Phil Waugh and Daniel Herbert are in an impossible position. On the one hand, they know things need to change. On the other, they have no money to initiate it.
In years gone by, the Wallabies generated most of the money and this slowly filtered down the line. I don’t think this model can be relied on in the future.
With NZR having sold a chunk of their future commercial revenue to Silver Lake, they are now being forced into generating more money.
The recently announced tour of South Africa (and the subsequent watering down of The Rugby Championship) won’t be the last change we see NZR make.
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Rugby Australia can either act or react. Last week, Keith wrote a great article about tribalism and how Super Rugby Pacific should be blown up in order to move to a domestic competition. I don’t think RA have the money (or the skills) to do what he is suggesting.
Instead, I think RA need to be bold. The first thing they should do is split into two. RA Elite (jokes aside) and RA Amateur, with RA Amateur given a set amount of funding each year to grow the grassroots.
RA Elite
RA Elite should control the Wallabies and three Super Rugby Pacific teams.
SRP will still run from February to June with each team having a squad of about 30. The objective of staying in SRP is to get players ready for the Wallabies. If it means the Wallabies coach requests players be rested, tried in a different position, or moving a particular player from one team to the other mid-season, so be it.
James Slipper of the Wallabies. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
The Wallabies (and Australia A) could then play and tour from July to November.
RA Elite should be made up of representatives from all State Unions, fully responsible for contracting all 90 players and coaches.
Keep the Giteau law or ditch it, I don’t care.
Professional competition
The professional competition should be a 12-14 team competition with a full home and away season starting in 2026. Over time, it could include a Champions Trophy type competition with NZ and Japan.
Invite teams from Shute Shield, Hospital Cup, John I Dent Cup, etc and/or newly formed consortiums. It could be that Randwick and Eastern Suburbs apply independently or as a joint bid. Vikings or Harlequins could apply on their own, or they could create a Canberra or Melbourne team that includes buy-in from some of the other premier league teams.
Randwick, Eastern Suburbs, Vikings, Harlequins, etc. could field a team in this competition and still have a team in the amateur Shute Shield, Hospital Cup, John I Dent Cup, competitions.
The big question is obviously how to fund it. We know RA don’t have the funding or ability to do it. RA would have a role, but as a facilitator only. Their role would be to contract a third party to design the whole competition.
The fun then begins, because I think the entity that runs it should be publicly listed. Let the people own it. RA Elite and RA Amateur could have a seat on the board (and potentially the ability to revoke the license if the new company breach certain obligations).
Apart from that, the new company would operate 100 per cent independently. It would have its own board, its own CEO, its own marketing team, negotiate its own broadcast deals, etc. As happens in other professional leagues, the new entity would share the broadcast dollars with the clubs and then clubs need would need to pay their own way – merchandise, memberships, sponsorships.
There would need to be a mechanism for transferring players from the professional to the elite competitions, but that can get worked out later.
Amateur competitions
Eastern Suburbs celebrating Shute Shield win.
The last piece of the puzzle is the amateur competitions. Easy, let Shute Shield, Hospital Cup, etc. continue, but have them revert to being 100 per cent amateur.
The outcome? The fans would be able to own the professional competition.
There would be a professional pathway for 400 or more players, coaches, analysts, physios, etc. RA Elite would have the benefit of players coming through a professional system but have none of the financial risks associated with it.
RA Amateur would have secure funding and be able to focus on grassroots.
Win, win, win, and win.