All Blacks and NZR
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@Stargazer was the tournament that ran along side the original super 10 (pre-1995) I think, but involved teams from Canada, Argentina and NZ.
@Dan54 they play in Japan during our NPC season.
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@Chris said in All Blacks and NZR:
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks and NZR:
If nz based super sides do play in Japan it would surely be another nail in the npc coffin with a longer super season.
Yep I think that would be in their thinking,Moving NPC to an amateur comp would save them a lot of money.
But it would severely hurt the AB's and SR as far as depth goes,It would probably strengthen MLB considerably.Removing the NPC would just remove a pathway, and any money saved would need to be put elsewhere - it's an expense that's always going to exist. If it doesn't exist then NZ rugby is done.
We're also at a point, setting aside Covid, where the NPC unions have learned to live within their means.
I know the big union supporters on here bemoan that ABs don't play a full part but that has happened for years and has made the NPC a more competitive competition, and the big unions still pretty much mostly win anyway with their available and back up ABs.
I (and I might be part of a small group of outliers) watch more NPC games a weekend than Super games (I hate Canterbury, Southland, Tahs, Reds equally but I'm more likely to watch the Cantabs v Southland). If the NPC goes my active support of rugby drops off a huge cliff.
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When the Super Six started in 1986 it was a closed shop with Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury participating with New South Wales and Queensland and Fiji. It was a closed shop because it was essentially a private, invitation only, tournament instigated by New South Wales.
The benefit to Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury over the other NZ provincial teams was obvious.
Unable to join Super Six, Otago was a prime mover in 1989 setting up the CANZ competition with Waikato, North Auckland, Canada and two teams from Argentina - Banco Nacionale and San Isidro.
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@taniwharugby Ok well I didn't see where it said that, all it said was outside of Super Pacific. What have I missed? I reckon this a great move and f***en good work by NZR.
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@Nepia Yep, without the NPC, I'd probably watch 1st XV, some club rugby games, teams in black and only the occasional SR game. I need that provincial connection (via our provincial players) to be interested in watching SRP every weekend.
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks and NZR:@Dan54 they play in Japan during our NPC season.
The Japanese Top League One starts in December, so after the NPC has finished, but players are usually expected to return for preseason in September.
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@Stargazer it's more that unless it's an npc player finishing up and starting new contract we don't really see anyone playing both
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@taniwharugby Unless they negotiate a special clause in their contract, like Tiaan Falcon a few years ago. He did play both. I think there have been a few more players.
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@taniwharugby From write up posted by Tim above.
NZ Rugby and the JRFU will also explore opportunities for New Zealand-based Super Rugby teams to play Japan League One teams outside the Super Rugby Pacific competition window. This appears likely to take place during the pre-season.And just checked mate, the Japanese League One is being played now, finals in May/June.
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks and NZR:
@taniwharugby From write up posted by Tim above.
NZ Rugby and the JRFU will also explore opportunities for New Zealand-based Super Rugby teams to play Japan League One teams outside the Super Rugby Pacific competition window. This appears likely to take place during the pre-season.And just checked mate, the Japanese League One is being played now, finals in May/June.
see...that i dont like...yet another micro comp, we should be looking integrating teams rather than several smaller comps
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@Kiwiwomble Where does it say a comp? I got impression just preseason games, as what happens between NZ super teams now, just trvel to Japan and got so many pluses for both sides I think, rather than preseason against teams you are going to play against.
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@Dan54 “comp” in a loose sense, either a small mini comp or more meaningless “friendlies” same difference
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@Kiwiwomble Ok get ya . I must admit I like the whole idea. Once again, maybe I like to look at the positives of these things and not the negatives , which I struggle to see.
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@Dan54 i'd like to think i'm that way with a lot of things, this just happens to fall right in the middle of a pet peeve of mine, lots of unconnected or semi connected comps, friendlies and exhibition matches rather than a simple meaningful structure and then wondering why interest drops
looking at football and you either have WC qualifiers or Euro/cup qualifiers...with a sprinkling of friendlies (far fewer than the qualifiers), most teams play a variety of teams over a 2-4 year cycle, its keeps things fresh....rugby?...."we're going to player mostly the same teams every year!...and it will have nothing to do with the RWC"
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@Kiwiwomble yep we will play mostly same teams, always have and always will, the thing that rugby has got which causes this of course the calibre of opposition. We play RC every year and then do NH tour, so don't see what else they can do. If we played Tonga etc we get moans because it not competitive , so this is what we get.
Same as Super teams, playing in Japan for preseason isn't a comp or anything , just a chance to warm teams up and spread the word in Japan, all pluses to me, better than Canes vs Chiefs, Crusaders/Clan a couple of weekes before comp, then play again in comp.Understand your points, but not to see positives out of this is looking for negatives I think.
I will add don't soccer play a series of friendlies before WC etc, andCricket etc? You sometimes need these things, I don't need a cup etc at end of every game.Oh another positive, it's an agreement with Japanese and not RA who would of shouted it to press before it was agreed, and then twist it all anyway.
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks and NZR:
@Kiwiwomble yep we will play mostly same teams, always have and always will, the thing that rugby has got which causes this of course the calibre of opposition. We play RC every year and then do NH tour, so don't see what else they can do. If we played Tonga etc we get moans because it not competitive , so this is what we get.
Same as Super teams, playing in Japan for preseason isn't a comp or anything , just a chance to warm teams up and spread the word in Japan, all pluses to me, better than Canes vs Chiefs, Crusaders/Clan a couple of weekes before comp, then play again in comp.Understand your points, but not to see positives out of this is looking for negatives I think.i honestly think mostly the only ones that moan are people on here, the hard out fan, the smaller teams love it generally, their team got to play the best, they may have got a hiding but it was one game over a 2-4 schedule and probably learnt some stuff, the casual fan loves it because they got to see some end to end tries scored. most other sport have these mismatched games, rugby is the only ones that seems to want to avoid them
these would the games we'd be able to rest the odd person so they might be able to play NPC games, would help things at all levels
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@SBW1 I have played in Japan and I've always called for top 4 ITM/NPC teams and top 4 Top League teams have a super 8 round robin final. That would be straight after top league an straight before NPC. great incentive for NZ players to plug away at TTM level.
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