Australia needs trans-Tasman competition, but does New Zealand?
If Australian teams want a trans-Tasman competition in the future, they will have to earn the right to be invited.
Many Australian rugby fans would like to see a trans-Tasman competition established next year, replacing the SANZAAR model that includes South Africa and Argentina.
Australian supporters are tired of setting their alarm clocks for 1am to watch the Brumbies or the Waratahs play some South African side on the highveld that they know little about.
No one knows what the world of rugby will look like next year because of the coronavirus but a trans-Tasman competition involving five Australian teams and five New Zealand sides would have tremendous appeal to fans and broadcasters.
Maybe you could throw in Japan and Fiji, travel restrictions permitting.
But would the Kiwis want to play against us? There seems to be an assumption that they would but I am not entirely convinced.
With Super Rugby as we know it suspended this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Australia and New Zealand are going it alone with their own domestic competitions.
The New Zealand competition — Super Rugby Aotearoa — comprises the Kiwis’ existing five clubs: Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders and Hurricanes.
It kicks off on Saturday with a game between the Highlanders and the Chiefs in Dunedin, while the Blues host the Hurricanes at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday.
The pent-up demand for rugby in New Zealand has gone through the roof.
The last time I looked ticket sales had topped 50,000 for the Blues-Hurricanes game.
Now I know there are a few extra drawcards such as the Blues’ star recruit Beauden Barrett playing against his old team for the first time and the return of one of New Zealand’s favourites sons, Dan Carter from Japan, but that amount of fan interest is phenomenal.
I wonder if there would have been anywhere near the same level of interest if the Highlanders and the Blues were hosting Australian opposition. I seriously doubt it. And that is a potential problem for Australian rugby.
If Super Rugby Aotearoa is a roaring success, why would the Kiwis want to spoil things by inviting less attractive Australian teams into their new competition?
When Super Rugby was suspended this season after seven rounds, the Brumbies were the only Australian team that looked competitive.
In New Zealand one of the main objectives of Super Rugby is to prepare Kiwi players for Test rugby.
That’s why the Kiwis like to play tough South African opposition so much, despite the huge geographical challenges of having them in the competition.
There has been deep concern in New Zealand about the decline of Australian rugby over the past five years or so. If the Kiwis believe the Australian Super Rugby teams are non-competitive, they might decide they are better off without us. That might sound far-fetched but is it really?
While New Zealand could probably thrive on its own, the loss of trans-Tasman competition would be disastrous for Australia.
One of the factors in the rise of Australian rugby in the late 1970s and 1980s was the close connections forged with New Zealand. I remember making three-match tours of New Zealand with the Waratahs every season and hosting Kiwi teams in Sydney. Queensland did the same and it helped to lift the standard of Australian rugby to the point where the Wallabies started to win Bledisloe Cups, Grand Slams and World Cups.
The standard of Australian rugby has fallen enough already. I would hate to think what would happen if we lost our Kiwi connection.
The Australian domestic Super Rugby competition will start on July 3 when the Reds host the Waratahs in Brisbane, three weeks after Super Rugby Aotearoa.
We always seem to be one step behind the Kiwis, don’t we?
The quality of the Australian game will be monitored closely on the other side of the ditch.
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