Outspoken Australian Rugby Union boss John O’Neill is ready to call his South African counterparts’ bluff, as the public spat between the SANZAR partners appear to be driven by nasty undercurrents.
South Africa’s threats of vetoing a possible expanded Super 15 could see them excluded as New Zealand and Australia are reportedly investigating a new-look Asia-Pacific tournament as an alternative.
This follows revelations this past week that SA Rugby Union Chief Executive Andy Marinos and O’Neill had a “heated exchange” at a Sanzar conference last week.
Marinos, in speaking to the South African media, made no secret of the fact that he is tired of O’Neill pushing his own country’s cause at the detriment of South Africa.
“The days that other countries walk all over us are over. We will do what we feel is right for South Africa, within the Sanzar context, and nothing else,” Marinos said.
O’Neill has since confirmed reports that the Sanzar working party, set up in Dubai to investigate a Super 15 in 2011, is also exploring a radically different back-up model.
The fall back would be a virtual Super 12 involving five teams each from Australia and New Zealand, plus a team each from Japan and the Pacific islands.
“Whilst the main game is an expanded Super 15, which remains our first preference, we clearly have to work on some other options just in case,” O’Neill said.
The comment gives insight into the backroom brawl brewing in Sanzar, with O’Neill adamant about Super 15 expansion and South Africa opposed to anything that would push the competition dates back and conflict its Currie Cup competition.
In the case of any expansion, both South Africa and Australia want the 15th team.
Loading ...
4 comments
amani says:
Mar 18, 2009
Catch us if you can….!?The Aussies and NewZealanders are trying to steemroll us one more time.We’ve been playing in the S12/S14 and our teams tour for a minimum of 4 weeks whilst they tour for a maximum of 3 weeks.Supersport contributing 65% of the revenue generated from this allience yet we get 40% of the revenue from the allience.The days of South Africans standing in awe of NewZealand and Australian Rugby are over.We know that we are not only superior in the playing field (the world cup is dafely tucked away in the SARU Cabinets),but we are superior interms of structure.We have the money,and that’s what matters…!They wanna push that the S14 be played while the Currie cup is on.This simply because they do not have any competitions during that time and they wanna increase revenue by having this competition playing for longer at the expence of South Africa.Why or why they cant start their own domestic competitions!?Oh wait,maybe because the NPC is now so watershed that it bearly attracts sponcers (maybe a local butcher and the likes),maybe because the Australian Union is unable to start a local competition because there’s such competition from other sporting codes i.e. soccer,cricket,league etc…!!!!!?
They threated to “kick out SA from s14″!!We say,be our guest.We will form new competition with the Northern hemisphere and make even more cash.Lets see which sponser will support the s12 with 5 teams from NewZealand and Australia with one team from Pacific Ilands and Japan to the point where they cover the gap of 65% that supersport currently brings to the table.On the other hand,we have England and the whole UK not to mention France.Gone will be the days of player drainage from our competitions because with better sponsers come better cash.No wonder our Billioneir Rupert is cleaning up Saracens,making way for the South Africans…!!Money talks folks.The time has come for South Africa to dominate world rugby both on and off the pitch….
Guru says:
Mar 18, 2009
It is such a relief to finally see that SA Rugby has come to their senses Amani. While I personally cannot deny that I would still love to watch the NZ players playing against the AUS and SA players, I have to agree that SA has been for a very long time suffering as a result of the uneven terms on which SAZAR had based the S10,12 and now S14. It is no secret that the majority of revenue in S14 comes from SA related sources, be it TV rights or sheer spectator numbers at games. We all know that on average, the Highlanders play in front of a crowd of 5000 while the Brumbies are Lucky to get 10000. Yet at Newlanda alone, on any given day, the supporters will be more that 20000. I am actually quite surprised that the NZ media has been very arrogant in a number of publications where they have said SA would be no great loss. WOW, you would think that NZ rugby is booming and thriving with players and spectators alike. Well, as Amani stated, if it all comes down to it, money talks and bulldust walks. In my opinion, both NZ and AUS have much more to lose than SA.
amani says:
Mar 19, 2009
Here’s a quote from our current MD “We are going to look at compromise but we have to make sure we do what’s best for South African rugby. We contribute by far the biggest television audience, by far the most spectators, and we put the most revenue into the pot for distribution.”
WE WILL NOT BE BULIED…
Mozie says:
Mar 19, 2009
its clear you guys are not going to compromise anything. for what its worth money makes the world go around. in soccer, cricket and all other sports. however i am proud of the fact that the already lucrative currie cup was protected based on culture and history as well. whatever the out come this cup will be there in the interest of sa rugby. call it an exclusion but i think its more voluntary that anything. i sense caution from the new zealanders though, although Guru i agree, their media was quite arrogant. i think they are more on our side with regards to the extention until August. however the issue is more about the 6th team been from the republic. its all about input, as you clearly stated the bigest contributor is sa and its only fair that the should have one more team. not sure about the format though.