Rugby: Super 15 likely plan for Sanzar partners

SteveTew, NZRU chief executive: 'You do have to make some compromise to get the bigger picture ticked off.' Photo / Paul Estcourt

The deal is done, Super rugby will continue - although details of the next venture will not be revealed until New Zealand, Australia and South African officials brief their unions.

However, NZRU chief executive Steve Tew confirmed the Sanzar group would be taking their ideas for the next series to potential broadcasting partners by the June 30 deadline.

Discussions have stalled several times this year, but the Sanzar partners emerged from their latest meeting yesterday in Dublin to announce they would continue an alliance which emerged when professional rugby had its turbulent beginnings in the wake of the 1995 World Cup.

The new deal is likely to be a Super 15 series, with conference-based formats in each country before the leading two qualifiers from each nation battle out an extended finals series.

"Everyone had to make some compromises," Tew said. "It's fair to say we're all satisfied."

He refused to divulge any details because the three nations' representatives had all agreed to talk to their unions and commercial partners first before they spoke publicly about their plans.

"But you are not going to be particularly surprised." he added.

He did not think the Sanzar alliance had been damaged by the protracted discussions, occasional standoffs and accusations which pursued it this year.

The Sanzar group had a deep and long relationship and it was not unusual for partners to push hard for their own causes and beliefs before reaching a consensus.

There had been a great deal of robust debate. The only pity, Tew felt, was that too much of it had been played out in public through the media.

"We have tried to do our negotiating in the boardroom," he said.

The latest agreement came after some tense recent times when New Zealand and Australia spoke about linking into an Asia Pacific series as talk emerged from South Africa about linking up with some unspecified Northern Hemisphere competition.

Tew would not reveal the length of the new deal or the shape of the competition which will extend the 15-year Sanzar arrangement which started with an initial decade-long US$555 ($938 million) million deal with News Corp.

"All three parties were keen to get home and give our stakeholders a little bit of insight into what's been agreed before we went public. That's particularly important for the South Africans so we've agreed to that," Tew added.

South Africa had wanted a February start to a new series so there would be no clash with their Currie Cup doemstic competition, while New Zealand and Australia refused to look any earlier than a March beginning to Super rugby.

Tew assured New Zealand rugby followers they had been looked after in the new competition although some concessions had been made.

"You do have to make some compromise to get the bigger picture ticked off. Certainly our view was to remain in a three-way venture with Australia and South Africa was in the best interests of New Zealand rugby," he said.

"All the information we've been getting from the broadcast environment, sponsors, and market research steered us down that line."

"We're very pleased," he said. "We needed some certainty. We needed to get work done now on detail so we can be in front of the broadcasters as per our contracted timetable."

That resolution meant the NZRU could now discuss the future of the national provincial championship with more clarity when they met provincial unions next week.

"With a little bit of luck and a following wind we might be able to nail that quite quickly too. Then we will have real certainty about our competitions," Tew said.