ACT Brumbies 2023: if the Rebels fold, could playing more games in Melbourne help secure the future of the Canberra club? Photo: Brumbies Twitter.
Six weeks down the track and the pressure appears to be off. The relationship between Rugby Australia and the Brumbies seems to have been restored.
In the meantime, major issues with the Melbourne Rebels’ finances appear to have diverted the attention of Rugby Australia away from Canberra, with the Melbourne team entering voluntary administration.
Rugby Australia has effectively taken control of the team.
While Rugby Australia has guaranteed the Melbourne Rebels’ participation in the upcoming Super Rugby season, the team’s future beyond 2024 remains uncertain.
It’s an interesting predicament for the sports governing body in Australia after the current broadcasting deal with Nine Entertainment was extended for another two years to the end of 2025, which includes the highly anticipated British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.
An essential ingredient of that deal is the participation of five Australian teams in the Super Rugby competition.
Rugby Australia may decide to take a financial penalty on the broadcasting deal currently worth $30 million a season and reduce the number of Australian teams by one as the cost of bankrolling a team is weighed against the financial hit associated with a reduction in television rights.
The feeling in rugby circles is that the Rebels’ woes have given the Brumbies some breathing space as Rugby Australia can ill-afford to lose two teams.
Nine Entertainment would likely be keen to broadcast rugby on Nine and Stan beyond 2025, as the Men’s World Cup is scheduled for 2027, followed by the Women’s World Cup in 2029.
If the Rebels cease to exist beyond this season, another course of action could be considered, whereby the Brumbies play a couple of home games in Melbourne.
While it wouldn’t be a merger, it would allow rugby to continue to have a footprint in Australia’s second-biggest city while expanding the Brumbies’ footprint.
It may not be a palatable option for many Brumbies fans, but the reality is that, in a roundabout way, it could assure the team’s future in Canberra.
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