Super omens from New Zealand
July 09 2008
The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) has released a discussion document that assures the Highlanders are safe in the Super 14 competition, also containing several pointers towards an expanded Super Rugby tournament and Tri-Nations.
The document is the clearest sign yet that New Zealand, and potentially SANZAR, are considering far-reaching changes to southern hemisphere rugby.
The document said the union would not let franchises be independently owned, but it would allow independent directors to be on the board of the franchises so as to allow a degree of intellectual idiosyncracy in franchise decisions.
Over time, the union said it would support the move to independently owned franchises, but it would have to be carefully monitored so that the benefits of the union's current control - namely the player accessibility - would not be harmed, and that the market would not be distorted by a sudden influx of cash to one particular franchise.
Another indicator of the union's willingness to relinquish its overall control was that it would cede contracting negotiation powers to the franchises as well over time, allowing for more flexibility for the teams and players.
All of which, coupled with a reinforcement of the fact that a Dunedin-based franchise was necessary so as to sell rugby to the entirety of New Zealand, means that the Highlanders are safe from extinction for the medium-term, despite their poor performance in this year's Super 14 and despite their being the only franchise to have registered an operating loss over the last two years.
Their ability to attract the right kind of board member may now be the key to their longer-term survival though, with Taranaki, North Harbour, and Hawke's Bay all mentioned as alternatives. But the Otago player base is still significantly larger than its rivals, and it still has the necessary geographical advantage.
Perhaps the most significant matter given consideration though, is the potential for Super Rugby franchises to sign and play players not eligible for New Zealand, with a view to Tri-Nations expansion.
"Whilst it is expressly stated in the Franchise Agreement that the Super 14 is to be used as a development competition for All Blacks, it would likely generate significant fan/public interest if a small number of international players were able to be contracted (again subject to controls surrounding the number that could be engaged in any particular position)," read the document.
"This is particularly so if countries such as Argentina and the Pacific Island nations are to have quality players available to play in their test teams in any potential "revamp" of the Tri-Nations."
For a long time now, the biggest obstacle to Argentina's entry into the Tri-Nations - to a lesser extent Fiji, Samoa and Tonga's - has been the fact that their best players play in France and would be unable to play an international series during the European summer.
Should New Zealand, and for that matter, Australia and South Africa opt to open their gates to the cream of the Islanders' and Argentina's crops, it would surely pave the way for those countries to base their players down south and jump into Tri-Nations contention.
One obstacle to that would be the brevity of the Super Rugby season, but that is also up for review, with the document also saying it would consider extension of the Super rugby competition, either through additions to the fixture list within the existing 14 teams, or from the addition of more teams either from within or without the three SANZAR nations.
Either way, the squads would need more players, even under a proposed 'spending mechanism' (to be something like a salary cap, but not exactly like it) which the union conceded was also going to be necessary if the part-privatisation of franchises were to become a reality.
A NZRU board meeting will consider a further report on August 1 and 2. That will be followed by a further submission period to September 5. The NZRU board will make its final decision by September 25.
A similar discussion document on the future of the Air New Zealand Cup is also being circulated at the moment.