Opinion
Super Rugby Pacific
Contributors
Hamish Bidwell
@HamishBidwell
Hamish has been an opinion and sports writer for over 20 years in New Zealand, featuring on RNZ, New Zealand Herald, Stuff.co.nz, and RugbyPass.
215 Articles
Latest
9 days ago International Rugby
All Blacks not inspiring confidence
16 days ago International Rugby
New Zealand's expectations of the All Blacks are too high
22 days ago International Rugby
The true test of the All Blacks' mettle
26 days ago International Rugby
Scott Barrett was the safe, obvious choice
Opinion
France snubbing New Zealand tour shows the difference in priorities
But that doesn’t diminish the fact that putting All Black interests over and above every other facet of rugby has not served New…
Hamish Bidwell
12 Jun 2024, 17:52
Opinion
What happened to Penney was a breach of trust
The decline of trust in the media won’t have been arrested by the recent ambushing and vilification of Crusaders coach Rob Penne…
Hamish Bidwell
06 Jun 2024, 0:55
Opinion
The game in this country is about more than just the All Blacks
Either way, if the NZR chief executive can’t rally the provincial delegates, then what place does he have running the outfit at …
Hamish Bidwell
30 May 2024, 0:47
Opinion
Sam Cane was unfairly cast in Richie McCaw's shadow for too long
Sam Cane is someone with a lot to offer New Zealand, well beyond the realm of rugby.
Hamish Bidwell
21 May 2024, 0:05
Opinion
Rest and rotations for All Blacks isn't staving off injuries
The onus is on NZR to ensure Super Rugby Pacific is a competition in which All Blacks are ever-present and the ball is in play for…
Hamish Bidwell
07 May 2024, 19:13
Opinion
Australians are quite right to be complaining about Samipeni Finau
If Samipeni Finau is to be a legitimate weapon in the Chiefs’ and All Blacks’ arsenal, then the timing is critical.
Hamish Bidwell
29 Apr 2024, 22:00
Opinion
The World Club Cup can't come soon enough
My only slight dismay at news that a World Club Cup might happen, is having to wait until 2028 to see it.
Hamish Bidwell
09 Apr 2024, 17:43
Opinion
The Wallabies are now immeasurably better
Mike Cron will be more than just an assistant to Joe Schmidt and a technical resource for the Wallabies' players.
Hamish Bidwell
03 Apr 2024, 19:34
Opinion
Rob Penney wasn't given much without Whitelock and Mo'unga
I won’t go as far as saying the Crusaders set Penney up to fail in the short term, but I’m not sure he inherited the calibre o…
Hamish Bidwell
28 Mar 2024, 0:14
Opinion
The Crusaders start to the season shows their loss is the All Blacks gain
So, as I watched the Crusaders slump to a third-straight defeat, to start the Super Rugby Pacific season, I couldn’t help but th…
Hamish Bidwell
13 Mar 2024, 17:29
Opinion
Do the Hurricanes Poua want our support or not
The Hurricanes Poua haka, which Lee says will not be performed again, is divisive and insulting. It speaks of a level of privilege…
Hamish Bidwell
05 Mar 2024, 20:26
Opinion
The predictability problem with Super Rugby Pacific
I don’t want to see the Chiefs or Crusaders weakened but, for Super Rugby Pacific to endure, things have to be done to strengthe…
Hamish Bidwell
28 Feb 2024, 14:44
Opinion
Don't be fearful of life without Whitelock, Retallick or Smith
I do have reservations about the depth of some of our Super Rugby Pacific squads, but not in our ability to still find enough capa…
Hamish Bidwell
20 Feb 2024, 21:54
Opinion
Bledisloe Cup rugby is just better during the day time
Australia has hosted three day time Bledisloe Cup clashes in the professional era: in 1995, 1996 and 2021.
Hamish Bidwell
14 Feb 2024, 14:32
Opinion
Please stop throwing good money at the Rebels
Australia has too many Super Rugby franchises, from a high-performance perspective. I doubt many people would lament the passing o…
Hamish Bidwell
30 Jan 2024, 17:34
Opinion
Surely a man of Joe Schmidt’s track record could find something better
Surely a man of Joe Schmidt’s track record, contacts and acumen could find a cushier role than Wallabies coach.
Hamish Bidwell
23 Jan 2024, 20:11
Opinion
Recipe for Champions Cup tastes better than Super Rugby right now
Featuring the best of French, South African and British rugby, the Champions Cup is of a high standard, played in front sizable cr…
Hamish Bidwell
16 Jan 2024, 21:52
Opinion
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson will have frightened his employers already
It’s interesting, on a couple of fronts, to see new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson hold the door ajar to picking players from …
Hamish Bidwell
09 Jan 2024, 23:08
Opinion
Let’s not pretend you have to play in New Zealand to be an All Black
Cane cited South Africa, who successfully cobbles players together from Europe and Japan and churns out Rugby World Cup-winning te…
Hamish Bidwell
03 Dec 2023, 20:34
Opinion
Let's hope that Richie Mo’unga wasn't serious about the All Blacks
Without Richie Mo’unga, the cupboard of competent first five-eighths' back here in New Zealand is pretty bare.
Hamish Bidwell
28 Nov 2023, 15:33
