Super Rugby Australia

[Biffer]

Kicks off this weekend.

Friday 3rd
Reds v Waratahs 1905 AEST 1005 BST
Saturday 4th
Brumbies v Rebels 1915 AEST 1015 BST

[Carter's Choice]

Nice to have a thread dedicated to this tournament. I'm really looking forward to it. It's time for Australian based Rugby fans to put the past behind us, to forgive and forget Rugby Australia and present/former board members, and to be positive about this comp.

[brumbie_steve]

Is that you AC?

I am actually attending the Brumbies game, I got a ticket in the ballot.

[Carter's Choice]

Is that you AC?

I am actually attending the Brumbies game, I got a ticket in the ballot.

Yes it is. That's awesome. I'm guessing that the crowd will be 10% of capacity like they've been allowing for the NRL? So a few thousand at Bruce Stadium? Would be great if you could write a post-game review on this thread to share the experience of the first SR Australia game.

[Biffer]

Is that you AC?

I am actually attending the Brumbies game, I got a ticket in the ballot.

I'd just assumed no crowd - what's the score with attendances?

[brumbie_steve]

There is going to be 2 vacant seats between each occupied seat and every second row will be vacant. So maybe 16.67 capacity?

[Jimmy Smallsteps]

Any intel on the Western Force squad?

Since the Rebels enticed the better players away I'd have thought they would struggle to foot it with the other four teams.

[MungoMan]

Nice to have a thread dedicated to this tournament. I'm really looking forward to it. It's time for Australian based Rugby fans to put the past behind us, to forgive and forget Rugby Australia and present/former board members, and to be positive about this comp.

Your SOH is criminally undervalued.

[Jimmy Smallsteps]

There is going to be 2 vacant seats between each occupied seat and every second row will be vacant. So maybe 16.67 capacity?

So in other words, business as usual for the Brumbies?

[mat the expat]

There is going to be 2 vacant seats between each occupied seat and every second row will be vacant. So maybe 16.67 capacity?

So in other words, business as usual for the Brumbies?

I rate games at Bruce.

Has a good atmosphere. Old-school

Where are the Tahs playing this year, the SCG?

[Jim Lahey]

Same 5 team, 8 match format and law interpretations as the Kiwis?

[Jimmy Smallsteps]

Same 5 team, 8 match format and law interpretations as the Kiwis?

The two week finals format is different.

Super Rugby Australia competition format

Australia’s four Super Rugby clubs (Brumbies, Rebels, Reds and Wararahs) plus Western Force.

12 weeks: 10-week round-robin, two week finals series (22 matches).

Eight matches per club in round-robin – four home, four away and two byes each.

Two matches per weekend – 7.05pm Friday and 7.15pm Saturday.

Match venues: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane; GIO Stadium, Canberra; AAMI Park, Melbourne; HBF Park, Perth; Sydney venue TBC.

Law trials: Goal-line dropout when attacking player held up over the line; goal-line drop out when a kick into in-goal is forced by defending team; marks only allowed in the in-goal area; the ability for teams to replace red carded players after 20 minutes; 50/22 - a kick taken from within the defending team’s 50m area that travels into touch within the opposition’s 22m area having first bounced in the field of play results in a lineout throw to the kicking team; 22/50 - A kick taken from within the defending team’s 22m area that travels into touch within the opposition’s 50m area having first bounced in the field of play results in a lineout throw to the kicking team; Super Time point tiebreaker [extra-time to be played in event of a draw at full-time; first points scorer to win]

[Thommo]

I'm really keen to see how the Reds go without Rodda, Isaac and that other bloke whose name escapes me. They way they came back against the Bulls was tremendous and this whole COVID thing really put a dampener on their season revival.

[Carter's Choice]

I'm really keen to see how the Reds go without Rodda, Isaac and that other bloke whose name escapes me. They way they came back against the Bulls was tremendous and this whole COVID thing really put a dampener on their season revival.

Harry Hockings.

