SA Rugby wants 2 more Professional Franchises

[TRF_heineken]

Hein I have to disagree. We all saw what happens when you create a team based on those terms...remember the Kings? IF it ever happens and I hope it doesn't, then it should be based purely on numbers in Curriecup supporters.....it should make sense financially or they should just forget about it.

Remember that we are talking about franchising here, not about rugby unions. The chance is there that these new franchises will be some sort of amalgamation between certain unions and private investors joining forces.

I think the possibility that a team like the Pumas, will join up with the Valke, but use the Pumas' base in Nelspruit as their homeground.

When it comes to financial obligations, I think, the Leopards make a lot of sense. especially with the amount of students in Potchefstroom. Look at the Highlanders as an example, they get their stadium filled nearly every game, and have a stand purely for the students. That can easily happen in Potch too. it's also not that far from Joburg and Pretoria, or even Bloemfontein

 

[User1245]

Lets face it, the Cape produces the talent our other teams use in any case.

I strongly disagree tried to sneak that one in

 

[unrated]

Remember that we are talking about franchising here, not about rugby unions. The chance is there that these new franchises will be some sort of amalgamation between certain unions and private investors joining forces.

I think the possibility that a team like the Pumas, will join up with the Valke, but use the Pumas' base in Nelspruit as their homeground.

When it comes to financial obligations, I think, the Leopards make a lot of sense. especially with the amount of students in Potchefstroom. Look at the Highlanders as an example, they get their stadium filled nearly every game, and have a stand purely for the students. That can easily happen in Potch too. it's also not that far from Joburg and Pretoria, or even Bloemfontein

Potch students do love their rugby.
The varsity cup games between the Pukke and any other team are usually filled to the rafters with people waiting hours before the game in the sun just to get a spot in the stadium.
But they have no affinity towards the leopards. And any attempt at a franchise that incorporated the students will need to be attractive to the students in a way that the leopards are not . Most potch students come from various parts of the countries so a team representing the region might not entice anyone. But as you m mentioned the team will have world class facilities with a high performance Centre that is used by many international athletes (such as the Spanish national Football team)

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I don't see the point. Let's see how the current SA teams in Europe do. Even then can they dilute their talent further across more teams?

 

[TRF_heineken]

I don't see the point. Let's see how the current SA teams in Europe do. Even then can they dilute their talent further across more teams?

The point is to try and make it more attractive for our players, that are playing in the NH for NH-based teams, to return to our shores and play for local teams in NH-based tournaments.

The plan is not to dilute our pool further, it's to strengthen our already diluted pool by getting the best players back to SA and also making them available to play for the Springboks.

We can currently, field a springbok team by only using players in the NH. and that team will smash our current springbok team.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

It'd take someone with a better grasp of Rugby finances and exchange rates than me to work out if the Pro14 will help the Kings and Cheetahs stall the migration of talent to the other Pro14 sides (mainly Ireland). But sadly I don't think you need to be an economist to conclude it won't help all that much with losing talent to England, France (and possibly Japan).

I just don't see enough players being won back from the Pro12 sides to bolster the roster of two new teams. I'd be delighted to be wrong and it is interesting to hear that there are some significant population centres in SA that don't have a professional team.

 

[saulan]

I just don't see enough players being won back from the Pro12 sides to bolster the roster of two new teams. I'd be delighted to be wrong and it is interesting to hear that there are some significant population centres in SA that don't have a professional team.

I don't think it's particularly about winning them back, I think it's more about retaining the next generation of our young talent and retaining them in South Africa for a longer time period. Also, it's also better now from an SA perspective if a player plays for a different Pro 14 team not in SA since it's easier to keep track of how they are doing form wise. It's also yet to be seen whether they would treat those players at other pro 14 teams as players of a domestic league, although I think it's highly unlikely.

Also in the past Japan hasn't been the largest issue, in some ways it's been a supplementary income for our players who returned at the start of Super Rugby, but some did stay full time.

 

[higgik]

Best case scenario if new franchises are formed and join the Anglo-Welsh Cup is the teams will play 6 games in a competition that nobody really cares about. I can't see anybody investing in that.

SA could sustain 4 franchises in European competitions. First they have to get the Kings and Cheetahs up to a high enough standard. If that happens and they repatriate a lot of SA players from European clubs to their own franchises (eg Ulster lose 3/4 of their team to the Kings or Cheetahs) then new franchises would be welcome in the Pro14 expanded to Pro16. A 4 team SA conference, 4 team Irish conference, 4 team Welsh conference and 4 team Scottish/Italian conference makes a lot of sense. More sense than adding North American teams anyway.

Agree with this plan completely.
Teams play home and away in conference (6 matches)
Then home or away against the other teams (12 matches)
Still only 2 matches in SA, keeps derbies going and reduces fixture list meaning internationals can play more often and smaller squads, (more SA players could move back home).
Finals series would be conference winners and best 2 non winner overall.
4 rounds of play offs over 5 weeks, with final like current a 'neutral venue'.

 

[smartcooky]

Any person willing to commit millions to a business which you know you will never be allowed to run as you please(come in rules enforced by ANC), would be an idiot. We don't need any more teams, we need freedom for the existing teams.

100% agree with this.

So long as The ANC SRSA dictate the composition of rugby teams in South Africa, no-one who has the money and more than two brain-cells between his ears is going to touch this, not even with a 10ft bargepole with Thulas Nxesi holding onto the other end.