Jamie Joseph has provided the blueprint, now Super Rugby must use it

Some professional sports leagues have relegation, some have a draft. Super Rugby Pacific has enduring optimism.

Ensuring the cyclical competitive landscape of any competition is an art, and the-powers-that-be’s distinctly hands-off approach with Super Rugby has left the door open for a near-decade-long title drought for any team not training at Christchurch’s Rugby Park. A down year in 2024, being, of course, the lone exception.

Could such a prolonged period of dominance be achieved in another major league? Were it happening in the United States, the best young talent would have been distributed to the worst-performing franchises, building their talent stocks and starving the champions of next-generation stars. Were it happening in Europe, sides not up to scratch would have been replaced by new contenders with new ideas.

But Kiwi Super Rugby outfits stick to their pathways and academies, trusting that they will eventually turn fortunes around.

Challenges supposedly inspire innovation, but until recently, there has been a lack thereof, not just in response to the Crusaders’ dynasty but also to the evolution of the entertainment industry in which sports exist.

The Highlanders, however, are operating differently.

Since Jamie Joseph returned to the club in 2024, first as a Director of Rugby and then as head coach in 2025, there’s been an aggressive new approach to recruitment that has dramatically reshaped the club’s talent pool.

Players waiting in the wings of rival clubs, perhaps stuck behind an All Black or an All Black in waiting, have a new option now: Dunedin.

In round one’s win over the Crusaders, all three of the Highlanders’ tries were scored by players lured south in recent seasons: Jonah Lowe was previously with the Chiefs, and Angus Ta’avao and Caleb Tangitau were taken from the Blues.

The conversions to the tries and the match-winning penalty were provided by Highlanders academy product Cam Millar, proving that the recruitment and promotion of talent from within are working in harmony. In round two’s narrow loss to the title favourites, it was a similar story.

Were it not for Joseph flipping the script and chasing talent, both emerging and proven, those stars wouldn’t be getting the game time they currently enjoy and inspiring a win over the defending champs.

Tangitau and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens were stuck behind a trio of All Blacks in the Blues’ outside back stocks, and Tanielu Tele’a had Rieko Ioane to contend with at centre. Veveni Lasaqa and TK Howden were missing selection in the Hurricanes’ uber-talented loose forward unit.

Timoci Tavatavanawai was also snagged from Moana Pasifika, and now Stanley Solomon, Xavier Tito-Harris, and Josh Tengblad are looking for their shot, having also moved south.

Don’t forget Josh Jacomb, the incumbent All Blacks XV playmaker widely considered as next-up for the All Blacks, who is currently stuck behind Damian McKenzie at the Chiefs and is en route to Dunedin next year.

It’s great to have loyalty to your region’s talent, but the reality is that the system will never create a perfect split of props, locks, loosies, and so on.

This decade, the Chiefs have consistently had an embarrassment of riches at lock, the Hurricanes have had more props than they could possibly use, the Blues have lost one All Black 10 and still have two more, and the Crusaders are seemingly losing All Black midfielders by the day, and still have David Havili and Leicester Fainga’anuku on their books moving forward.

Dallas McLeod is the latest departure, and is another example of a clearly talented footballer, capped by the All Blacks, but unable to win consistent minutes in Super Rugby. The guy wants to play, and at just 26, he’s had to find an opportunity to do so in the UK.

This writer has penned opinion pieces in recent years identifying players who would benefit from a change of scenery, and as of now, the bulk of the players mentioned are either gone or going overseas.

An example this year would be Pasilio Tosi, a 140 kg All Black prop, who has only ever started nine games for the Hurricanes. As the saying goes: “If you love someone, let them go”. And in this context, do it before they choose the international terminal rather than the domestic one.

Jamie Joseph clearly has a no-BS attitude toward whether his talent is good enough to compete or not, and is unapologetic about pursuing improvement. That was again highlighted in round one when he changed his team last-minute to have his best props square off with the Crusaders’ best props, who had been named on the bench.

It’s not a betrayal to look beyond your squad to fill a gap; it’s simply best practice in professional sports. And, it helps ensure the cream of the crop rises to the top.

Joseph and the Highlanders have shown the value in this before; his 2015 title-winning backline included Aaron Smith (Manawatu), Lima Sopoaga (Wellington), Patrick Osborne (Canterbury/Fiji), Richard Buckman (Hawke’s Bay), Malakai Fekitoa (Auckland), and Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Fiji).

The opportunities those players enjoyed clearly helped their international prospects, and helped the All Blacks, who were a pretty handy team at that point in time, to say the least.

The other element to this point is simply entertainment. Player movement is fun, engaging, and healthy for competitions.

As soon as the final whistle is blown in the Super Rugby final, the competition stops generating any kind of excitement until the pre-season games kick off seven months later.

That’s fine during the Test season, but Super Rugby needs more of a presence in the month of January, in particular, to build excitement ahead of the season. So, postpone the squad namings and let the rumour-mill fire up with whispers of who’s going where.

The discourse around player movement in other sports and leagues is at the forefront of fandom, sustaining fan-made podcasts and online content that amplify those leagues’ presence and engagement.

Jamie Joseph has masterminded a superb roster rebuild and, in doing so, has laid the blueprint for a more competitive, absorbing Super Rugby Pacific. Here’s to hoping more clubs follow suit.