Super 15 Rugby: Nothing Is What It Seems!

I don't quite know how to put this, but South African Rugby has just received a monster shove in the derriere by Australia with regards to the Super 15 plans announced on Tuesday.

Of course, this is the release put out by SA Rugby on behalf of South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby Union (SANZAR), with the details of the Super 15 Tournament starting in 2011, and there are a number of gaping holes in this structure, that leaves it entirely incomplete and incoherent.

Most of all, it shows scant regard for the Southern Kings' future role for the next seven years and is conspicuous in its absence from drawing attention to the fine print.

To the Australian Rugby Union's John O'Neill's credit, he has been consistent in his stance to acquire a fifth Super Rugby franchise for Australia, and will succeed in accomplishing this.

His presentations have always been coherent and logical, but the feeder tournament or a Challenger's Series to the Super 15, for the surplus franchises, needs to be developed to complete a stable and logical Super Rugby series.

Some of the questions that remain unanswered are: 

1. Where is provision made for the sixth South African franchise, the Southern Kings? 
2. Where is the relegation and promotion structure to determine which five teams play on an annual basis? 
3. Who would possibly bid for a fifth Australian—based franchise, other than an Australian franchise? 

Cut through the smoke-and-mirrors press release and focus on but 14 words of this 350-word release, that puts everything into laser-beam focus:

"A 15th team playing in the Australian conference will be added to Super Rugby."

Now, you do not have to be a genius to recognize that this is not lost in translation or anything, but absolutely and unequivocally signals that no South African team, least of all the Southern Kings, is going to base themselves in the Australian Conference of five teams. 

This, quite simply, effectively nukes any notion of a sixth South African franchise playing in the Super 15. And where is there reference made to relegation and promotion? There is none.

There is no door open, and it is a flat out checkmate to the Southern Kings and the team's Super Rugby franchise aspirations in the Eastern Cape.

It stops any hope the team ever had of playing in Super Rugby, and stops the moment the final whistle is blown on the June 16, after the Southern Kings have been launched in an inaugural game against the British & Irish Lions.

However, when the new South African Rugby Presidents' Council meets post March 2010, they could still address the situation and determine in the franchise participation agreement which all six South African franchises must be signatories to, that there be a relegation and promotion series, to determine which five, of the sixth South African franchises should play in 2011. 

This was the case in June 2005 and applies in June 2009, and will apply through 2015.

The race for the 15th Super Rugby franchise is actually expected to be between the Australian cities of the Gold Coast, Melbourne and western Sydney, although South African Rugby says the Southern Kings, based in the Eastern Cape province, will also make a bid.

This is sheer lunacy, a waste of time and money, and makes a mockery of the bidding process. 

* If the new team is an Australian franchise—is the fine print at the base of the SANZAR release, but we know what this really means. i.e. THE NEW TEAM WILL BE AN AUSTRALIAN FRANCHISE.

Another six years of rugby drought in the Eastern Cape. The prospect of a run down multi-billion Rand Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and lights flickering in the three Eastern Cape Rugby union's offices. 

In short, this is absolutely shocking and appalling and reveals that South African Rugby's representatives at SANZAR have been unable to articulate themselves and acquit themselves in crafting a successful Super Rugby solution for the three SANZAR partners and its respective regional rugby unions.

This will haunt them for the duration of this competition for the next seven years.