

SA Rugby, which contributes the lion's share of broacasting revenue to Sanzar, has already sold its television rights for the Currie Cup from 2011 until 2015 and is now clearly unwilling to budge.

Tew said he was aware of last Friday's special meeting between South Africa's rugby powers.

However, he was puzzled by reports they had "wholeheartedly" rejected the fallback option he proposed last week that would see Pacific and African pools combine at the finals stage.

Sondag suggested South Africa's response to that would be to form its own competition involving Argentina, the United States and teams from Scotland and Ireland.

"Given that South Africa are already concerned about the extra travel of the current competition, I raised my eyebrows at the suggestions about playing the USA, Argentina and two teams from Europe," Tew sai"It sounds a bit far fetched, but it's their right to look at other options just as we are."

Tew said the reality was negotiations could tip any number of ways despite public perception and suggested constant media speculation was not helpful.

"The landscape could change several times. We know they are very keen to protect the Supersport deal and keen on the Currie Cup, which is very dear to their hearts.

"We will continue to look at all the options. At the end of the day, these things depend on fitting the right type of competition into the right calendar."[/b]

Assuming it's true, how would this pan out? My best guess is Australia gets it's 5th franchise, Japan gets a team (in the Aussie conference) and New Zealand provides 6 teams to a new Super 12 competition. You play teams in your own conference home and away and the other conference home or away followed by playoffs. South African teams (their 5 Super franchises plus the replacement for the Southern Spears) enter the Magners League at the expense of the 4 Welsh regions and the proposed two Italian entrants. The SA teams also enter the expanded Heineken Cup. The Welsh regions get their wish and link up with the Guinness Premiership. Italy is left high and dry. Argentina and the USA are given a commitment by South Africa, Scotland and Ireland to play more regularly against them at international level until their domestic competitions gain in strength.

I don't see that happening because it leads to too much upheaval but South Africa eventually aligning themselves with the European season at the expense of their Sanzar rivals wouldn't surprise me in the long term due primarily to the similarily in timezones.
 
Ah, the Sondag. Whenever there's off-the-wall speculation in SA the Sondag pops up. I'll hold my opinion until someone with some creditability speaks on the issue.
 
I take it the Sondag rivals the Western Mail or the Times for rampantly inaccurate rumour milling? :D
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Prestwick @ Mar 16 2009, 07:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
I take it the Sondag rivals the Western Mail or the Times for rampantly inaccurate rumour milling? :D[/b]

Spot on Presty. Go through the 'South Africa' sub-forum and you'll see mounds of threads started due to their "shenanigans". The one that I'll always remember is when they claimed it was carved in stone that an Argentinian team was going to join the Currie Cup in 2009. Total BS :rolleyes:
 
If Japan ever enter the Super (whatever it is when they decided to enter) It will just be Australia, NZ and SA playing old Australian, NZ and SA players..... what's the point?, give Fiji a Franchise or something.
 
South Africa still want to receive the 15th franchise... despite the fact that the new team will based in the Australian conference...

SARU are just being dumb on that one...
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Woldog @ Mar 17 2009, 12:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
If Japan ever enter the Super (whatever it is when they decided to enter) It will just be Australia, NZ and SA playing old Australian, NZ and SA players..... what's the point?, give Fiji a Franchise or something.[/b]
In an ideal world, this is what needs to be done but seeing as South Africa brings in something like 65% of TV revenue to Super 14, if they pulled out there's no way Fiji could make up the shortfall. Unless Super 14/15 is strong financially we won't see a team based in the South Sea Islands. Japan, while nowhere near as developed in terms of rugby playing ability, provides the potential to open up a massive new TV market.

A team based in Japan made up solely of Sanzar players wouldn't be of much interest to the locals there as you say. There would need to be some sort of quota of Japanese players in the team so the targeted supporters can invest emotionally in the team. If Australia (and a potential Japanese side) opens up it's franchises to more foreign players, that would be the best chance for players from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga to play regular Super rugby in the short term. It's not ideal but it could be the most workable solution based on both economic and playing factors.
 

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