New tier needed, but winning Tests must be top priority

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This was published 10 years ago

New tier needed, but winning Tests must be top priority

By Matthew Burke

There is an interesting development happening in club-land and the powers that be are being very protective of their product. Rightly so, as they have invested time and money into their commodity and don't want to see it taken away from them.

I can understand the debate about preserving the integrity of the club system but is there a bigger picture in getting the younger club players exposed to better top-flight rugby? I think there is a need to bridge the gap between the different levels of rugby because the skill level needs a dramatic rise to match the speed that is expected at Super Rugby.

Middle ground:Tom Kingston celebrates after scoring a try in Sydney University's Shute Shield grand final win.

Middle ground:Tom Kingston celebrates after scoring a try in Sydney University's Shute Shield grand final win.Credit: Dallas Kilponen

Club rugby is good to watch and played at a good standard, yet the players know that standard won't allow them to make a successful transition to the Super Rugby competition.

The difficulty the ARU faces is it needs to implement a structure whereby the players are able to manufacture these ''better conditions''. Years ago, the Australian Rugby Championship was the first step in trying to establish those conditions in a contrived environment whereby the club players were paired up with Super Rugby professionals. What we saw was good quality attacking rugby that was fast and explosive. Perhaps what contributed to that fact was the change in the laws, but the concept was there.

The competition ran at a loss and in no time was abandoned. If there was ever a need to run something at a loss it was this. Yes the ARU was bleeding but it did just receive a $50 million windfall from the 2003 World Cup. Invest strategically, put it in the bank and claim the interest, take it to the casino and put it on 15 black, whatever, just keep the competition going. The national body now wouldn't be able to sustain such a competition and therefore would rely on sponsors to pick up the tab.

If you were to get such a competition up and running, what would it look like? The chat is about using the stronger clubs as the basis of the teams. Again, my concern is those players not selected for the Tests would go back and turn out for the club system and the players who we are looking to get the experience of playing the faster rugby would be pushed aside.

Why not set up a draft system whereby every team, like the format of the old ARC, gets a certain number of professionals mixed in with the club players. Set a player rating or value to 100 points, much like in the fantasy football leagues where the better players have a higher number, and on the field at any one time you can't exceed a certain capped number. We have enough good rugby brains in the country to set a criteria of a points system for the rugby playing players at senior levels.

Coaches making their selections would have to look across the team list and choose their players strategically. Responsibility would then lie with the players to work together to get the most out of the skill level across the playing group. The games would be on par so far as not to heavily bias any team, therefore the games should be competitive.

Georgina Robinson wrote on Friday about the heated exchanges in the meeting with the club presidents and the ARU delegates. I believe one question raised was on costings of such a tournament. The response being we hope the broadcasters will see the value and chase the concept. That's the problem. Would a free-to-air or a pay TV channel want to pay for a product that is not top-level rugby, especially when it would be going up against the other winter codes that Super Rugby and the international schedule already compete with for air time? The ratings last week were down against the Springboks.

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I think that is where the bigger issue is at the moment. This season, the Wallabies haven't performed to expectations and it's hurting everyone. From the fans to the business of the ARU and the broadcasters. Rugby is a business now and players must understand that on-field success in Test rugby is crucial to the success of those matches being played below them.

It makes it easier for everyone to do their jobs.

We are searching for another tiered rugby competition because we are looking for players who can play at the top level. For now, don't worry about finding that other tier, worry about what is hurting us and that is the lack of winning at the top level.

Twitter - @burkey710

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