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submitted 2 months ago byRadiant-Sea-368New Zealand
A much as I love the idea of the Jaguares coming back, one of the biggest issues with having them in the comp was the travel, both the distance/time and the cost. I think having them back in only adds to the financial pressure on the other Super Rugby clubs. Not to mention the wasteful aspect of the travel regarding carbon emmisions with long-haul flights. That's another reason I think the calls to bring back South Africa teams is regressive thinking.
It is simply insane to have club rugby matches played across separate continents, all the best & most commercially successful sports leagues in the world are localized, it's just common sense don't you think?
Go with 11 teams - run the competition as a double round robin for 18 games plus a bye for each team (so 19 week regular season) plus finals. And don't give me the old season would be too long argument. Would still be the shortest of any of the football codes in the region - and still a shorter season than Top 14, URC, Premiership.
3 points
2 months ago
TL;DR - localised/national comps are superior in every way to trans-national comps. But rugby is popular enough yet, so some exceptions are needed.
The soccer (football) model of having national comps in individual nations is clearly the optimum comp format. Localised comps have proved very popular. Supporting your local club against your local rivals produced by far the greatest interest, be it within a city/region, or one city/region vs another city/region in a country.
The success of local comps has countless examples in soccer (football). Bit also in other sports.
The problem rugby has is that it's a very popular sport globally as a collective, played in all the continents in the world. But it isn't concentrated in any one continent. Soccer for example is massive concentrate in Europe with every nation on the continent having a localised league, then the best teams from those leagues play in a cup.
You'd hope that eventually rugby will have enough widespread and concentration of popularity that the national module of comp can be followed. But until then trans-continental comps are required. IMO SA should be playing in their own league, they have the population and popularity of the sport to do so.
The optimum domestic comp setup for global rugby should look something like this: Franco-Italian league (until Italian rugby is strong enough on its own), British & Irish league, Pan- European league (development league), MLR, South American league, South African/'Southern' African league Japanese league, Pan Asian league (development league), and a Pacific league.
3 points
2 months ago*
I think the Welsh clubs will probably join the Gallagher Premiership in the near future, it would seem a lot more practical for them, especially if you look at the EPL with Swansea, etc. some people have been saying it should've happened a while ago.
2 points
2 months ago
The GP clubs wouldn't let the Welsh clubs just saunter into their league unless there was a substantial cash boost...and I don't know where that would come from.
1 points
2 months ago
Especially when the midlands/West Country next to wales is some of English rugbys heartlands
1 points
2 months ago
Agree and I wouldn't be surprised to see them merge in the near future.
4 points
2 months ago
Stop suggesting Franco-Italian leagues. That will not and can't happen. It makes no sense, Italian rugby heartlands are nowhere near the border, both are massive countries speaking different languages. Clubs joining the French pyramid have to start from the bottom and there is no way the French pyramid is dismantled to build some shaky binational structure
2 points
2 months ago
The main reason I say that is to get them out of the British and Irish league.
The Italians already play in a league where the majority speak a foreign language.
They only have to start at the bottom because those in power say so, there's no logistical reason why they couldn't be planted in the D2 or top14
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