Jack Mesley: Super Rugby Pacific CEO on the growth of the sport

Fans may have noticed a more enjoyable Super Rugby product this season. 

Static time has been cut by 73 seconds, and an average of 61 points are being scored per game – the highest ever. 

Viewing numbers and game attendance have also increased. 

CEO Jack Mesley told Mike Hosking the growth’s happening on both sides of the ditch, with Australia leading the charge this season. 

He says their focus is to string seasons of growth back-to-back so that they’re moving in the right direction, and that’s certainly happening. 

Mesley says the unexpected results are fuelling some of the interest. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Got some good news around Super Rugby. The amount of time,
as in the static time where nothing on the field's
actually happening, that's down. It's been cut by seventy three
seconds on average. We're scoring more points per game this
year than ever sixty one on average, a lot of
points and we're watching more of it. The ratings are up.
All of the seems good. Super Rugby Pacific boss Jack
Missley's well, there's Jack. Morning to you morning, Mike. How
are you very well? Indeed, I know you're in Australia.

(00:21):
I know the crowds and watching the viewer. I mean,
the fact that Australian sides are competitive makes all the difference, doesn't.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
It, Well, it does. You know, we're seeing really unexpected
results and many hoodos for many years get broken. And yeah,
a huge lot of reversal of results of matches from
last year, not just with the Australian sides, even you know,
with more on a specific for example. And you know

(00:48):
we're seeing big ladder changes. The Crusaders are back from
last year as well. So all of that sort of
unexpected results is certainly feeling some interest.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
What sort of television audience are we're talking about because
they seem to be secretive in this country, or relatively secretive.
You're claiming a thirty percent increase in nine viewership and
it seems twelve percent year, twelve percent based on what
from what to what? I mean, how many hundreds of
thousands of people are watching television?

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, our main game on Saturday night in New Zealand
is definitely a couple of hundred thousand on Sky, so
it's really good numbers. And this is off the back
of good great last year as well. So yeah, we're
really pleased with how that's going.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Because I'm interested in the crowd size as well, because
the crowds look a mnemic in some games here, are
they not? Or am I just not looking at the
right games? And so you're doing averages?

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Oh no, I mean I think the Great Great on
both sides of the ditch, which is great, probably lead
this year stronger in Australia than New Zealand. But we're
seeing we're seeing growth. There's no doubt there's a lot
of upside for us to be had. There's a lot
of seats, a lot of tickets we can still sell.

(02:00):
But again, you know this doesn't happen overnight. And you know,
our focus is really a string season seasons of growth
back to back, so that we are sort of moving
in the right direction, and that's certainly happening. I mean,
I think one of the things we did and the
data we've released today with a big piece of fan research,
really getting into our core product. And you know that's

(02:23):
been the focus this season, good to really really work
with the match officials, the laws of the game to
make the product as compelling as possible.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Not that I'm being negative, but how much of it's luck?
So your static time, I get it, it's around rules,
it's movement, I get all of that. But your average,
my favorite stat, an average of four point three lead
changes per match. That makes it exciting. You can't manufacture that.
That's just luck, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yes? But I think what you can do, and what
we have done, is through those law changes and the
match official interpretation moving the game forward. You're bringing you're
bringing more fatigue into the match that opens up the
match for for this for this style of player that
can that means that you know, we are getting more
unexpected results. And then I think, you know, there's there's

(03:10):
clearly been some advancement in the Australian teams, quality of
Australian teams, the rebels that had a role to play,
and that is that dispersement of talent has been put
through the other teams as well.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Good stuff, Jack, go well with it. I hope it
goes well for the rest of the season. Jack Missley,
who's the super regularly specific CEO.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.