Fiji’s bid for Super Rugby on track

Having got so much wrong with its expansion strategy in recent years, Super Rugby is on track to score a massive victory with plans advancing to set up a team in the Pacific Islands.

Sanzaar officials have targeted the Islands as the most viable expansion territory as part of their strategic plan to adapt the competition in 2020.

The desire to set up a new team ‑ most likely in Fiji ‑ is genuine and as such it is believed Fijian Rugby officials have been asked to put together a comprehensive and compelling case to be included.

Aware of how hard it is to bring new teams into Super Rugby, the plan is to give Fiji the better part of two years to ready themselves for entry in 2020.

With Fiji having shown consistent form internationally since 2012 there are few concerns about playing resource and ability.

We have acquitted ourselves superbly at the 2015 World Cup in the toughest pool and recently defeated Scotland while running Australia close.

Fiji are also the Olympic sevens champions and if they are granted a licence to set up a Super Rugby side, it is likely they will be able to pull back some of their best players who are currently in Europe or Japan.

There is also an expectation that the new team, should it go ahead, will likely be open to players from Samoa, Tonga and other parts of the Pacific.

But while the box may be largely ticked on the high performance side, the bigger issue for Sanzaar is gaining confidence in finance and governance.

Fiji has in the last two years hosted games between the Chiefs and Crusaders that were well organised, well attended and well funded by sponsors. But there is a huge difference between hosting one off games between two New Zealand teams and operating a permanent team.

Super Rugby's managing body is looking for reassurances that a team in the Islands will be financially viable and sustainable.

They simply can't have another expansion venture blow up in their face.

The current broadcast deal for Super Rugby expires at the end of 2019 and in early 2016, Sanzaar commissioned a major review to determine how the competition should be shaped and structured after that.

Source: NZ Herald