World 12s: The new IPL or XFL?
A Q&A with the former ABs captain, PLUS: The Week That Was and the Weekend That Will Be
About 15 years ago, at the bar of a badly weathered hotel in Parnell while waiting for the New Zealand Sports Journalists’ Association AGM to start, a colleague a little longer in the tooth than me started holding court about how dreadful Twenty20 cricket was and how it would never take off1.
“The last thing cricket fans wanted was an even shorter version of one-day cricket that was full of mindless slogging,” he said, or words to that effect.
I replied with something along the lines of, “But what about all those people that weren’t cricket fans yet?”
It was the mildest of retorts, but was met with a look of disdain that made me feel like I’d said something dangerously subversive.
It must be something age does to you, though, because when the concept of the World 12s was announced my immediate reaction was to dismiss it.
“That will never work,” I thought. “It’s a money grab and do rugby fans really want another version of the game, blah, blah, blah…”
The more I thought about it, the more curious I started to become. Steve Hansen and Jake White, two of the 12s chief spruikers, were hardly young, anti-establishment punks. A lot of what White in particular was saying, started to resonate.
“We need something like this to stimulate rugby because the game has been in slow-motion mode for a long time,” White said. “When the IPL started in 2008, people questioned its place, but look how it took off.”
He is right on both counts. As I’ve mentioned before, rugby’s audience is skewing older. The sport has all but been abandoned by teens for far more accessible, cheaper and (from a playing perspective) safer forms of entertainment.
The World 12s aims to have eight franchised teams, each with an even spread of global talent. There will be a six forwards, six backs split and games will take place over 15-minute halves. In a bid to speed the game up there will be just one scrum reset followed by a free kick, and conversions will be attempted as drop kicks, a la sevens.
Each team will have a £2.15 million salary cap, with the top-tier (category A) players earning £125,000 for the three-week tournament, and the lowest (Category F) earning £10,000. The top three teams at the end of the tournament will also win a share of the £1m price money. Clubs and unions releasing players will receive an additional fee.
It was all very broadbrush - the website is worryingly light on updates and details - and then Kieran Read was announced as an ambassador and a potential coach. “Okay,” I thought, “You’ve got me interested now.”
The legendary No8 gave The Bounce a few minutes of his time to confirm this is a concept he genuinely believes in.
It was almost enough to stop me becoming that old cynic at the bar.
How did the connection with World 12s come about?
I read about it in the media. Obviously Steve Hansen was involved so I sent him a cheeky text along the lines of “It sounds like a great gig” and the ambassador role came from that.
Were you actively seeking a reconnection with rugby?
Not at all. I’m in the middle of creating my own [leadership and consulting] business here in Christchurch. That’s my primary focus and what I want to do, but I guess I want to remain involved in rugby in some way and this sounds like a really exciting idea. It just makes sense.
That’s an interesting word because some of the early feedback from the media was that the concept didn’t make a lot of sense, so what do you mean by that?
It does make sense. They’re not the ICL [a short lived rebel T20 cricket league]. They’re trying to do this properly. They’ve gone to the stakeholders to try to make this work.
The way I look at it, they’re offering a lifeline for the sport and a catalyst for a global season.
The players involved will be remunerated really well for three weeks and then go back to their respective countries.
I’ve talked to those who have played in the IPL [Indian Premier League] and what they all say is how beneficial it is that they get to rub shoulders with players from different countries and playing styles. Obviously the code is different here but there’s no reason that the same [dynamic] wouldn’t apply.
Is it actually going to happen?
Yes. They’re serious about this. It’s going to happen but I guess how good it is will come down to the commitment they get from what I would call the old-schoolers.
By old-schoolers I presume you mean traditional administrators at the various national unions. How should they be looking at it?
Three weeks out of the year is better than six months. Look at Damian McKenzie. If the World 12s was an option, would he have felt the need to take a sabbatical in Japan? What Japan can offer [above Super Rugby] is a bit more money for a short amount of time.
Money is a big thing. It’s not the only thing but it matters but we have to acknowledge it is very important.
The top guys will make some great money in the 12s and you don’t have to take a whole Super Rugby campaign off to do it.
People already say there’s too much rugby…
There is too much rugby. This is trying to address that. The aim is to look after players.
This will be 60 minutes max for three weekends and the 12-a-side format means less physical demands.
What will the product look like?
There will be little points of difference. I love test matches but I watch them now and they’re not all exciting. The French test was great but generally there’s too much TMO interference and all the scrum resets can be hard work.
