Future of Super Rugby - Conference System
Like many Australian rugby fans, I'm feeling pretty dejected about where we currently sit in Super Rugby atm
For years I've been in the camp that said we should stick with the current model and hope Australian teams eventually improve enough to challenge for titles. But after this season, it's hard to argue we're anywhere close to that and there doesn't seem to be a clear plan for how we get there.
The most I've enjoyed Super Rugby in recent years was during COVID. Having Australian teams competing and winning grand finals felt like the first time in years that people around the country were genuinely engaged with super rugby again.
I don't think a standalone national competition is realistic given the financial constraints, but surely for the next few years at least we should consider a two-conference system.
Split Australia and NZ into separate conferences. You play teams in your own conference twice and teams in the other conference once. Each conference then has its own finals series (whether that's a three-team or four-team format), crowning an Australian champion and an Aotearoa champion. Those two winners then meet in a Super Rugby Pacific Championship game.
Essentially, we'd recreate some of the enjoyment and engagement we saw during COVID while still maintaining a trans-Tasman competition. It would give Australian fans, sponsors and broadcasters something tangible to get behind again. And if Australian teams improve both on and off the field over the next few years, maybe you return to a full integrated competition - home and away
Using this season as an example, the NZ conference finals would effectively look the same as what we're getting next week anyway. In Australia, we'd have Reds vs Waratahs and Brumbies vs Force, with the winners meeting to decide the Australian champion and the right to challenge the NZ champion for the Super Rugby Pacific title.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't stand the thought of simply running it back again and expecting different results.
Keen to hear everyone's thoughts.