Yes I am also keen to see how the Reds go, they looked to be a team on the rise pre-COVID. As an aside, what are Foxtel and RA doing to promote this comp? I watch Foxtel every night and I am yet to see any promotional advertising for this comp. Have I just been watching the wrong channels?

[Thommo]

It's got me stumped. They don't care.

The NRL and AFL get top billing. We get the scraps.

[Guy Smiley]

It's got me stumped. They don't care.

The NRL and AFL get top billing. We get the scraps.

It irks me most foul... win the rights initially, bury the product relative to other product (overall coverage compared to NRL and AFL), actively participate in destabilising the leadership, win new rights deal for modified product and bury again, deeper than the first time.

Hilariously, these backstabbing assassins are seen as saviours and guardian angels by small, bitter men from Sydney.

[Carter's Choice]

It's got me stumped. They don't care.

The NRL and AFL get top billing. We get the scraps.

It just makes no sense. Foxtel have paid for the rights to broadcast a product that they are making no effort to promote. They play non-stop ads for Sky News shows that only attract 20K viewers a week. Surely Rugby starved Aussies are going to flock to watch this comp, like Kiwis have done? Even Kiwi Rugby fans will watch Super Rugby Australia if it's on TV. It is almost as if Foxtel are deliberately trying to kill the code here in Oz.

[Quade]

I'm really keen to see how the Reds go without Rodda, Isaac and that other bloke whose name escapes me. They way they came back against the Bulls was tremendous and this whole COVID thing really put a dampener on their season revival.

Rodda was the only starter amongst them and he was coming back from injury this year, so they won't lose too much.

[Thommo]

It's got me stumped. They don't care.

The NRL and AFL get top billing. We get the scraps.

It irks me most foul... win the rights initially, bury the product relative to other product (overall coverage compared to NRL and AFL), actively participate in destabilising the leadership, win new rights deal for modified product and bury again, deeper than the first time.

Hilariously, these backstabbing assassins are seen as saviours and guardian angels by small, bitter men from Sydney.

I thought you were one of the 10 captains!

[Guy Smiley]

It's got me stumped. They don't care.

The NRL and AFL get top billing. We get the scraps.

It irks me most foul... win the rights initially, bury the product relative to other product (overall coverage compared to NRL and AFL), actively participate in destabilising the leadership, win new rights deal for modified product and bury again, deeper than the first time.

Hilariously, these backstabbing assassins are seen as saviours and guardian angels by small, bitter men from Sydney.

I thought you were one of the 10 captains!

. I’m not one of those mates.

[Carter's Choice]

Waratahs and Reds will name their teams this morning. Looks like the Waratahs team is dealing with some injuries. Not an ideal way to start a tough, short comp. Injuries and injury management will play a huge role in deciding this tournament. We've already seen in Aotearoa NZ that injuries are having a massive impact. In a sort, 8 match round robin, even relatively minor injuries can be season ending.

Update on the Waratahs injury issues below;

https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2020/06/3 ... s-injuries

[Carter's Choice]

Both teams have been named for this clash.

