Well the Super 12 Rugby Union Competition which features teams from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia is currently looking at expanding the competition for 2005 onwards. Australia will be getting a new team and so will South Africa.

Currently the Australian Super 12 teams are the ACT Brumbies, QLD Reds and NSW Warratahs.

Perth, Melbourne and the Central Coast are the contenders for a 4th Aussie team, all the cities and locations have there benefits and problems.

Central Coast: Super 12 is run by News Corp, so obviously there looking for as many viewers as possible, something which Central Coast is unable to help significantly with. ALthough the support and crowds would most likely be positive, it does not appeal to greatly in a publicity sense.

Melbourne: Melbourne is obviously the city that News Corp would love to have support from as its the biggest, it does have the problem of the lacklustre crowds and support for the Melbourne Storm NRL team(another News Corp ownership). The lack for support is the main reason for denying a team and practically the only reason considering Melbourne has the facilities and corporate sponsorship potential. Mayby lack of support isnt the way to put it, its got more to do with a massive AFL culture down there.

Perth: as it stands Perth seems the most likely location for a new team, it has a lot of SA ex-pats and has shown a strong support for Wallaby Test Matches in perth and RWC matches over there. There are facilties over there for Rugby and it has a good viewer market to expand on although not as lucrative as Melbourne.

There has being talk that Union has better support then League in Melbourne, but then again thats just a few peoples comments. The Rivalry from AFL would mean small crowds and lack of support.

So what do you reckon, would you watch players like Lote Tuqiri and George Gregan playing in melbourne or would you rather stick to AFL? I think everone knows that Perth and the Central Coast would immediately throw support behind a team and it would be a success

From what I have seen on telly, Subiaca in Perth seems to attract big crowds, You also have a lot of Kiwis living in WA.

I wouldn't read too much into League crowds in Melbourne - while League is the more fancied sport in Queensland and NSW, people from other states generally prefer Union to League. I know I sure do - never watched the Rams play, but the wallbies matches are good fun!

Whats the story with the Pacific islanders,I thought they wanted a super 12(or 14) team ?

Is there a decent stadium on any of those islands?

How does the format of the Super 12s work? Is it home and away? Does each team play all the other teams once at home (meaning 11 home matches) and once away (meaning 11 away matches)?

I think Perth, with their big English and South African base would probably get the nod over Melbourne. But then again, Melbourne has a much bigger population and better facilities so it will be interesting to see what happens.

If Melbourne does get the nod, I will go and see them play every now and again.

im hoping for a wa team personally, with all the south africans living there etc. they should get a really good following

Well the possibility of including a Pacific Islander team was looked at and discussed, but the way the system works is that a coalition of the Super 12's top rugby men which is calld SANZAR come up with a proposal which they are satisfied with and they then take it to News Corp and see if they will fund it. It was decided that including a Pacific Islanders team in the comp could have caused unstability and the nations didnt have the facilities or money to support it. Not to mention the fact that it didnt really expand the viewer market. Also it would have meant less money for the SANZAR nations cause they would have had to pay the Islands.

The way the current competition works is that there is only 11 matches in the season, and depending on the draw it alternates between 5 and 6 home matches, there are also two final matches as well. Its ridiculousy small because there are also a average of 11 international matches each year, and for New Zealand and SA they both have reasonably important domestic rugby comps.

If Melbourne/Perth got a team they would get 7 of 6 home matches a year(and two home finals), it does seem small but if your a rugby fan then theres also the Wallabies which have played 7 games since then end of the Super 12.

^I say give it to Perth. A Rugby team in Melbourne would be far more successful that the Storm due to Rugby having been firmly established in over 40 Melbourne private schools for some 100 years (read ready made supporter base), but that pales compared to the host of South Africans in Perth.
The market may not be as big, but at least they are guaranteed 5 figure crowds, and lets not forget how parochial Westerners are when it comes to supporting their teams.

With any luck this may work out real well, with further upgrades of Perth Oval brought forward to give Rugby and Soccer a 30,000 seat stadium sooner rather than later.

Any news on the fate of Subiaco, the WACA and a new Stadium yet? Rugby always draws well over there and the possibility of one or two sell-out crowds at internationals every year ought to help any bid for a "super stadium".

^
So when a South African team plays Perth in Perth, who will the South Africans barrack for?

Imagine a home game in Perth and everybody boos when Perth scores a try against a South African team. How embarrasing would that be?

It will bring back memories of test matches at the WACCA when the crowd would boo Australia because no Western Australians were in the side.

How does the format of the Super 12s work? Is it home and away? Does each team play all the other teams once at home (meaning 11 home matches) and once away (meaning 11 away matches)?

I think Perth, with their big English and South African base would probably get the nod over Melbourne. But then again, Melbourne has a much bigger population and better facilities so it will be interesting to see what happens.

If Melbourne does get the nod, I will go and see them play every now and again.

Actually, Melbourne is the only mainland capital city that doesn't have a first class rectangular pitch stadium!

lol.

@Yob: Do you know if there are any reasonable stadiums in the Pacific Islands?

The only stadium close to reasonable is the 15,000 capacity national stadium way out in french polynesia.

http://www.worldstadiums.com/oceania/maps/oceania.shtml

lol@15,000

Perth only had 6k South africans at australia v the boks. So dont go thinking our rugby community is prodominetly SA. Our rugby community is 4 times bigger than melbournes. South africa has alot of barginning power now with the whole "Might move to the Northern hemisphere comps if we dont get our way". Luckily, there way is perth.

I wouldn't read too much into League crowds in Melbourne - while League is the more fancied sport in Queensland and NSW, people from other states generally prefer Union to League. I know I sure do - never watched the Rams play, but the wallbies matches are good fun!

Hey Yob, any chance of providing any valid evidence that the majority of Australia prefers union? Did you notice Channel 7's dropping of the Super 12's?
League will always be bigger than yawnion here mate, so take off the rosy sunnies mate and see the real world! :bash:

I hope to God that Perth does not get the nod. I cant stand union! Its a real sh1te game and I can imagine the usual union related hype and media proaganda.....oh dear!

^How old are you mate?
I love both sports. Nothing shits me more than people who can't appreciate quality sport.
Dumbing ones self down with mindless, meaningless insults against other sports or their fans won't win you any respect.

If you don't have anything constructive to contribute than don't bother wasting bytes.

Hey Yob, any chance of providing any valid evidence that the majority of Australia prefers union? Did you notice Channel 7's dropping of the Super 12's?
League will always be bigger than yawnion here mate, so take off the rosy sunnies mate and see the real world!
obviously yob can fight his own fights but the temptation to pick out this idiots many mistakes was just to tempting.

for one, he didnt say that australians prefer union, he said other states, referring to states out side of rugby league heartland. Like WA, VIC, SA etc, you understand? And if you want proof lets compare average rugby union crowds in Canberra, Melbourne and Perth to those of those of rugby league teams from the same city.

Obviously Perth doesn have a league team, nor do any play there so if you want proof, theres some. Canberra get higher crowds at the Brumbies then they do at the raiders, melbourne get higher crownds at union then at the storm(bad comparison), Adelaide have been welcoming to there first test match there last year with the wallabies, and once again showed strong support earlier this year when the wallabies played again.

So il put the proposition forward that you show proof that league is more supported outside of QLD and NSW!

BTW, Channel 7's dropping of the Super 12 has more to do with the fact that the TV rights are owned by News Corp, All the matches are on fox sports but if ch.7 wanted to show them they have to televise them belated, like around midnight or early in the mornings. Why spend so much money when the only people awake are too pissed and or losers who got nothing better to do on a sat/fri night.