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Super Rugby's regional rivalry has been sacrificed for the greater good and the Highlanders have been the main benefactors
Super Rugby has copped its fair share of criticism over the last few years.
Whether it’s complaints about a lack of competitiveness or issues with the needlessly complex draw, the Southern Hemisphere’s flagship competition attracts comments from all corners of the globe.
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One problem which has existed since the inaugural competition in 1996, however, is the lack of identity that exists in the New Zealand franchises.
When the competition first launched, the five Kiwi sides were formed from the nation’s existing provinces.
Despite the fact that New Zealand’s northernmost team incorporated Northland, Auckland and Counties Manukau, however, it was only the Auckland moniker that was attached to the franchise’s name – and thus the Auckland Blues were born.
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It was the same country-wide, with Waikato, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago preceding the Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders, respectively.
Whatever thought went into the franchise names (and let’s face it, it obviously wasn’t the brightest people who dreamed up with the Crusaders), the decision to align the five sides with the five biggest rugby unions in the country was ultimately an evermore absurd plan that alienated many fans outside of the major provinces.
It wasn’t long before the geographical identifiers were dropped from the franchise names, but the damage was already done.
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Still, at least the franchises themselves were primarily populated from within the region, with only a few extra players drafted in who hadn’t been picked up by their home franchise.
That all changed in 2011, when the previous contracting model was thrown out the window and franchises were able to contract players from across the country, regardless of which province they were contracted to.
Some teams were quicker to adjust than others, but it’s had a lasting impact on the make-up of New Zealand’s squads.
In 2010, just 11 players were drafted into franchises that weren’t tied to their home province.
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In 2019, the Highlanders squad alone contains 27 players that have been plucked from outside of either Otago or Southland. In fact, the Highlanders have selected at least one player from all 14 of New Zealand’s top-flight provinces.
Though not quite as extreme, it’s a similar story for the other four franchises.
The race to replace Steve Hansen as New Zealand coach is anyone's game, according to a 79-test All Black.https://t.co/vJ8dvKgBU2
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 6, 2019
There are two very obvious benefits to the newer system.
First of all, it ensures that the best 195 players are playing Super Rugby, regardless of what province they’re tied to.
Prior to 2010, players who represented provinces with considerable depth (such as Canterbury) could find themselves without a contract, even though they may have been a better player than someone selected for the Highlanders, for example.
The second benefit is that the Super Rugby teams are all of the highest quality.
When Super 12 first kicked off in 1996, there was a relative parity between the five franchises. Yes, the All Blacks were dominated by Auckland players, but there was still plenty of depth around the country as a whole.
That’s simply no longer the case, with the two Highlanders provinces, Otago and Southland, now having spent the last eight years in the championship division of the Mitre 10 Cup.
Would Jaime Joseph have been able to win the Super Rugby title in 2015 without the likes of Waisake Naholo, Aaron Smith and Elliot Dixon? Without a shred of doubt, the answer is no.
The issue, of course, is that teams have shed their identities even further. If over half the Chiefs players come from outside the Chiefs’ catchment area, then what motivation is there for a fan to get behind their local team?
Earlier this year, the Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Super Rugby stakeholders were keen on the idea of once again attaching regional names to the various teams to rebuild their lost identities, but this seems like a band-aid solution to the problem.
What does it take to become an All Black 10? New Zealand looks for a specific type, and it seems to produce a lot of them. @bensmithrugby https://t.co/NsNX6cSdrT
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 5, 2019
What should be more concerning, particularly for New Zealand fans (especially those with strong ties to the Highlanders), is the uneven distribution of young talent around the country.
The Highlanders franchise makes sense from a logistical point of view – it gives fans in the lower South Island a team to support. From a numbers point of view, however, the team’s existence makes little sense.
Over the last nine years, the New Zealand Under 20 side has used almost 260 players at world championships. Just 21 of those players have come from the deep south.
That’s less than half the number of players that have come out of the Crusaders catchment area, which is the second least represented at the U20 level.
Professionalism means that you don’t have to be producing players through your own junior systems – even the most naturally gifted athletes need to be nurtured once they hit the big leagues, and that’s something the Highlanders have done exceptionally well.
Still, the fact that the Highlanders have to pull players from across the country to form a solid team should be cause for concern to supporters in Otago and Southland.
For Southlanders, in particular, it must be hard to get behind the Highlanders.
Just two players in the 2020 squad represented the Stags during this year’s Mitre 10 Cup, Manaaki Selby-Rickit and Ethan de Groot. There’s still a very realistic chance that Selby-Rickit’s contract will be terminated due to an assault charge, which leaves prop de Groot as the province’s sole representative.
Factor in that the Highlanders got rid of their maroon alternate strip a few years back (which was arguably one of the best jerseys in the competition) and that Invercargill won’t host any Super Rugby fixtures in 2020, and you start to wonder how committed the Highlanders actually are to New Zealand’s southernmost province.
This is simply the nature of professional sport, however.
It has been quite a fall from grace recently for Joe Schmidt… first, his newly published book gets panned for being very ordinary and now the IRFU have pointedly pointed the finger of blame in his direction for Ireland's failure at RWC 2019https://t.co/j7jG7aSXc8
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 5, 2019
The New Zealand franchises have strayed so far from their original provincial roots that reintroducing regional identifiers to the team names would be worse than a token gesture.
Stakeholders and fans simply have to face the fact that Super Rugby is no longer a tournament divided by regional lines.
No doubt, every player on that Highlanders roster will bleed blue and gold throughout the season, regardless of which province they represent.
The Mitre 10 Cup can scratch the provincial itch during the latter stages of the season when the All Blacks are off hunting international scalps. For the first half of the year, however, the best players get to show what they’re capable of – regardless of where they hail from.
WATCH: Former All Black flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens wants Super Rugby re-designed from the ground up.
Comments on RugbyPass
Jordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA 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?
13 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.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
5 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.
25 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
5 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
38 Go to comments