Waratahs

1. Angus Bell

2. Robbie Abel

3. Harry Johnson-Holmes

4. Ned Hanigan

5. Rob Simmons (C)

6. Lachlan Swinton

7. Michael Hooper

8. Will Harris


9. Mitch Short

10. Will Harrison

11. Mark Nawaqanitawase

12. Joey Walton

13. Alex Newsome (Vc)

14. James Ramm

15. Jack Maddocks

Reserves

16. Tom Horton

17. Tetera Faulkner

18. Tiaan Tauakipulu

19. Tom Staniforth

20. Jack Dempsey

21. Michael Mcdonald

22. Ben Donaldson

23. Tepai Moeroa


Reds

1. Harry Hoopert – Brothers

2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa – Sunnybank

3. Taniela Tupou – Brothers

4. Angus Blyth – Bond University

5. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – Souths

6. Liam Wright – Easts ©

7. Fraser McReight – Brothers

8. Harry Wilson – Brothers


9. Tate McDermott – University of Queensland

10. James O’Connor – Brothers

11. Filipo Daugunu – Wests

12. Hamish Stewart – Brothers

13. Hunter Paisami – Wests

14. Jock Campbell – University of Queensland

15. Bryce Hegarty – GPS

Reserves

16. Alex Mafi – Bond University

17. JP Smith – GPS

18. Josh Nasser – University of Queensland

19. Tuaina Taii Tualima* – GPS

20. Angus Scott-Young – University of Queensland

21. Scott Malolua – Souths

22. Chris Feauai-Sautia – Souths

23. Josh Flook* – Brothers

[Sinkers]

Struggling with posting links but did I see an interview with the force newcomers on Facebook: Jonno Lance, Greg Holmes & Kyle Godwin.

Thoughts?

[Thommo]

Struggling with posting links but did I see an interview with the force newcomers on Facebook: Jonno Lance, Greg Holmes & Kyle Godwin.

Thoughts?

The Force will be lucky to win a game, much like their performance in Super Rugby.

[Sim_in_mel]

First post, maybe last.......

GO THE REBELS

[Guy Smiley]

First post, maybe last.......

GO THE REBELS

uhhh... the Reds! I guess

[Biffer]

It's got me stumped. They don't care.

The NRL and AFL get top billing. We get the scraps.

It just makes no sense. Foxtel have paid for the rights to broadcast a product that they are making no effort to promote. They play non-stop ads for Sky News shows that only attract 20K viewers a week. Surely Rugby starved Aussies are going to flock to watch this comp, like Kiwis have done? Even Kiwi Rugby fans will watch Super Rugby Australia if it's on TV. It is almost as if Foxtel are deliberately trying to kill the code here in Oz.

Easy tiger.

[Caley_Red]

Looking forward to seeing the Tahs play on Friday, dry July time so it'll be a side of tea to go with my perennial disappointment this time.

Hope the Aus teams get a bigger following from the intra-Aus version and it follows into the Trans-Tasman season! Although it's been debated to death in the old PR ether, I am very much of the view that Super Rugby- as it was- was dead. I think the current crisis has accelerated the changes that needed to happen.

[Biffer]

Looking forward to seeing the Tahs play on Friday, dry July time so it'll be a side of tea to go with my perennial disappointment this time.

Hope the Aus teams get a bigger following from the intra-Aus version and it follows into the Trans-Tasman season! Although it's been debated to death in the old PR ether, I am very much of the view that Super Rugby- as it was- was dead. I think the current crisis has accelerated the changes that needed to happen.

Is there a potentially much more attractive SH competition structure coming out of this?

A short snappy Domestic Super team season in each of the big three over 2-3 months. 5 teams NZ, 5 teams Aus, 5/6 teams SA.

Then an equivalent of the Heineken Cup - top 3 from each league goes in plus another 3 from Argentina, Japan, PIs and if the team in Singapore is funded (some kind of qualifying tournament for these to run alongside the domestic leagues).

End up with a tournament of 3 groups of 4, each with a Kiwi, Saffer and Oz team plus one other. Play teams in your group home and away. 3 winners plus best runner up into semifinals.

Shadow competition, exactly the same structure same as the Challenge Cup in Europe.

Gives each team a minimum of 14 games, much as per Super Rugby. But only 3 games outside your country's timezone (for the big 3 - more thought needed for the smaller teams).

Gives the non-Big 3 teams regular games against each other and Super Rugby teams, along with TV coverage / sponsorship which will go with that.

Straightforward national leagues that'll be hard fought until the last week as places in the big cup will be at stake.

Short and snappy SH club competition that is easy to understand and marketable.

Still leaves space for Currie Cup and NPC/Miter10/whatever the fuck they're calling it now.

Also sets up a possible NHvSH club champions clash, lucrative and meaningful.

[Caley_Red]

Looking forward to seeing the Tahs play on Friday, dry July time so it'll be a side of tea to go with my perennial disappointment this time.

