Aporia · A Super title and 25,000 crowds: How Reds plan to make Queensland a powerhouse

Signal	Value	Weight
Correction rate	0.000	0.4
Uncertainty density	0.057	0.25
Assertive mismatch rate	0.000	0.35

Queensland Reds chief executive David Hanham and general manager of high-performance Sam Cordingley are basking in the warmer relationship between Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby. asserted

Hanham → bask → Australia

Talking to the Herald from their offices in Brisbane, they expressed confidence that RA heavies Phil Waugh and Dan Herbert, and New Zealand counterparts Steve Lancaster and David Kirk have provided the stable platform that rugby needs at Test and Super Rugby level. asserted

rugby → talk → level

There is a Bledisloe Cup Test coming to Brisbane on Anzac Day, a conviction among Super Rugby executives that 10 teams is the right number and confidence that the competition’s best team, the Hurricanes, would stack up well against any club side in the world. asserted

team → be → world

“Some of the best players in the world are playing in Super Rugby,” said Cordingley, who played a key role in the recruitment of new Reds coach Vern Cotter. asserted

who → play → Cotter

“If you put the Hurricanes up against any teams in the north, that would most likely be a really good result ... asserted

that → put → north

I don’t think it’s a question of talent [in Super Rugby], it’s a question of consistency. asserted

it → think → consistency

But those more favourable bigger-picture conditions are only one reason why the Reds are, in cricketing parlance, determined to play on the front foot. asserted

Reds → play → foot

Unlike their Super Rugby peers in Australia and New Zealand, the Reds have recorded a series of operating profits, participation numbers in the state are strong and 12 Reds were named in the Wallabies squad to face Argentina this weekend. asserted

Reds → record → Argentina

As a result, Queensland have unambiguously set their sights high. asserted

Queensland → set → sights

“We’ve set a five-year vision for the QRU [Queensland Rugby Union] to build ourselves and build Queensland back to being one of the best rugby provinces in the world,” Hanham said. asserted

Hanham → set → world

“And part of that is making sure that we’ve got a winning team and a successful football program. asserted

we → make → team

Obviously, you can’t be a strong rugby province without winning on the field. asserted

you → win → field

“Keeping in mind when we talk about a rugby province, that’s the community game and the professional game that we’re responsible for. asserted

we → keep → that

“In five years, we want to grow the game. asserted

we → want → game

We’re about 90,000 players [in Queensland]; we want to get to 100,000. asserted

we → ’re → 100,000

“We want the Reds to be a consistent top-three team, and in that period of time to be winning a title. asserted

Reds → want → title

We want our crowds at Suncorp to get from averaging 15,000 back up to 25,000. asserted

crowds → want → 25,000

“A big part of that is maintaining financial sustainability as a business, and getting the Ballymore development under way. asserted

development → maintain → way

If someone said, ‘What does the best rugby province look like?’ asserted

province → say → What

That’s how we define success.” asserted

we → ’ → success

While the New Zealanders are well into the National Provincial Championship, their domestic rugby competition that runs for 10 rounds before three weeks of play-offs, Australian clubs are about to embark on the four-week Super Rugby AUS. asserted

clubs → run → AUS

Cordingley, who played for the Ballymore Tornadoes in the short-lived, eight-team Australian Rugby Championship in 2007, acknowledges that lack of exposure for the next tier of players remains a challenge. asserted

lack → play → players

“I can only speculate on where we [Australian rugby] may have been if we’d retained that competition [ARC] relative to the New Zealand NPC ... or what the Currie Cup has delivered in South Africa,” he said. uncertain

he → speculate → Africa

“Credit to Rugby Australia in terms of being able to invest in that product [Super Rugby AUS] ... but I still think we’re short of where we need to be. asserted

we → invest → product

That has forced the Reds to be creative, in high performance and commercially. asserted

That → force → performance

After Super Rugby AUS, they will embark on a four-game tour of Japan and Italy, courtesy of their partnerships with Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights and Benetton Rugby in Treviso. asserted

they → embark → Treviso

Hanham says the Reds have found a way to make these tours “cost neutral”, and Cordingley has been the driving force behind them as a way to accelerate the development of the Reds’ non-Wallabies. asserted

Cordingley → say → Wallabies

In echoes of former Wallaby Ben Darwin’s theories on cohesion, Cordingley says the tour games are not solely about accumulating playing minutes, but increasing what the Reds call “shared experience matches”. asserted

Reds → say → what

“It’s not just playing games of rugby,” Cordingley said. asserted

Cordingley → play → rugby

“We have created these partnership opportunities with Benetton and Panasonic to be able to provide experiences for our players and staff collectively to get to what we target – around 30 shared experiences matches a year to be competing with the French Top 14 clubs and the English Premiership.” asserted

we → create → clubs

The Reds are confident Cotter’s arrival will also be step towards their title ambitions, but they also hold firm views about Super Rugby’s structure. asserted

they → hold → structure

There is near-constant chatter about change or expansion, with Japan often mentioned as a possible entrant. asserted

Japan → be → entrant

Hanham, however, urged caution. asserted

Hanham → urge → caution

“There is a very strong view – I believe shared by the clubs and unions – that we’ve got the right number of teams,” he said. asserted

he → be → teams

“How do we improve the quality of the competition, in the sense of not only the onfield product, but how we market and promote it? asserted

we → improve → it

“We’ve now got an Anzac Bledisloe, which I think is a great tent-pole event, like State of Origin is to NRL. asserted

State → get → NRL

We’ve got Super Round, which was a great success in Christchurch ... asserted

which → get → Christchurch

I feel like we’ve created a product that’s going to be successful. asserted

that → feel → product

“My personal view is we don’t want to be messing with the integrity of that. asserted

we → want → that

However, there is an avenue to enable other competitions to join the Super Rugby Pacific competition at the appropriate times, where you’re not changing the number of teams every year. asserted

you → be → teams

A Super title and 25,000 crowds: How Reds plan to make Queensland a powerhouse

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