All Blacks prop Tamaiti Williams gets his World Cup debut as he looks ahead to their clash with Italy this weekend with teammate Codie Taylor and forwards coach Jason Ryan. Video / NZ Herald
Mark Robinson isn’t letting Australian rugby woes dampen his spirit about the future of Super Rugby Pacific, and says those involved in shaping the future of the competition are “very joined up” regarding putting together a strong competition.
Following the Wallabies’ 40-6 loss to Wales atthe Rugby World Cup, concerns about the state of rugby across the Tasman and the impact it may have in in New Zealand have been voiced, the New Zealand Rugby CEO told Newstalk ZB’s D’Arcy Waldegrave he has been in communication with his Australian counterpart, Phil Waugh, and that he and New Zealand Rugby are “offering our support”.
“Ultimately, how they’re tracking is something for them to work through. We’ll be there if they want to reach out and discuss anything – obviously, we’re always there.”
Transtasman relations and Super Rugby hopes will be bolstered significantly if and when an agreement can be reached over the set-up of a Super Rugby commission, with a board and with a chief executive appointed through an independent process.
Robinson says the conclusion of that process is “pretty imminent”.
“Both countries have got things they’re focused on at the moment in terms of the [Rugby World Cup] tournament, so we just need to work through that, then hopefully we can be in a position to communicate as soon as possible when we’ve resolved things.”
New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson. Photo / Photosport
One of the most common criticisms of the current Super Rugby Pacific format is that there a too many teams and reducing franchises will have the talent more evenly distributed. A few go so far as to say the best thing for rugby in both countries would be to scrap the current Super Rugby format in favour of the nations developing the professional game with their own competitions.
The New Zealand Rugby boss says those involved in the decision-making are committed to an international format.
“We want it to be, in time, a world-leading competition that’s highly competitive with great talent, and we believe an international flavour is really important in that.”
Robinson refers to the success of Fiji at this Rugby World Cup, saying a significant part of that success comes from the year-on-year development of the Fijian Drua, who made the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs for the first time in 2023.
He says Australian sides showed there is also enough talent in Australia to produce competitive Super Rugby franchises.
“We saw the likes of the Reds and the Brumbies be highly competitive in the playoff stages of Super Rugby Pacific last year.
“We know there’s emerging talent in Australia, and established talent, for that matter that can contribute to strong teams.”
While rugby is far from the premier sport in Australia, it has a strong following and thus presents a significant market for both the Australian and New Zealand unions.
“It has got a strong rugby-loving fan base there, despite some of the challenges they might be working through. We’ve been pretty clear that there’s strength in having an international flavour in this competition and that’s something we’ll continue to work hard on.”
