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Rugby down under could have hit high gear with Anzac Tests
I’d have loved to see Bledisloe Cup rugby on Anzac Day.
Rugby Australia’s (RA) vision for an annual test in Perth, starting from next year, is to be applauded.
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The fact the Western Australian government was reportedly ready to back the concept financially, along with hosting the Super Round in conjunction, could have seen rugby genuinely fight the NRL and AFL for sporting primacy at that time of year.
AFL clubs Collingwood and Essendon meeting at the MCG has become synonymous with Anzac Day, as have the annual rugby league clashes between the Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra, followed by the Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors.
In a short time, those games have become absolute highlights of the sporting calendar.
I won’t criticise New Zealand Rugby (NZR) for finding the Bledisloe Cup concept too difficult to fit into the schedule, because it’s a view I have some sympathy with.
The preparation of the All Blacks is timed to the minute and introducing a test match in the middle of the Super Rugby Pacific season has the potential to throw that carefully managed system into chaos.
I wonder if money will eventually talk, but for the time being, the Anzac Bledisloe seems to have fallen into the too-hard basket.
That’s fine.
It’s just that, as a fan, I believe adding a third Bledisloe Cup clash to the schedule – particularly one that will be played in Australia – puts the trophy truly up for grabs.
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I’ve written many times of living through the Springbok tour to New Zealand of 1981 and the subsequent years of South African sporting isolation.
In that time, the Wallabies became the All Blacks’ greatest foe, not least because the Bledisloe Cup changed hands at regular intervals.
I get that surrendering the cup isn’t something the current crop of NZR staff and governors eye with any relish, but I’ll continue to argue that it would ultimately be good for our rugby.
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I’ll be interested to know what fans think of seeing the proposed Anzac Day clash scuppered. Like, genuinely interested.
This Super Rugby Pacific season hasn’t been without merit. The standard of rugby has been good, the results unpredictable, and television audiences strong.
But RA’s Bledisloe proposal gives us an opportunity to wonder about how sacred the timing of this competition is and whether we couldn’t reimagine how the season is configured.
No, the All Blacks don’t historically play Test football in April. But, heck, it’s not so long ago we weren’t playing franchise rugby in February and March either.
When I was a kid, the season started with the national sevens tournament in Palmerston North, club rugby and then the Test and provincial stuff.
Times changed, and so did the schedule, partly as a result of New Zealand’s growing interest in Australian rugby league.
Perhaps RA’s desire to start Anazc Bledisloes from 2026 was a bit premature. Maybe 2028 or 2030 would give everyone enough time to decide how the game can be accommodated.
The point is, it’s a worthy idea for many reasons, not the least of which is money.
Talk continues of potential NRL expansion into Perth, and an annual Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup clash would help cement rugby’s status as the second biggest code in the city, after AFL, and thwart rugby league’s march west.
Any NRL team in Perth requires significant financial support from the state government who, at least according to RA, are happy to throw money at rugby union and it would be nice for our code to get in before that well runs dry.
Those are all discussions for folk far smarter than me to have. As a fan, I just welcome the idea that the Bledisloe Cup could become Anazc Day’s marquee sports event. Let’s hope it can one day become a reality.
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NZR and innovation are two things you don’t usually see in one sentence.
Oh, just wrote one.
NZR is clinging on to what it’s got. The ABs make the money, are their ‘global’ brand. They’re protecting it so fiercely that it blinds them for other options there are. SR teams have two bye weeks plus ABs have to be rested for another two. You might need just one additional week to fit an ANZAC test in.
Would have thought this idea was the opposite of protecting it.
It don’t see any reason to halt or rest. Are you just trying to appease NZRs stance?
Would have been awesome to have a Bledisloe ANZAC game.
It would suck if they had it in Perth every year though. Gotta get it to Eden park.
Used to be the premier fixture in world rugby and one of the biggest in world sport.
Yes, but by now you must realize you don’t hold common opinions, let alone can think for New Zealand rugby’s best interests.
I don’t think that should come into it, it’s a business decision when it comes down to it. First though, it hasn’t passed the “is it OK to do?” has it.
That view would be an oxymoron in their (most peoples) eyes.
I hadn’t been expecting anything, but that’s likely because if it was in the spotlight to expect something, I would have expected the status quo to come out on top like every other time.
Isn’t that being determined now in conjunctin with World Rugby/every other union?
It could be their is reason to change in that time frame, but why on Nations League years? More pointedly, shouldn’t it be every year?
I could probably easily get out of the idea these sorts of days aren’t for sport/fun to take center stage. It’s a mentality I don’t think holds everywhere already. But I’m happy to follow what those that really do care about the day (never been a dawn service person) think.
As usual NZR finds a way for something not to happen, the corporate version of a fun sponge. Play previous weekend SRP matches Friday and Saturday, both squads travel Sunday, play the test Saturday. Throw a women's test in to make it a double header.
