Maori Super Rugby Team

[Yeetyaah]

Change the name of the Chiefs to Rangatira and call it a day, wouldn't bother me tbh.

[Tim]

@Yeetyaah said in Maori Super Rugby Team:

Change the name of the Chiefs to Rangatira and call it a day, wouldn't bother me tbh.

Already have the appropriately weak squad for a 6th or 7th franchise.

[Yeetyaah]

@Tim fuck you're funny, but if you wanna throw down, they've won a title more recently than the Blues who have had their first good season in 9 years.

[Tim]

@Yeetyaah With a completely different squad that didn't lose eight straight games. Doesn't really seem relevant.

[nzzp]

@Yeetyaah he was pretty funny.

Plus, we're building nicely I reckon - not having three coaches in three years (fishing emoji)

[Yeetyaah]

@nzzp not denying the Blues are building. Just trying to shut Tim and his ridiculous bias out.

[antipodean]

@DrivingMaul said in Maori Super Rugby Team:

@booboo Got to agree the school rugby doesn't make sense for the sport or players to me.
Ngarimu Blair made the point recently and I agree with him that kids should keep playing in their clubs not disappear off to school and never come back

In the modern era the strength of New Zealand rugby is in the professionalism at school boy competition. Yes players who can't afford to go to elite schools or don't demonstrate the physical capability at an early age miss out, but NZR is better placed finding solutions to that than trying to construct a 10 team professional competition based on club rugby.

In my opinion Ngarimu's argument is a pipe dream devoid of understanding market economics. Unless NZ becomes a closed market.

And I'd have preferred TJP played the last couple of seasons for the Māori.

[Tim]

@Yeetyaah You shouldn't take the bait!

[DrivingMaul]

@Nepia Oh it would need a new stadium

Even Bay of Plenty would like to have all their games in Tauranga rather than Rotorua as no one turns up. I get the cultural and historical link but Rotorua is a non-starter financially

[DrivingMaul]

@Nepia Yup I've just lifted them from Wikipedia. Still is there a larger catchment population than Tauranga that isn't serviced by a Super Rugby franchise already?

If so I'm happy that city is put in place of Tauranga. Either way I don't think South Auckland is a great place for a 6th franchise. I get when a Pasifika team would want to be there though

[DrivingMaul]

@antipodean I don't agree with his 10 team professional competition but I do think kids staying with their clubs is a good idea. Trying to get players to come back to clubs after school is one of the reasons that club rugby is really struggling with numbers (note one reason not all the reasons)

[antipodean]

@DrivingMaul said in Maori Super Rugby Team:

@antipodean I don't agree with his 10 team professional competition but I do think kids staying with their clubs is a good idea. Trying to get players to come back to clubs after school is one of the reasons that club rugby is really struggling with numbers (note one reason not all the reasons)

Certainly - there's no reason why strong school development has to mean players don't go back to club rugby. The elephant in the room is if these kids who play at school would give it away regardless on graduation.