Scurrilous rumours are circulating in the e-press-o-sphere (new word for you there) that the Springbok franchises are looking for a break-away from the Super 14 next year, with an entry into the Magners League being touted as the replacement. Leaving aside the fact that every one involved seems to deny anything of the sort to both The Scotsman/Evening News and the source article itself in The Australian – which means the article is basically conjecture – there are several reasons this might not work:
- Same time-zone games mean that revenues from TV would go up at both ends. As Wayne Smith in The Australian says, “the rugby wouldn’t be as good but the bottom line would be a whole lot healthier.” Indeed the rugby would become fairly schizophrenic, switching between firm South African grounds and Firhill on a rainy Friday night. Are the Blue Bulls really going to want to play Connacht?
- The lesser teams in a financial and rugby sense (Connacht, Dragons, and well, our two) would struggle to compete with the likes of the Sharks both financially and in a rugby sense. It is hard to see anything but a South African monopoly on the top end of the table even with Munster or Cardiff at the top of their games. Would the South Africans also make demands financially, bringing a hefty ratings slice to the table as they would?
- It would probably screw the Italians’ chances of getting involved. For the development of the world game surely it is of more interest to help a developing rugby nation like Italy achieve parity. On the other hand, it might mean Argentina or the Pacific Islands got invited in to the Super umm, 9.
- Adding another 5 teams to the fixture table would clog it up even further, with or without the presence of the EDF Cup (which seems to be on the way out or due for a reworking). Where do we fit all these games in when there’s barely enough time as it is? Would we have to synch our season with the Saffers, resulting in summer rugby (not such a terrible thought) and starting off with the Six Nations in the Spring? Where would it leave England, France and the Heineken Cup? It might work as the previously mooted “Rainbow Cup”, which could fill the “gulf” left by the EDF Cup but might threaten to overshadow Europe’s premier Cup competition. Nice as the idea is, with the increasing physicality and injury-laden nature of the game of Rugby Union, do we really have room for more expansion?
In other news, rumours concerning a trio of Wasps players moving to France have been confirmed. With another dedicated lock in Tom Palmer, and a utility back row in James Haskell, will this see Simon Taylor squeezed out? Maybe Wasps will want him! Is there room for him in Scotland? Sounds wonderful, but seems unlikely. Never one to give up on a challenge, Taylor will surely stay on and defend his lovely pink shirt…
UPDATE: this has, of course, now been quashed…