Super Rugby finals could soon be played at neutral venues or at the southern hemisphere city which bids the most to host the final from 2011.
Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill yesterday said that from 2011 when the Super 14 expands to a Super 15 SANZAR will expand the regular four team play off into a six team extravaganza played over three weeks.
Under the new Super 15 format the top two teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will enter the finals which will be played over a three week period potentially in August each year.
The Super 15 will see teams grouped into Australian, New Zealand and South African conferences or pools with more home and away clashes between teams on the pools before going on tour to face teams in other pools.
”We want to turn that into more of a crescendo, like what occurs with the Heineken Cup in the northern hemisphere.” O’Neill told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“We want to make that into an event itself.”
O’Neill was speaking in Dublin and said that his new concept of moving the final around would involve major cities bidding for the final. ”I’d like to think that might not be too far away. It is an exciting concept,” he said.
O’Neill added that the Super 15 would revitalise rugby in the southern hemisphere, especially in Australia. ”It might be strange that I am saying this while in Dublin, but Super rugby is the best rugby in the world,” he said.
”It has the best players in the world. The three countries that supply the players have won all but one Rugby World Cup .”
“It’s time to understand the genie is out of the bottle and that Super Rugby is our shopfront.”
”If you want to go head-to-head with AFL, NRL and the A-League, you need a shopfront, and the shopfront will be 22 weeks of Super rugby, followed by the TriNations, where the best in the world are playing each other.
”It’s the shot in the arm we need. Rugby in Australia and a number of places has probably needed a wake-up call.”
“This competition structure will help, and hopefully we will get a style of rugby conducive to getting our crowds and viewers back.”
In another no doubt financially motivated move O’Neill added that he was also interested in the leading Super rugby franchises playing against the best Heineken Cup clubs.
”I don’t know whether we can harmonise the seasons. But I think we should look for a window where two or three of the best clubs in the Heineken Cup play off against the two or three best franchises in Super Rugby .” O’Neill said.
Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom said that O’Neill’s concept had merit. ”Everyone would be excited about that. It would certainly settle a few arguments,” he said.
15 Janne
Supa 10 Supa 12 Supa14 and now Supa 15.
Where will it end?
Werk almal of is dit fuckansie?
Who made this guy the king and spokesperson of the South? What a money motivated plonker this is.
Rugby is a business. I wish Oregan Hoskins was more like John O’Neill. Then he’d do more to benefit South African rugby. The rest of the world hates John O’Neill but the guy is doing everything he can to give Australia an edge, not like the idiots at the NZRU, and the SARU. Why do you do your job? Most people don’t even like their jobs…
5 – Praat jy met my?
6 – Ja. Rugby gaan oor geld maak.
Ja-nee, na wat op Loftus gebeur het hierdie jaar in die finaal, probeer almal nou met slim planne verhoed dat die finaal weer op Loftus is … hehe
7 – Nonsens man, dit gaan oor die liefde van die game.
I can’t see the S15 being the money spinner they think it will be.
Also the concept of the highest bidder is kuk. Can you imagine if Sydmey gets awarded the final, and the Bulls play the Sharks? It’ll be a balls up of note!
#10 Typical CONVICT Logic…….or lack thereof 🙂
@11 – EUFA chooses a venue for the Champions League final from one of the European countries and then funds them to renovate that stadium for the big final. That’s probably where O’Neill got the idea in the first place. That puts the final in a neutral venue, the other idea. How many teams are going to beat the Bulls in a final at Loftus, or the Crusaders in a final at AMI Stadium? That’s his logic, not how big the crowd is going to be. It’s usually a small crowd when not in SA… 😉
This is getting silly, we doing just fine with our rugby and they want everything to change cause they not happy.
What a load of toss.
Rather would see the team that top the log and gets to the final hosting the final. A franchise must be rewarded for that.
Otherwise we may have two South African teams in the final playing in Sydney or NZ teams. That sounds rather daft.
Or say Bulls playing the final against Tahs at Bloem? Something like that. It is just stupid. WONT work.
How many supporters will get to those stadiums to watch their team play? Stupid idea.
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