Hope the Aus teams get a bigger following from the intra-Aus version and it follows into the Trans-Tasman season! Although it's been debated to death in the old PR ether, I am very much of the view that Super Rugby- as it was- was dead. I think the current crisis has accelerated the changes that needed to happen.

Is there a potentially much more attractive SH competition structure coming out of this?

A short snappy Domestic Super team season in each of the big three over 2-3 months. 5 teams NZ, 5 teams Aus, 5/6 teams SA.

Then an equivalent of the Heineken Cup - top 3 from each league goes in plus another 3 from Argentina, Japan, PIs and if the team in Singapore is funded (some kind of qualifying tournament for these to run alongside the domestic leagues).

End up with a tournament of 3 groups of 4, each with a Kiwi, Saffer and Oz team plus one other. Play teams in your group home and away. 3 winners plus best runner up into semifinals.

Shadow competition, exactly the same structure same as the Challenge Cup in Europe.

Gives each team a minimum of 14 games, much as per Super Rugby. But only 3 games outside your country's timezone (for the big 3 - more thought needed for the smaller teams).

Gives the non-Big 3 teams regular games against each other and Super Rugby teams, along with TV coverage / sponsorship which will go with that.

Straightforward national leagues that'll be hard fought until the last week as places in the big cup will be at stake.

Short and snappy SH club competition that is easy to understand and marketable.

Still leaves space for Currie Cup and NPC/Miter10/whatever the fuck they're calling it now.

Also sets up a possible NHvSH club champions clash, lucrative and meaningful.

That would probably be better directed at one of the more informed Southern Hemisphere posters: not entirely sure about the plans. The last I read was that the new model would be current NZ and Aus franchises but bringing back the Western Force with scope to maybe have a single PI or Japanese team in as well. It was talked about seriously in 2019 but the current situation may accelerate it (certainly the Aus-NZ section of it) due to regional travel bubbles opening up.

Anyone else got the latest rumors on this?

[Sim_in_mel]

First post, maybe last.......

GO THE REBELS

uhhh... the Reds! I guess

Well the REBELS do not seem to get too much support around Australia, and maybe just maybe........... There is always hope

[Carter's Choice]

I have no interest whatsoever in a comp that features SA teams, regardless of how few games involve them. It's not that I don't like South Africans or SA Rugby per se, but the timezones are an absolute deal breaker. For 2021 I want to see a Trans Tasman comp featuring 10 teams (5 from each nation). A 16 match round robin home and away, sounds really good to me. Then NZ can have their provincial semi-professional Mitre 10 Cup feeder comp and Australia can have a Tier 3 domestic comp if they choose. The sooner the South Africans fuck off to play NH easy rugby the better.

[FujiKiwi]

I have no interest whatsoever in a comp that features SA teams, regardless of how few games involve them. It's not that I don't like South Africans or SA Rugby per se, but the timezones are an absolute deal breaker. For 2021 I want to see a Trans Tasman comp featuring 10 teams (5 from each nation). A 16 match round robin home and away, sounds really good to me. Then NZ can have their provincial semi-professional Mitre 10 Cup feeder comp and Australia can have a Tier 3 domestic comp if they choose. The sooner the South Africans fuck off to play NH easy rugby the better.

I'm assuming the Jaguares would be out, in your ideal model, given the timezone thing?

The Sunwolves timezone isn't that far off the NZ/Aussie one. What is your stance on their involvement?

[Carter's Choice]

I have no interest whatsoever in a comp that features SA teams, regardless of how few games involve them. It's not that I don't like South Africans or SA Rugby per se, but the timezones are an absolute deal breaker. For 2021 I want to see a Trans Tasman comp featuring 10 teams (5 from each nation). A 16 match round robin home and away, sounds really good to me. Then NZ can have their provincial semi-professional Mitre 10 Cup feeder comp and Australia can have a Tier 3 domestic comp if they choose. The sooner the South Africans fuck off to play NH easy rugby the better.

