Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark believes that introducing a shot clock and other innovations at Super Rugby Pacific level is crucial to make the tournament entertaining for spectators.
Last Friday, New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia announced that the competition’s future has been secured until 2030, following a new joint-venture agreement between the two governing bodies, and that a new nine-person board will also be established to administer the tournament.
In favour of independent directors on board
Clark is in favour of that development – especially having four independent directors and an independent chairperson on that board – and said he hoped it would bring in a new era of quick-moving and effective decision making.
“We had a workshop for coaches and the CEOs from the 12 clubs earlier this year, and all of those things [shot clocks and game changes] were discussed,” he told Stuff.
“They’re still on the board. There’s a number of changes that will be made for the competition.
“But we’ve got to speed the game up and we’ve got to make it entertaining for the fans, and it might not necessarily be the same game that’s played at an international level.
“But our job, just like they do in other competitions in this part of the world, is to make it entertaining for the fans.”
Dwindling spectator numbers have become a problem for all Super Rugby Pacific’s participating franchises over the last few years while there has also been a decline in television viewership for the competition.
From a New Zealand perspective, the Black Ferns’ success with a quick and fluid brand of rugby at the Rugby World Cup saw spectators flocking to matches. That has been lost at Super Rugby level, although there are other factors which have also led to the decrease in spectator interest at that level.
Clark admitted that there is plenty of room for improvement in Super Rugby – and feels it starts with implementing the laws that are already in the game.
“They [supporters] don’t want to sit there for two, three minutes watching a lineout or a scrum set, or some guy taking a kick a goal,” he said.
“So, it’s important that we make sure we play to the rules of the game, because the rules of the game say 30 seconds [to set a scrum].
“The referees have a part to play in making sure that we keep to that 30 seconds, and a shot clock I think would just add to the entertainment and excitement.”
Keen on shot clock
A shot clock which is visible to spectators, players and officials would also address the issue of goalkickers taking too long.
Under rugby union’s laws, goalkickers have 90 seconds after a try is scored to take a conversion, and 60 seconds to take a penalty kick at goal from the time a team indicated their intention to take the kick.
Penalty kicks or free kicks when not kicking for goal must be taken “without delay”, but in practice this is another area of the game that can be sped up.
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