Menu
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
Latest activity
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Help Support The Rugby Forum :
Forums
Rugby Union
General Rugby Union
The SH need its six nations tournament
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="scuubasteve" data-source="post: 153261"><p>Expanding any comp is always going to be driven by the money.</p><p></p><p>Argentina may now be considered a big enough drawcard to justify their inclusion. However, they will only be competitive if they can either have access to their European club players or if a global calendar is resolved. This also applies to any Pacific Island team.</p><p></p><p>So this issue sits equally in the laps of the IRB, the European clubs and SANZAR.</p><p></p><p>It seems that most fans, who justifiably want these teams included, seem to miss that fact that significant changes have to occur to make this happen. Its not as simple as the IRB forcing SANZAR to add them, and forcing the clubs to release them. What does Premier Rugby (ENGLAND) or Ligue Nationale de Rugby (FRANCE) have to gain by losing more players to international matches? How will the SANZAR teams benefit from having less money to balance their books (already in the Red)? But, most importantly, how can the IRB force anyone to do anything it doesn't want to?</p><p></p><p>The only solution I see working is two fold.</p><p></p><p>1. Create a global calendar</p><p></p><p>To separate the clashes between clubs and national unions. Move both the 6 Nations and 3 Nations to the current June test window, creating a 6 week period devoted soley to international rugby, at the pinnacle of the NH season. This removes the current clashes with the Guinness Premiership, Top14, Magners League (NH) and the Currie Cup, AirNZ Cup and ARC (SH).</p><p></p><p>The June tours have become increasingly farcical. The world has too much meaningless test rugby. Some fans on this forum have even go so far as to call tests between World Cups "friendlies"!! This should not be the case. Less is more for test rugby. Keep the November test window, also at 6 weeks. This window will play host to the Rugby World Cup every 4 years and will play host to test tours in non WC years. Tack on midweek games to these tours and you have a genuine money generator with full strength squads vs full strength squads, but only once a year. That would never get boring.</p><p></p><p>2. Create a southern 6 Nations.</p><p></p><p>NZ, Aus, SA, Pacific Islands, Argentina and.... SURPRISE, Japan! The only way Pacific Island rugby can support a pro team is to take from the rich. This means they need a piece of the SANZAR pie. But SANZAR is not going to deliberetely put themselves in a worse financial position, nor are they going to deliberately play weaker sides than themselves.</p><p></p><p>So, for Pacific rugby to get a piece of the pie, and for SANZAR not to lose any of its pie, the pie has to be bigger. Japan is the only neighbour to offer a significantly larger pie. Japanese rugby has good commercial support and a population which is nearly twice that of the combined SANZAR nations.</p><p></p><p>People have also been saying that Japan would strongly support hosting a Rugby World Cup (which I don't entirely disagree with), and I have argued they don't get enough high profile rugby, or home support to prove they could definitely do it. So, ease them in by giving them the next best thing to the World Cup. A place in a regular, near global, tournament which would also generate hype and money for the game.</p><p></p><p>Sure, Japan would take a beating for a while, but so did/does Italy. If rugby wants to expand into Asia it needs more than just one big rugby tournament (hopefully in 2015)! It needs regular, high quality rugby, chock-a-block full of international stars.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="scuubasteve, post: 153261"] Expanding any comp is always going to be driven by the money. Argentina may now be considered a big enough drawcard to justify their inclusion. However, they will only be competitive if they can either have access to their European club players or if a global calendar is resolved. This also applies to any Pacific Island team. So this issue sits equally in the laps of the IRB, the European clubs and SANZAR. It seems that most fans, who justifiably want these teams included, seem to miss that fact that significant changes have to occur to make this happen. Its not as simple as the IRB forcing SANZAR to add them, and forcing the clubs to release them. What does Premier Rugby (ENGLAND) or Ligue Nationale de Rugby (FRANCE) have to gain by losing more players to international matches? How will the SANZAR teams benefit from having less money to balance their books (already in the Red)? But, most importantly, how can the IRB force anyone to do anything it doesn't want to? The only solution I see working is two fold. 1. Create a global calendar To separate the clashes between clubs and national unions. Move both the 6 Nations and 3 Nations to the current June test window, creating a 6 week period devoted soley to international rugby, at the pinnacle of the NH season. This removes the current clashes with the Guinness Premiership, Top14, Magners League (NH) and the Currie Cup, AirNZ Cup and ARC (SH). The June tours have become increasingly farcical. The world has too much meaningless test rugby. Some fans on this forum have even go so far as to call tests between World Cups "friendlies"!! This should not be the case. Less is more for test rugby. Keep the November test window, also at 6 weeks. This window will play host to the Rugby World Cup every 4 years and will play host to test tours in non WC years. Tack on midweek games to these tours and you have a genuine money generator with full strength squads vs full strength squads, but only once a year. That would never get boring. 2. Create a southern 6 Nations. NZ, Aus, SA, Pacific Islands, Argentina and.... SURPRISE, Japan! The only way Pacific Island rugby can support a pro team is to take from the rich. This means they need a piece of the SANZAR pie. But SANZAR is not going to deliberetely put themselves in a worse financial position, nor are they going to deliberately play weaker sides than themselves. So, for Pacific rugby to get a piece of the pie, and for SANZAR not to lose any of its pie, the pie has to be bigger. Japan is the only neighbour to offer a significantly larger pie. Japanese rugby has good commercial support and a population which is nearly twice that of the combined SANZAR nations. People have also been saying that Japan would strongly support hosting a Rugby World Cup (which I don't entirely disagree with), and I have argued they don't get enough high profile rugby, or home support to prove they could definitely do it. So, ease them in by giving them the next best thing to the World Cup. A place in a regular, near global, tournament which would also generate hype and money for the game. Sure, Japan would take a beating for a while, but so did/does Italy. If rugby wants to expand into Asia it needs more than just one big rugby tournament (hopefully in 2015)! It needs regular, high quality rugby, chock-a-block full of international stars. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Rugby Union
General Rugby Union
The SH need its six nations tournament
Top