mens
super-rugby-pacific
Country New Zealand Domestic men’s rugby competitions are being discussed at a summit in Wellington on Thursday, according to The Post.
Rugby journalist Paul Cully reported that the NZR and its stakeholders will discuss possible changes Super Rugby Pacific and Hilux NPC in Wellington.
The NZR’s purported three-option document, which was shared with stakeholders and attendees at a national summit in Wellington this Thursday, is titled “Possible Options for Men’s Elite Competition”.
One of the three proposed options is a new competition that would replace Super Rugby Pacific and the NPC with an 8-10 national team competition, Cully reported.
According to the report, two other possible options for the competitions would be a slight expansion of the current two-team Super Rugby Pacific format, or continuing the two competitions as is but “with five individual rugby entities in the major centers of Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago”.
The document that was discovered The Postdid not say which two teams might be added, but some New Zealand provincial associations such as Tasman, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay or Bay of Plenty could come out as the frontrunners.
It also states that the 8-10 teams will be managed by provincial unions, receiving player payments ranging from $10 to $8 million.
“NZ Rugby would supply licenses to provincial unions, with ‘possible private investment through (a) separate vehicle’.”
These possible moves from New Zealand Rugby would force the organization into challenging talks with Rugby Australia, with a possible exit from the trans-Tasman Super Rugby Pacific competition.
The new competitions are likely to start in the 2028 season, with no change to the current schedule between February and June.
The Post we believe that one of the options, which would see New Zealand Rugby add additional teams to the Super Rugby Pacific competition, is largely due to an assumed shock loss of $66 million over the next four years.
One plan, said to be Option C, would essentially finance the logistics of competition and marketing, while also taking care of commercial rights.
Under this agreement, both New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia would still be in charge of broadcast details and the deal, according to a leaked NZR document.
If the smaller New Zealand-based competition is chosen, the provincial unions and the five Pacific Super Rugby clubs – the Chiefs, Blues, Crusaders, Hurricanes and Highlanders will be connected. This would remove five high performance teams in New Zealand from 19 to 14.
According to the detailed report, the proposal would require the consent of Rugby Australia on a number of changes.
Option A, which involves the Super Rugby Pacific franchises forming a centralized “SRP HoldCo” (holds cross-border, pooled commercial rights for the team, funds for logistics, marketing; NZR and RA retain control of broadcasting), means that both the NPC and Super Rugby competitions would not technically change, but a minor change would be to help the professionals with the support of all five franchises. franchises from below. Clubs would also have the opportunity to open up to private investment, adding to the cash pool to pay players.
The option is based on the Men’s Pathways and Competitions 2024 report, which said New Zealand rugby could save $5.75 million a year.
All three proposed options will be evaluated and discussed in detail at the summit on Thursday at Wellington with all New Zealand Rugby stakeholders.
According to New Zealand Rugby, the final proposal is due to be presented at a board meeting later this year.
