How would the European Champions Cup finalists fare in Super Rugby?
Saracens are battling Racing 92 for the European Champions Cup this weekend. But would either team make the playoffs in Super Rugby? And what does this have to do with dog racing?
In the 1980s, dog racing would often, unbelievably, be the first sport covered on the BBC’s flagship midweek sports show, Sportsnight (best theme tune ever). Its coverage coincided with the careers of two of the greatest dogs ever to grace the track – Scurlogue Champ and Ballyregan Bob. The Champ liked a longer race, often running near the back of the field until he decided to kick in the last lap and gas to the line. The crowds loved him for it. Bob liked to chase the hare, leading from the front to win by miles in any length of race. Both hounds won shitloads of races and set numerous course records but due to their difference in style, they didn’t race against each other until their owners were made an offer they couldn’t refuse.
On 12 December 1985 – at Wembley of all places – the great match-up took place. Ballyregan Bob romped home eleven lengths clear. But Scurlogue Champ’s fans complained bitterly that he had no chance in a race of such short length. The debate continues to this day. People in the UK can’t agree which of these hounds was the best of all time, and that’s before you throw in the rest of the world. Many in Australia would argue that one of their own is the greatest, including the most recent example, Fernando Bale.
This weekend the European Champions Cup will be contested in Lyon, with Saracens taking on Racing 92 to see which is the best team in Europe. Saracens are the Ballyregan Bob of the match-up – imperious without being exciting – and while fans respect them, they tend not to like them very much. Racing 92 play a more inspiring brand of rugby. They have the Scurlogue Champesque approach, playing what’s in front of them before doing something exciting to win, and they have a nicer kit, which goes a long way. And, also, Dan Carter.
The game on Saturday will clearly decide who is the best in Europe, but how would these teams fair in Super Rugby?
Saracens are notable for their lack of superstars. Yes, they have internationals, the most prominent being a resurgent Owen Farrell and the wunderkind Maro Itoje (seriously, believe the hype, he’s incredible). But arguably their most important players are fullback Alex Goode, who is intelligent but plays with the pace of a traction engine; Duncan Taylor, a wiggy-headed Scottish centre who few (read: no-one) rated until this season; George Kruis, a solid but destructive lock and Brad Barritt, an inexplicably effective centre who plays rugby like a constipated orangutan attempting to skateboard on any other team, as England’s RWC2015 campaign demonstrated.
Yet when brought together under the leadership of the clearly brilliant Mark McCall, they were literally unbeatable for most of the season through a combination of a clearly understood approach, a tenacious defence built by Wolfpack Paul Gustard before he departed for England, and players capable of making good decisions at key times all over the park. Many jokes are made about them resembling The Borg, such is the inhuman nature of their ruthless efficiency and effectiveness, but would they trouble the upper echelons of the Super Rugby table? No.
Being more than the sum of your parts gets you so far, but it comes a cropper when you come up against teams whose parts as well as their whole are just that slight cut above. After all, a team that contains a scrum half choice between Richard Wigglesworth and 147-year-old Neil de Kock can’t really be that good, can it?
Racing 92 on the other hand have some pretty big parts (insert your own Mike Phillips joke here), with Carter, Castrogiovanni, Luke Charteris, Juan Imhoff, Maxime Machenaud, Chris Masoe – going for his fourth Champions Cup on the bounce this weekend – and so on. But for all their often breathtaking verve, they can still be very average too often and, like Saracens but for different reasons, would end up coming up short against the very best.
Many will ask what the point of such an analysis is, given that the All Blacks’ dominance at international level is so all-consuming that this is all the evidence you need that Super Rugby is better. Not so. Toulon of 2014-15 would have been in with a good shout of winning a Super Rugby title, such was the quality of their shipped-in talent, mixed with the best French and European players on offer. Next season, when Racing dip into their owner’s enormous cavern of money again, who is to say that their team could not become as good, or that Saracens could not find several more Itojes?
Comments on RugbyPass
Anna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
61 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
8 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
61 Go to comments