Super Rugby fans have had enough
Wally MasonFollow @walmason
The Queensland Reds look despondent after being beaten by the Jaguares in Buenos Aires.
Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle probably spent Sunday morning with her head in her hands. After the Queensland Reds stumbled to a
43-27 loss to the Jaguares in Buenos Aires, she wasn’t the only one.
The whole of Australian rugby has its head in its hands after the first three rounds of Super Rugby. The loss in Argentina means Australian teams are 0-6 against foreign opposition so far this season.
The only Australian teams who have won have triumphed over other Australian teams. The Waratahs and the Reds are winless. The Tahs, after losses to the Crusaders, the Blues and then the Rebels on Friday night, are sitting alone at the bottom of the table without a single point. The Reds, who were on the wrong end of a 14-3 penalty count on Sunday and were mown down by a relentless rolling maul, have a meagre two bonus points.
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The Rebels boast one win, thanks to the hapless Waratahs, and the
Brumbies are in a slightly more comfortable position after wins over the Reds and the Rebels.
The fans have apparently had enough. TV ratings for Super Rugby are down and the five matches played in Australia so far have all attracted crowds of a tick above 7000.
All of this at a time when Castle is attempting to sell the sport to broadcasters – and demanding a premium price.
Raelene Castle speaks at the 2020 Super Rugby media launch last month.
READ MORE:Reds unravel against the Jaguares
Fox Sport, who have broadcast Super Rugby since its inception 25 years ago, walked away from the negotiations after Rugby Australia decided the current $57 million-a-year deal was not enough. Castle apparently believes it is worth a great deal more.
Yet the obstacles to that continue to mount. From next season there will be fewer games with the axing of Japan’s Sunwolves from the completion. Of the games that remain, there will still be several against South African teams played at 2am Australian time.
And then there is the stop-start nature of modern rugby. In the round two match between the Rebels and the Brumbies, the ball was in play for just 14 minutes in the 42-minute first half. The second half of the Jaguares-Reds game was dominated by rolling mauls – fascinating for the forwards involved, but not so for fans. And on top of that, Australian teams cannot buy a win against a foreign side.
Rugby Australia will present broadcasters with a top-to-bottom package that includes the Wallabies, Super Rugby, the much-maligned National Rugby Championship and club rugby. In fact a host of options for club competitions, including an FA Cup-style tournament, are on the table.
But until Australian teams start winning, fans will continue to turn off.
Castle knows this and she is no doubt aware that her future could hang on the outcome of broadcast negotiations.
If she secures a deal that brings more money to Australian rugby, she will be secure in her position. If not, her future in the job is bleak.
She will no doubt be praying that in the next couple of weeks Australian sides find a way to beat teams from New Zealand and South Africa. In fact, even a win over an Argentine or Japanese team would be a start.
Wally Mason
Sport Editor
Wally Mason has been a journalist for over 35 years. He grew up playing cricket and rugby league, but these days his sporting interests are much wider – reflecting the broad spectrum of sports covered by The Au...
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