This format will just look to utilise the skills we have and I think it’s a real opportunity to go into new markets. We’re not looking to replace tests or 15s but we do want to open rugby up to new audiences.
It’s a really interesting concept. I understand all the negative things that will be said about it but I think it’s just a great opportunity.
I take it you already miss rugby then?
No, I don’t. Honestly I don’t miss anything about playing it. I guess what I miss a little bit is going in every day and seeing your mates. I do really believe in this concept though.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
STICKY TOFFEES
A loyal Bounce subscriber wrote recently that he was desperate for his beloved Everton FC to get a mention. So here goes: the Toffees were thrashed 4-1 at home by their neighbours Liverpool in an epic derby mismatch. Most of the crowd left 10 minutes early and those that did stay did so to chant things like, “Sack the board!” Their unbeloved manager Rafa Benitez is a Liverpool managerial legend following the 2005 “Miracle of Istanbul”, and he’s been given the dreaded vote of confidence by owner Farhad Moshiri. This is not a great time to be an Evertonian, sorry.
FULL COURT PRESS RELEASE
Last week I noted that Spark were crowing over adding FIBA tournaments to their offering, wondering if basketball was a genuine sports rights battleground. Well, if they were crowing, Sky were downright peacocking this week, with a press release longer than that issued to announce the 1988 Good Friday Peace Agreement. Sky’s head of commercial and events Justin Nelson said: “It’s difficult to describe how important this is,” and went on to try to prove this difficulty. The gist is that it’s “a groundbreaking five-year agreement with the NBL to deliver more than 300 games per year of Kiwi basketball”. In all seriousness, this does sound like a very good time for basketball in New Zealand and the move towards equal pay for the WNBL is to be welcomed. Basketball is the new black.
‘QUIET DIPLOMACY’ v BOYCOTT
As the Peng Shuai case gets murkier and stranger it is interesting to see the contrasting responses of sport’s governing bodies. Both the WTA, the governing body for women’s tennis, and the International Olympic Committee would like Chinese investment in their sport/s. Only one is prepared to forgo it for the truth.
“With the full support of the WTA board of directors, I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong. In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault. Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022,” WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon said (full release here).
“There are different ways to achieve her well-being and safety. We have taken a very human and person-centred approach to her situation. Since she is a three-time Olympian, the IOC is addressing these concerns directly with Chinese sports organisations. We are using ‘quiet diplomacy’ which, given the circumstances and based on the experience of governments and other organisations, is indicated to be the most promising way to proceed effectively in such humanitarian matters,” said an unattributed IOC response (full statement here).
I know who’d I’d rather have fighting my cause, and it’s not Thomas Bach and his silent diplomats. It shouldn't be framed as an ideological battle of quiet v noisy diplomacy, but of inaction v action.
THE WEEKEND THAT WILL BE
It’s hard to imagine anything can top the drama of the first test but hey, there’s only one way to find out. It’ll be even tougher in Mumbai. For starters, Virat Kohli is back.
India v New Zealand, 2nd test, Mumbai, starts tonight 5pm, Sky Sport 1
I want to like the A-League more than I do. It feels like a failing that I struggle to engage. It’s not like I don’t like football; it’s just a care factor. But I am determined to keep, at the very least, a weather eye on the inaugural season of the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Women. It’s been a journey to get there, as explained by Stuff’s Andrew Voerman.
Wellington v Western Sydney, A-League Women, Wellington, 7.05pm tonight, Sky Sport 2
EPL fixtures fly thick and fast around this time of year and this London derby is the tastiest clash of the weekend.
West Ham v Chelsea, London Stadium, London, 1.30am Sunday, Spark Sport
Lewis Hamilton doesn’t want to race in Saudi Arabia but he needs to, but The Bounce is just going to skim over it in support of his human rights concerns. We’ll instead focus on the Bathurst 1000, an event so Straya it could be wearing Speedos and flip flops while drinking a ‘Woodie’ out of a can in a stubbie holder. As a taster, here’s Greg Murphy’s lap of the Gods.
Bathurst 1000, Mt Panorama, Top 10 Shootout (qualifying), tomorrow 7pm, Sky Sport 5
The Great Race, Sunday, 2pm, Sky Sport 5
T20 cricket is booming, with two new IPL franchises selling for a collective $2.5 billion in October. The New Zealand Sports Journalists’ Association is no longer operational.
