Hurricanes to help Arrows with Professional Plans

On Wednesday the Ontario Arrows made waves with the announcement that they have formed a partnership with one of Super Rugby’s most iconic franchises – the Hurricanes. Based in Wellington on the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, on the face of it the two franchises couldn’t be further apart. Toronto is some 14,000 km (8,700 miles) away across the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and the Arrows are in their infancy having played just four games since their debut at Infinity Park in September.

For those unfamiliar, the Hurricanes are among the elite professional organizations across the globe. Their beginning coincides with rugby union’s decision to turn fully professional in 1996 and were one of the original teams in the Super 12 (now Super Rugby). In fact they were one half of the first-ever Super 12 match against the Blues at Palmerston North. Though they were semi-finalists in 1997, long-term success did not come immediately. They made it to the final in 2006 and again in 2015. Finally they reached their zenith in 2016 with a first-ever Super Rugby title.

The list of Hurricanes alumni includes some of the greatest players in the professional era. Christian Cullen, Tana Umaga, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Rodney So’oialo, the late Jerry Collins and the biggest of them all – Jonah Lomu. Of the current batch TJ Perenara, Dane Coles, the Savea brothers, and the World Rugby Player of the Year in each of the last two years, Beauden Barrett.

Wednesday’s official announcement was sparse on details. Arrows co-founder Bill Webb had this to say:

“We are very pleased to be able to work with one of the top global rugby brands as we get started ourselves. They have a couple of decades of pro rugby knowledge and best practice to share and we are very positive about where our relationship with the Hurricanes might take us.”

Hurricanes CEO Avan Lee’s message was more succinct:

“We are looking forward to assisting the Arrows with their entry into professional rugby whilst growing our own brand in North America.”

So, how did this happen and what do the Hurricanes stand to gain from this?

The connection comes from former Rugby Canada GM Mike Chu, who left the organization in 2015 to return home and take up a role as National Coach Manager with New Zealand Rugby. Arrows GM Mark Winokur says that Chu is “a big supporter of the idea” and recommended the Hurricanes, who were happily interested and agreed to join forces.

Lee confirmed that there not any kind of financial investment from the Hurricanes “at this stage” but there other initiatives that the two organizations will work together on. Bringing the Hurricanes brand to North America is a clear priority for the New Zealand franchise and professional development opportunities are on offer for the Arrows.

“We have fans around the world and having a connection to the Arrows makes us more relevant in North America,” says Lee. “We will also look at coach and player exchanges and aid professional development for staff. Ideally this partnership will lead to us having a presence in North America, which may include matches in the future.”

The prospect of a Hurricanes match in Canada is certainly an exciting one, as is the possibility of seeing development players appearing in an Arrows shirt. On the other side the chance to spend even a couple weeks in the ‘Canes camp for a young Arrows player would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

At the end of the Super Rugby season the two sides will talk shop – the Arrows will have access to technical resources and will get a chance to look at how the Hurricanes operate on the franchise side of things, invaluable information for a team angling towards professionalism. On the branding side of things expect to see the Hurricanes logo appear in cross-promotions and featured prominently at home games.

It’s not the first such ‘partnership’ we’ve seen. The Seattle Seawolves announced a similar arrangement with the Crusaders in February, and Rugby United New York has held discussions with French Top 14 club Stade Français.

Of course both of those sides are now committed to Major League Rugby, the new professional competition starting south of the border next weekend. Seattle will play in 2018 while New York will be fully integrated in 2019. Lee makes it clear that his preference is for the Arrows to follow suit.

“We will support the Arrows to the necessary level and we hope they will join MLR in the future.”

While this announcement appears a clear indication that the Arrows are set to follow suit, Winokur insists the deal isn’t done yet and they are doing their ‘due diligence’ but says the timeline for a decision is “the next 6 weeks or so.” Should they move forward the league will then decide whether or not to admit them. Given that MLR Commissioner Dean Howes has already stated his intentions to have two Canadian teams in place in the near future, that much at least seems a fait accompli.

In the meantime the Arrows will add another first to their history books as they play their first home game on Saturday in Toronto against New York. A second home match against Boston is scheduled for May 5. Strong turnouts are expected for both and if that comes to fruition the official confirmation of the first Major League Rugby franchise in Canada could well be signed, sealed, and delivered.