I'm assuming the Jaguares would be out, in your ideal model, given the timezone thing?

The Sunwolves timezone isn't that far off the NZ/Aussie one. What is your stance on their involvement?

Yes, the Jaguares would definitely be out. 8am kickoffs don't work for TV.
The Sunwolves have already been culled by SR so I'm not sure how they would re-form by 2021? But I'm not against Japanese involvement in the future if the right, sustainable arrangements can be made. The SW's were set up to fail from the start by originally playing half their games in Singapore to keep the Saffers happy.

[FujiKiwi]

I have no interest whatsoever in a comp that features SA teams, regardless of how few games involve them. It's not that I don't like South Africans or SA Rugby per se, but the timezones are an absolute deal breaker. For 2021 I want to see a Trans Tasman comp featuring 10 teams (5 from each nation). A 16 match round robin home and away, sounds really good to me. Then NZ can have their provincial semi-professional Mitre 10 Cup feeder comp and Australia can have a Tier 3 domestic comp if they choose. The sooner the South Africans fuck off to play NH easy rugby the better.

I'm assuming the Jaguares would be out, in your ideal model, given the timezone thing?

The Sunwolves timezone isn't that far off the NZ/Aussie one. What is your stance on their involvement?

Yes, the Jaguares would definitely be out. 8am kickoffs don't work for TV.
The Sunwolves have already been culled by SR so I'm not sure how they would re-form by 2021? But I'm not against Japanese involvement in the future if the right, sustainable arrangements can be made. The SW's were set up to fail from the start by originally playing half their games in Singapore to keep the Saffers happy.

Well, what about a team based in the islands? In Samoa, maybe? Would that work? I think it's Ben Ryan (?) the gold medal winning Fiji coach has been suggesting that a team based in the Pacific would work for years. He sounds pretty convincing, but I don't know much about it otherwise.

[Carter's Choice]

Well, what about a team based in the islands? In Samoa, maybe? Would that work? I think it's Ben Ryan (?) the gold medal winning Fiji coach has been suggesting that a team based in the Pacific would work for years. He sounds pretty convincing, but I don't know much about it otherwise.

I'm not a fan of the idea. The PI's are international teams and it would devalue them to force them into participating in a 2nd tier, Super Rugby level comp. Pus the only team that would be viable would be Fiji.

[FujiKiwi]

Well, what about a team based in the islands? In Samoa, maybe? Would that work? I think it's Ben Ryan (?) the gold medal winning Fiji coach has been suggesting that a team based in the Pacific would work for years. He sounds pretty convincing, but I don't know much about it otherwise.

I'm not a fan of the idea. The PI's are international teams and it would devalue them to force them into participating in a 2nd tier, Super Rugby level comp. Pus the only team that would be viable would be Fiji.

Yes. That's a good point. Makes sense.

[Ellafan]

First post, maybe last.......

GO THE REBELS

Apparently not.

[Koalabyte]

Well, what about a team based in the islands? In Samoa, maybe? Would that work? I think it's Ben Ryan (?) the gold medal winning Fiji coach has been suggesting that a team based in the Pacific would work for years. He sounds pretty convincing, but I don't know much about it otherwise.

I'm not a fan of the idea. The PI's are international teams and it would devalue them to force them into participating in a 2nd tier, Super Rugby level comp. Pus the only team that would be viable would be Fiji.

Yes. That's a good point. Makes sense.

Having said that, I thought the Fijians very competitive in the ARC. Good value for money and played great attacking rugby.

[Ymx]

I think Caley Red angled at it, but if you Oz boys want; I can add your teams to the match thread generator.

Just need basic info for each team

Team name
Location ie city, state
Iconic image url of city
Stadium name
Stadium image url
Team shirt image url (we used all black shop for nz, so something similar and ideally consistent for all teams in terms of style and img size)


And I’ll add the team to the op generator.

Sorry to guy smiley in advance.