LOL. 4pm Perth time is already 9PM NZ time mate. 7Pm Perth time is midnight NZ time.
Fantastic idea to fix your annual showpiece fixture (from the Wallabies perspective) to a national holiday. Look at the success this has had in the USA, where NBA and NFL fans pack multiple arenas across the country on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving, the two most widely-celebrated national holidays in North America, with millions more tuning in on TV. This allows fans to create an association between the holiday and the game, while the ANZAC Day example has the added benefit of the same two teams (who are already established historical and geographical rivals) playing each year, adding to the sense of tradition and deepening the rivalry with each iteration.
Would love to see this more widely-implemented across rugby. For instance, Ireland should seek to tie the opening fixture of the Women’s Six Nations to St. Patrick’s Day and host the game in the RDS with the Leinster Schools Senior Cup Final serving as an opener (bonus points if you make the opponent England every year). Would pack out the stadium and the School’s final fans always bring fantastic atmosphere!
Yes but we don’t want to be anything like the US do we!
I think it works especially in america for those types of days. Of course the general idea is that you spend time together and although watch sport is the exact opposite I’d reckon it would probably be a net positive in the end.
Something that has or should have more meaning is another thing entirely though. Or does the day just not have that much meaning anymore either? Like having a ‘rivalry’ with the other nation you’re celebrating as team mates.. well hello? Maybe it’s a good day for the All Blacks v Kangaroos game? Transtasman version of the black clash?
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They should make it an U23 match, or invitational like the Barbarians. Australia as the underdog seems to have a lot to gain from this, not so much for the ABs or the SR teams that would be depleted of players.
wehave lots of anzac rugby tests but not many are on anzac day
So we give Australia home advantage every year! what a typical Australian plan, and going on past behavior, if/ when they win the Bledisloe back it will suddenly be seen as to many Bledisloe’s per year so lets drop it back to two.
How does the NRL handle the State of Origin happening in the regular season? Couldn’t rugby just so a similar thing?
Can the Super Rugby players, that get picked, just miss their Super Rugby game for that week, then no player welfare issues? If both the All Blacks and Wallabies only have one week to prepare then it’s the same for both sides.
Yes, some Super Rugby sides will be out some of their players for a week. But there could be monetary compensation per player missing from the test money.
The Super Rugby sponsors could get some sponsorship in the test to make up for the reduced spectacle in Super Rugby for that week.
If the NZRU didn’t like the game being in Australia, couldn’t they just demand a bigger cut?
Making it work won’t be simple. But it seems like the issues are things that can be taken into account for. It’s a missed opportunity.
NZR have no problem throwing together a team for money, it’s how they lost their undefeated record against Ireland.
SOO is played during the week and just don’t train, because really what is there to train for in league anyway?
The only issue I can see is the ethical one, what do you say about it?
Even a match between internationally uncapped/low international capped (under 10 caps) players. Would be cool.
They could do a bit further and include some currently serving armed forces personnel to give it more a true ‘ANZAC’ feel. They have some pretty useful players in the armed services teams.
It's easier for NRL because the comp lasts from February to October so there's plenty of leeway. Super Rugby is a lot more condensed.
I think it could be something more like an invitational game like the Barbarians. That would take the pressure off the teams having to field a full strength team to win the game - it wouldn’t be the All Blacks test record on the line.
The New Zealand Ruby Union need to be brave and put their big boy pants on and have it a three or one test series every year until they lose it
Sorry but all NZR was going to get from it was costs and a small profit. Having the match in Perth EVERY YEAR meant RA grabbed millions and NZR was left with nothing but weary players and no money.
Silly proposal by RA when its analysed.
Has it been analysed has it, were can you see the proposal?
The NZRU could’ve said that they can make it work, but need more money. Put the ball in Rugby Australia’s court. Revenue sharing isn’t new.
Yeah they could’ve asked for it to be hosted at a neutral venue and then both teams split the cash and the other games each team gets their tickets from home games.
Could even but a 2 week long international break into the SRP season leading up to the match.
Yeah, nah. A test match in the middle of SRP is nuts. Cue, test players being given 4 or 5 SRP matches to prepare for then recover from an ANZAC test. As we know, when star power leaves SR, the eyes switch off.
And comparisons with AFL & NRL ANZAC club fixtures are also silly. Neither code has international pull to contend with.
That’s all the NH gets before they have to play us when we tour.
Rugby league has made State of Origin work for decades and that’s a three game series, at essentially test match level.
Yes I just love how the two articles Ive read about this so far talk about the great matches the NRL and AFL will have on “ANZAC” weekend so RA and NZR should have a test match. SR will have exactely the same thing as NRL and AFL EXCEPT….. It will be between actual Aus v NZ teams.