Expansion seems to be this year’s thing, with eyes turning towards the United States. Super Rugby, which has gone from eight to 18 teams over the years, is sold on the idea of adding more and the Pro12 is flirting with the idea of increasing its league by two, with teams in Houston and Toronto.
The Six Nations is proving immune to the expansion bug, resolutely refusing to consider changing its format as Italy continue to struggle and Georgia look to come in from the cold. It says its remit is to its union members, not the game as a whole in Europe, but at the same time four of the six involved are looking to north America to broaden the commercial base of the Pro12.
If Georgia offered the same financial opportunities as the US, the sentiment being shown to Italy would be rather less. The Georgians would add fanaticism but even less in TV revenue and sponsorship than Italy. The Six Nations is a private members’ club with a very high entry fee.
The organisers of Super Rugby have argued expansion is an “unavoidable necessity” even though adding three teams last year has so far done little more than increase the number of blow-outs. Sunwolves (from Japan) played at home to the Hurricanes (New Zealand) in the opening round of matches last week and scored 17 points while conceding 83. Those in charge say the commercial viability of the tournament depends on its growth and there have been plans for further expansion into Asia, the US and even Britain.
As the tournament has grown bigger so Australia and South Africa have found it harder to compete: they run 11 of the 18 teams in the tournament but the increase in the money they receive has been more than wiped out by the extra players they have to pay. Talent is more diluted, teams less competitive and players are finding Japan and Europe more alluring, not just because of the pay but also because of the decreased travelling time.
Super Rugby is conducting a review of the tournament with consultants and an initial report is expected by the beginning of June. One option is to expand and contract by moving into new areas while cutting teams in South Africa and Australia. The dominance of New Zealand in recent years, which is repeated in the Rugby Championship, is having an impact on TV viewing figures and attendances at matches.
As well as looking at the US, the Pro 12 has been examining the feasibility of teams from Georgia and Germany joining its league as it looks to increase its revenue to compete with the Premiership and the Top 14 in France. When the league brought in two Italian teams, it initially charged them a fee rather than making them equal partners and any new teams would have to be self-financing at the start.
“We have to do something about our revenues,” said the Pro 12’s managing director, Martin Anayi, at the start of the season. “We don’t think we have to chase after a model that is in our minds unsustainable. There is not the same level of private investment compared to the English Premiership and French Top 14 which has led to wealthy backers over-funding. We do not want to copy that because we want to be here in 20 years: it is only as good as the wealthy benefactor wanting to be there and carry on spending.”
Entry into the Pro 12 would raise Georgia’s profile in their bid to join the Six Nations. But with the fixture schedule not facilitating a rise to seven teams in the championship, introducing promotion and relegation would have a potential impact on funding: France finished bottom three years ago and they and England are the competition’s biggest commercial drivers.
There are many reasons why the Six Nations wants to maintain the status quo: fixtures are decided two years in advance and with only two of the sides either capable of or willing to stage a match on a Friday night, there would need to be rescheduling if one of them went down. With the exception of Italy’s introduction in 2000 it has been little changed for nearly a century, bar France’s expulsion between the wars because their clubs breached the amateur regulations.
It works because it is an event that does not depend on the quality of rugby produced. Tickets are not hard to sell, it is a major part of television’s sporting calendar and its audience makes it popular with sponsors. Unlike the Pro 12 and Super Rugby there is no pressure on the six unions to entertain change.
But because many of the same unions are looking to expand at the level below, the pressure will come on both the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship, tournaments that are made up of the game’s 10 tier-one nations. They can half open a door but they will struggle to shut it again.
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