Lack of TV coverage hinders Asia’s hopes of joining Super Rugby family
ARFU president says most Asians do not know the world’s top players and region is not ready for Super 15
Free-to-air TV coverage is essential if Super Rugby wants to build its profile in Asia sufficiently for the continent to host a team over the next five to 10 years, the head of the Asian Rugby Football Union has said.
With Super Rugby set to expand from 15 to 18 teams in 2016, an Asian franchise was tipped to join Argentina and a sixth team from South Africa in the competition, which also has five Australian and five New Zealand sides.
ARFU president Trevor Gregory thinks this is an unrealistic development given that even the biggest stars of southern hemisphere rugby, such as All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, are virtually unknown in most of Asia.
You have to prepare the ground so people are chomping at the bit to see their heroes of Super 15 ... and anybody in the street in Asia right now probably can’t name one of them
Gregory, who also serves as chairman of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, believes that 2021 might be a better target date for an Asian team to join the SANZAR competition and truly reap the benefits.
"You have to prepare the ground so that people are chomping at the bit to see their heroes of Super 15, which anybody in the street in Asia right now probably can't name any of them," he said.
"At the moment who can watch Super Rugby for free? Only the elite of our Asian community can watch that kind of level of rugby because you have to pay and the majority of Asia are not in the elite category sadly.
"If ever there was going to be an opportunity for Asia, it is going to be in five years time ... the 2019 World Cup done and out the way and ride on the back of that."
The World Cup will be held in Asia for the first time when Japan hosts the tournament in 2019 and Gregory said the event, the third-biggest sporting tournament in the world, could provide the springboard.