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Hurricanes pushed for Super Rugby Aotearoa decider to be scheduled
Despite the Crusaders’ relative dominance over the competition, there’s no doubt that Super Rugby Aotearoa has been a raging success.
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An Australian scribe suggested last week that Super Rugby AU had one massive advantage over the tournament across the ditch, however – a finals series involving the top three teams.
As it currently stands, the Crusaders would have to lose to both the Highlanders and the Blues in the coming weeks for the latter team to have any chance at pipping the Cantabrians to the trophy. Given how well the Crusaders have performed this season, that’s an exceptionally unlikely scenario.
The final four games of Super Rugby Aotearoa will still be excellent to watch but the gloss is removed a little bit simply due to the seeming inevitability that the Crusaders will be crowned champions.
If the New Zealand competition were to follow a similar structure to the schedule in Australia, the Blues, Hurricanes and Highlanders would all still be in with a serious chance at emerging victorious come season’s end while the Chiefs would potentially have focussed less on development in the last few weeks and more on winning matches (though apart from Kaleb Trask’s elevation to starting first five, there haven’t really been any other significant changes).
#SuperRugbyAotearoa is fairly evenly matched. #SuperRugbyAU is fairly evenly matched.
Would a combined competition also be evenly matched it? Unlikely, writes @TomVinicombe.https://t.co/04S0KXbaUJ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 5, 2020
In Australia, the admitted lack of consistency that the four teams below the Brumbies have shown means that even in the final weekend of round-robin action, there will likely be matches that will have a huge bearing on who takes home the trophy.
This fact wasn’t lost on the New Zealand franchises and Hurricanes CEO Avan Lee pushed for New Zealand Rugby to add a final to the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition was told that it simply wasn’t possible to fit it into the calendar.
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“I asked NZR about that [a final] before the competition and thought it was something that should be considered,” Lee told Stuff.
“Obviously there was a lot of rugby that needed to be squeezed into a season and the North v South game [on August 29] made sense to NZR in terms of starting to prepare All Blacks for their series.
“A final would have been great, but in saying that the attrition rate of injuries in this competition has been extremely high so, in hindsight, maybe not having a final was a good idea.
“I do think fans love a final so it’s just balancing those different factors to get the right decision. We accepted that and moved on.”
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Even if a final were on the cards, the Hurricanes would need to score wins over the Chiefs and Highlanders in the final two rounds of action in order to pip the Blues to second on the ledger (providing that the Blues don’t beat the Crusaders in the last game of the regular season).
If the Hurricanes do trump the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday night, the home side will have gone through the season winless.
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to comments