Kiwi stars say Super Rugby Aotearoa is unsustainable as they reveal preference to play South African, Australian teams
The New Zealand public and wider global rugby community may have fallen in love with the concept of Super Rugby Aotearoa, but two of the competition’s star players have described the competition as unsustainable.
The Kiwi club game has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts since the domestic league kicked off last month following the three-month COVID-19 lockdown, with fan interest and TV audiences soaring since its return.
Much of the hype has been centred around the fact that the New Zealand teams and players have faced off against one another to create tight, tense, entertaining matches week after week.
Such encounters were hard to come by in the initial iteration of Super Rugby, which included teams from Australia, South Africa, Argentina and Japan.
Most teams from those regions have been largely outclassed by their Kiwi counterparts in recent times, with seven of the last eight Super Rugby champions coming from New Zealand.
That lack of competitiveness, combined with the unappealing time zones that comes with playing across the Southern Hemisphere, made the original Super Rugby competition a dull product for fans in comparison to Super Rugby Aotearoa.
With a Super Rugby revamp expected for next year and various options being considered as to how the league should be formatted, many have suggested New Zealand continue to forge their own competition.
Other suggestions have been a trans-Tasman competition with a reduced number of teams from Australia, while talk of the possible induction of a Pacific Islands team based out of South Auckland has also been prominent over the past week.
However, Chiefs and All Blacks halfback Brad Weber has revealed that he enjoys the international aspect of Super Rugby, and said that he has a preference for a format of that ilk rather than a strictly domestic league.
“I’m a little bit torn because I enjoy going to South Africa and I enjoy playing against the Australians,” he said.
“I think it’s the beauty of Super Rugby is that we do have all these different teams from around the world. I actually really enjoy that part of it.
“Going to Africa for two weeks, especially as a young fella, is a great learning experience, it’s a way to connect with the lads.
“Playing Super Rugby New Zealand derbies all the time probably isn’t sustainable around the athletes and player welfare.
“It’s pretty tough, so having that time to go away – not saying that they’re easier teams or anything like that – but I do like having that there.”
Two leading #SuperRugbyAotearoa stars say lessons need to be learned from previous failed expansions if a Pacific side is to be successfully added to a revamped version of Super Rugby.https://t.co/wGE7gL1Uth
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 15, 2020
Crusaders halfback and three-time Super Rugby champion Bryn Hall agreed with Weber in that Super Rugby Aotearoa isn’t the way forward, but admitted he wasn’t sure how a revamped league should be structured.
“I guess I’m just torn a little bit as well because you look at how Super Rugby’s been the last five years, and my thinking behind it is that New Zealand teams have probably dominated a lot of the competition,” he said.
“I think as a consumer, if you’re a New Zealander, you love watching it. Think about Super Rugby Aotearoa, how much it’s been packed stadiums, quality rugby every single week.
“It’s tough, and I don’t think it is sustainable if you wanted to have competition with just New Zealand teams.
“Let’s say we played three times, we all played three times, I don’t think it’s sustainable, and it’s probably going to dilute the product as well playing every single Kiwi team.
“I think whatever the decision is moving forward, it just has to be a competition that is competitive, every team that is available.
“I know there’s been talks of dropping a couple of Australian teams to make them competitive, or a Pacific Islands [team], or whatever it looks like.
“I’m a little bit torn, what I think the right direction is, but I think competitiveness and a product that is worth watching every single week is pretty important.”
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“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.
10 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.
24 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.
10 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 comments