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Super Rugby as we know it is likely a thing of the past

(Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

RUPA president Damien Fitzpatrick has called on SANZAAR to think outside the square to save Super Rugby – and says the competition as we know it is likely a thing of the past.

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“I can tell you one thing: if the airports are not going to open, it’s going to be difficult to run that comp,” Fitzpatrick said matter-of-factly about Super Rugby’s future.

With Australia’s 192 professional players having finally settled on an average 60 per cent pay cut until September, following almost a month of discussions with Rugby Australia, the focus has shifted to the future structure of Super Rugby.

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      Fitzpatrick says the sobering reality of empty stands in rugby-mad Pretoria is proof that the current format has lost its appeal and that the entire tournament needs an overhaul.

      “You know there’s a problem with your product if you go to South Africa on a Saturday afternoon at Loftus and they can’t seem to put bums on seats,” he said.

      “SANZAAR is probably having a really strong look at how the competition can engage fans.”

      Even with Japan’s Sunwolves being extinct from next year, Fitzpatrick doubts a 14-team competition involving four from Australia, five from New Zealand, four from South Africa and Argentina’s Jaguares is sustainable.

      “I think the situation has shown that right now anything is possible. I don’t exactly know what is able to be changed and what’s not able to be changed,” the NSW Waratahs hooker said when asked if he believed the 2021 format remained set in stone.

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      “Everything would be on the table, not just from Australia but I’m sure all the SANZAAR partners are looking at ways to get the best result and best product out there for the fans.”

      With RA boss Raelene Castle flagging a July-August resumption, when borders could well be still closed, a domestic competition seems the most likely way forward this year.

      While the hefty pay cuts were “tough to stomach”, Fitzpatrick said when RA finally opened up their books to RUPA the players quickly realised they needed to take a financial sacrifice to save the game in Australia.

      “The fact is we’re in a business where right now we’re not on the field and we know the major revenue driver for professional sport is broadcast and when you’re not fulfilling that contract, you know that that revenue is going to come to a pretty screeching halt,” Fitzpatrick said.

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      “We would have loved to have known that the company you work for has huge amounts of cash reserves – but that wasn’t the case and we knew that.

      “The reason we were sitting at the table was because everyone was fully aware that there needed to be some sort of restructure that incorporated the costs and alleviation of the game to enable us a fighting chance to stay alive.”

      – AAP

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      RedWarriors 3 hours ago
      Ulster boss Richie Murphy levels accusation at Leinster after heavy loss

      There’s a lot to unpick in your comment but let’s start with the obvious and that is that you clearly don’t know what the budgets are and therefore cannot state that they are equal.

      Neither do you.


      Now you mention stadia, sure Ravenhill and the RDS are comparable but Leinster don’t play most of their games at the RDS anymore, do they?

      They play most of their matches in the Aviva because the RDS is being redeveloped for capacity. You’re assertion that Leinster will not play in the RDS again is utter hogwash and a conspiracy theory (if even that).


      So fanbase, sure Leinster have a larger fanbase and that’s a direct result of being, by a considerable distance, the largest urban population on Ireland, aided further by the absence of any top tier football teams that similar cities across other countries have. Once again an inherent advantage over the other provinces.

      The population of Leinster is 2.9 million. The population of Ulster is 2.3 million. The population of the Dublin Urban area is about 1.3 million. If you quote 2 million at me, we can go for an 80 mile walk over the Wicklow mountains, not meet a house and not leave the ‘Greater Dublin Area’. If you were Irish you would know this. The population of Belfast urban area (including Bangor etc) is about .75 million. Not a major difference. Most of the soccer in Ireland is played in Dublin City so not an inherent advantage. A fact you just ‘Made up’ right?


      Now Belfast has an element of this but it’s very much smaller in scale. Munster and Connacht, pretty negligible by comparison.

      Yes, there are less private schools in Belfast but Ulster contributors here are clear that it is how they are managed. If you are saying the private school rugby playing population in Munster is negligable then you haven’t a clue. Any Cork player is private. Any Limerick player more or less community. Anyone who knows anything about Irish rugby knows this. Where do you think ROG POM and all those Cork guys came from? FEE paying schools.


      Now what does that tell us about budgets when Munster were told to release Snyman last year who just happened to end up at…Leinster!

      Munster were NOT told to release Snyman. They had 4 overseas players and were told to reduce it to 3, as all provinces must. They chose to Keep Jean Kleyne and release Snyman. That was a cock up by Munster but how can you blame Leinster for this? Leinster are allowed no more than 3. When Barrett goes, then they are entitled to bring in Ioane. Munster and other provinces will benefit from this sabbattical template Leinster use. Yet it is now being used to attack Leinster again?


      Obviously you are free to comment about Irish rugby. But please stop with the BS.

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