Reports have surfaced that Super Rugby may be set to expand to 17 teams, including a sixth South African team, and potentially one from Argentina.
Super Rugby: Why Argentina Should Join The Expansion
Meetings held with SANZAR today in Sydney are reported by Planet Rugby to have resulted in a new model, which still needs to be ratified by the various rugby nations involved in Super Rugby, but would see the expansion happening, and involve an Argentinian team as well as a new South African team, likely the Southern Kings. The Kings have previously been in Super Rugby competition but were relegated by the Golden Lions at the end of the 2013 season.
Recent media reports around the Super Rugby season have pointed to a decline of interest in the series, with various aspects such as the staggered start to the season, and lack of star players being implicated by New Zealand Herald’s rugby expert Gregor Paul. Other media outlets support this, suggesting the series is struggling to maintain the support in previous years. This move may well be the step that reinvigorates the series and attracts new fans.
That said, there is still the matter of buy in from the current SANZAR member nations. Blogger and @Argentina2023 owner Paul Tait has indicated New Zealand may well be the stumbling block in this area, with suggestions New Zealand believes Argentina is not good enough yet to join the Super Rugby season.
Popular support of Los Pumas though, coupled with the fact the Argentinian team was hugely competitive in the last Rugby Championship series would surely negate this viewpoint. Los Pumas fought hard against the Springboks, and nearly defeated them last season. To be a threat to a team like South Africa is no simple feat, and to be competitive in the Rugby Championship is a huge challenge. Argentina has developed in leaps and bounds over the last few years to become both a real threat on field, and firm fan favourites off.
If Super Rugby was to admit a team from Argentina it would be a massive step towards regaining credibility and viewer support. The South Americans bring a real sense of theatre to the game, they play with heart and passion in every game. It should also be noted this is a nation that attracted the coaching support of one Sir Graeme Henry.
Is Argentina ready for Super Rugby? I would suggest Argentina is exactly what Super Rugby needs, and not just for the fan base. Consider how competitive New Zealand, South Africa and Australia are on the world circuit. How competitive would Argentina be if their players had exposure to rugby at a Super Rugby level. A chance to get real experience in a myriad of different arenas would be an enormous benefit to Argentinian rugby as a whole.
Further, to have players from all the nations playing in Argentina would provide a number of social and economic benefits for the Argentinian nation as well.
Look at the first season results of the Western Force, or the Melbourne Rebels. The Rebels finished dead last their first season, The Force on average sit around 12th or 13th on the ladder, after seven years of competition. Argentina would easily be at least as competitive as these two teams. With the right support and opportunities they could be much stronger.
Consider also the Southern Kings, who only lasted one season in Super Rugby before being bundled out by another team. Inclusion in Super Rugby for a team that has previously struggled, yet is already a part of a member nation, seems short sighted. Not that this suggests the Kings shouldn’t be included, quite the contrary. Having a new team in the mix from South Africa would certainly increase interest from the Springbok nation.
At this stage it is a waiting game as the SANZAR nations consider their various positions, however SANZAR CEO Greg Peters states “Encouraging progress has been made“. Hopefully Super Rugby will see this expansion for the positive move it could be, and fans similarly embrace the opportunity to see the game develop further.
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Main Photo Credit: Geof Wilson via Flickr
