Rugby: Hawke's Bay bid adds spice to Super 15

A surprise bid from Hawke's Bay has added spice to the first phase of the expansion process for rugby's Super competition.

Governing body Sanzar is today expected to announce the full list of expressions of interests from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia for the 2011 season.

The successful franchise, which will join the expanded Super 15 from 2011, will be announced by Sanzar on October 31.

Hawke's Bay is part of the Wellington Hurricanes Super 14 franchise but said it was confident it had the players, stadia and financial resources to operate independently, the Dominion Post reported.

"We are going to have a go," Hawke's Bay chief executive Mike Bishop said.

"Whether we will be successful we don't know, but we think we have the wherewithal to meet the criteria and think it would be enormous for rugby in our region.

"We obviously believe there is room (for a sixth New Zealand franchise). Rugby is thriving in our region and we want to give (our fans) the opportunity to see Super rugby locally."

It is proposed that the side be coached by Hawke's Bay coach and Highlanders assistant Peter Russell and his provincial forwards coach, Tom Coventry.

Bishop said the union believed it had the players to compete immediately and would try to recover those sucked up by other franchises.

Seven groups from three Australian states had tendered bids to join the expanded rugby Super 15.

Three bids from Victoria, two from New South Wales and two from Queensland, including an unexpected seventh bidder, have lodged expressions of interest with the Australian Rugby Union.

Bids came from the Victorian Rugby Union, from a breakaway group of former VRU board members and from a group allied to the Melbourne Victory A-League football franchise. There were expressions of interest from West Sydney and New South Wales country, from Queensland's Gold Coast and from another unexpected Queensland source.

An ARU spokesman said confidentiality agreements prevented their identification, including the surprise Queensland bid.

The ARU will assess the bids over the next two weeks before inviting formal applications from approved bidders on August 7.

- NZPA