Could Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht one day be taking on the Bulls, Highlanders and Waratahs?
If you believe new New South Wales chief executive Andrew Hore, then the answer is yes.
Hore is leaving his post with Welsh side Ospreys to join the Australian Super Rugby outfit in mid April, and the New Zealander sees a potential future link-up as beneficial to both competitions.
Hore has had a ringside seat in recent seasons as the huge influx of financial muscle into the French Top 14 and England’s Premiership has threatened to leave European rugby’s poor Celtic relations trailing behind.
The southern hemisphere has also felt the commercial weight of French and English riches, with an increasing number of top-class players heading north in their primes for a big payday.
But the prospect of competing against the high-quality teams in Super Rugby would certainly offer television companies a more enticing product, according to Hore.
“The key thing is, what is it our supporters and TV companies want that would make a different and valuable proposition, uniquely different from the Premiership and Top 14?” he told the Sunday Times.
“We have to create a product around them instead of stagnating and staying with tradition. Don’t fall into the usual Celtic rugby political rubbish. People realise the Six Nations on its own is not going to solve these problems.
“The Pro12 needs to work out how it can be value extra. They can’t serve up a fillet of fish; it has to be a fillet-of-fish combo. If we try to serve up the same product as England and France, we will never get the same money.
“There is so much in common between clubs like the Ospreys and states like New South Wales. NSW are permitted only one foreigner, so like the Ospreys they have to keep developing their own talent.
“But they need to generate more revenues, like we do, so they need to help the Australian Rugby Union come up with better products. I want to be actively involved in that.”
sportsjoe
The views of Andrew Hore the rugby administrator, also from New Zealand but not to be confused with the former All Black hooker.
How about this for thuggering in Argentina rugby, Pucara flanker Cipriano Martinez kicking Juan Masi a lock from San Albano, horrible stuff:
That is brutal. Martinez should be charged with assault and banned for life.
Puk 3 -0
Puk 12 -0, 7 -try
@ dWeePer:
Hi dWeePer thanks for the updates please keep them coming am not able to follow the games closely but am especially interested in the second semifinal YEAH TUKS!
Puk 12 -7, 5 try
Pukke 15 7
Pukke 24-7, 7 try
Chatting time
Pukke 27 -7
Correction: 29-7, I went to feed the dogs
The last score was a dropgoal. It seems a 7 try was changed to a 9 try during the break.
Pukke 32-7. The second Puk try was a kick ahead by Pukke, The UJ player missed the ball, Puk player pick up and score. I think at first sight the UJ player deemed to have touched the ball and a 7 try was awarded. During the break the score was changed on review it was decided that the UJ did not touched the ball, so it was changed to a 9 try.
Puk 35-7
End of game.
@ dWeePer:
@12 thanks for the explanation on that one have been wondering what you folk who watch the Varsity Cup think about the changes this season with the different try values how well do you think it has worked?
Looking from afar think rugby folk can really be envious of Varsity Cup it seems overall to be a good place for players to develop and the vibe the students generate must be really good to experience. Understand that in many ways it is used as a testing ground with the number of innovations over the years but just wonder about this year’s version with tries of different values. Fair enough if they want to encourage try scoring and more exciting play but surely the one dWeePer described shows it should maybe get a bit of tinkering done with it as it seems crazy that a hoof down field is rewarded in that way. Has it been easy to follow and have they been consistent in deciding where the play originates from in the lead up to tries scored?
To answer your question I ask myself the question: did it really made any difference, either by a different match result or the attitude of the players.
For the attitude of the players the still opted for the line out, so to me it did not change the attitude.
The only time it influenced a result was the Tukkie Shimla game. In that game bad play by Tukkies had more influence in the game.
Thus in my opinion a useless gimmick
To explain it differently. Good rugby is supposed to be rewarded with points, not luck where a score was originated. An intercept in your own half will give you 4 more points, and an intercept is most of the times more luck than skill.
Maties 7-0. 5 try originated in Tuks 25m. good rugby, not luck
Maties 29 -11 Lunchtime
20 @ dWeePer:
There is a seperate LIVE GAME ARTICLE for the Varsity Cup Semifinal between Maties vs Tuks!
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