'Super Rugby' 2021
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@Machpants said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
@Duluth Ouch, I'd hope not. I'd rather an amicable arrangement that helps both Unions
I think it will get to that eventually. Oz will propose all five teams, NZ will say nope, Oz will either say ok or twiggy will bankroll the entire WA entry including getting NZ teams there, then hopefully they both agree to ditch the PI team.
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The way this is unfolding, I'd prefer a Super Ten with five teams each from NZ and Australia. If Australia can't sort it's shit out and four or five of their sides are consistently just fodder for the NZ squads, then so be it. I just hope the Aussie viewers don't mind if they don't have any semi-finalists year on year. But I want to see a full round robin or home and away RR. None of this conference bullshit which only serves to unfairly advantage poor Australian squads. Nine rounds and a bye week is too brief. With finals that's not even a three month comp. Double RR with two bye rounds is 22 weeks or a little more than five months. Mid Feb to late July.
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@shark said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
The way this is unfolding, I'd prefer a Super Ten with five teams each from NZ and Australia. If Australia can't sort it's shit out and four or five of their sides are consistently just fodder for the NZ squads, then so be it. I just hope the Aussie viewers don't mind if they don't have any semi-finalists year on year.
The thing is - the Aussie viewers do mind.
And so do the NZ viewers - there's plenty of entertainment value in watching the Crusaders pump yet another Aussie team, but it's not compelling viewing.
We need to get back to something like Super 12, where everyone was competitive most years - or SH rugby will die on the vine. Oz appears already to be in deep shit and if they topple, we're left open to being picked off by NH. We can't afford charity teams like the Force. Tbh I've no idea how they'll afford a Pacifika team, but presumably someone has a plan.
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@barbarian said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
I love how in this debate all Australian teams have become 'cannon fodder', rather than the reality of 1-2 really good sides, 1-2 middling sides and 1-2 poor sides like us AND SA have been pretty much every year.
It is pretty much why super rugby wasn't "super" anymore. Over expanded and reduced the quality.
The powers that be and covid might be on track to fix that.
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@Derpus said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
@Snowy the new TT comp is going to bring back the 120+ Australian professional rugby players playing in Europe and Japan? because that's the primary issue.
If that happens, then sure, more quality, depth and room for a greater number of teams.
How many of them are actually any good? Past it? Will they stay post covid?
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@Snowy said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
@barbarian said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
I love how in this debate all Australian teams have become 'cannon fodder', rather than the reality of 1-2 really good sides, 1-2 middling sides and 1-2 poor sides like us AND SA have been pretty much every year.
It is pretty much why super rugby wasn't "super" anymore. Over expanded and reduced the quality.
The powers that be and covid might be on track to fix that.
Yep!
How many of the expansion teams ever made the play-offs?
The Jaguares did.
I think the Cheetahs might have once.
Pretty sure none of the Force, Rebels, Southern Kings or Sunwolves ever did.
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@Chris-B said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
@shark said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
The way this is unfolding, I'd prefer a Super Ten with five teams each from NZ and Australia. If Australia can't sort it's shit out and four or five of their sides are consistently just fodder for the NZ squads, then so be it. I just hope the Aussie viewers don't mind if they don't have any semi-finalists year on year.
The thing is - the Aussie viewers do mind.
And so do the NZ viewers - there's plenty of entertainment value in watching the Crusaders pump yet another Aussie team, but it's not compelling viewing.
We need to get back to something like Super 12, where everyone was competitive most years - or SH rugby will die on the vine. Oz appears already to be in deep shit and if they topple, we're left open to being picked off by NH. We can't afford charity teams like the Force. Tbh I've no idea how they'll afford a Pacifika team, but presumably someone has a plan.
That was a rhetorical statement re the Aussie viewers. Of course they'd mind, but if the ARU is going to cave and push for five teams then they'll have to be prepared to suffer as a result. The Force squad is piss poor and if the meagre talent among the other four teams is further dispersed then there'll be some ugly results for Aussie fans.
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@Snowy there are loads of quality players in that list, many who would walk into the Wallabies. Sean McMahon, Skelton (European champion), Arnold x 2, Kerevi, Latu, etc etc. They may not all be test standard but the depth they would add to SR's would be huge and the player drain is the primary reason Australian rugby has slumped over the past 5 years.
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@Chris-B said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
The Jaguares did.
They were always going to. A strong national side and one team. A shame that Japan couldn't get there too because they really should have, but I guess the domestic competition countered it.
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@Chris-B We've won the competition twice in the last 10 years, both of those final wins being against the Crusaders. I'd point out that over the 25 year life of the competition the Crusaders have only lost a final against another NZ team once (the Blues). It's three times to Australian teams.
So if you think Super Rugby Aoteroa is gunna be 'more competitive' history suggests otherwise. Certainly, the Crusaders are going to walk away with the title this year.
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@Derpus said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:
@Snowy there are loads of quality players in that list, many who would walk into the Wallabies. Sean McMahon, Skelton (European champion), Arnold x 2, Kerevi, Latu, etc etc. They may not all be test standard but the depth they would add to SR's would be huge and the player drain is the primary reason Australian rugby has slumped over the past 5 years.
Sadly that is true for all of the Southern hemisphere teams, including the AB's.
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@Derpus It's not your best team that I'm worried about, it's the worst ones when you've got five - and the impact that dilution of your best teams has had, especially in recent times.
Which year was it where we got about through about two-thirds of the season before an Oz team beat an NZ one?
That's not good for anyone.
I think five teams in Oz has been pretty comprehensively tested and has been a clear failure.
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@Chris-B It was post the 2015 WC which saw our biggest player exodus. To premise the future of an entire competition on a bad patch of about 2 years seems ridiculous, though our results and performance were terrible in that period.
Our next crop of players look far more promising, outperforming their NZ counterparts so far. Raelene put a lot of work into securing our talent before it got poached by loig and results had looked to be improving this season.
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