Super Rugby News
-
Restructured Sunwolves set for marquee players, less travelling
But the sources have told Kyodo News a compromise has been reached that will allow SANZAAR to have more direct involvement with running the Japan Super Rugby Association. It is understood a member of SANZAAR will now sit on the Sunwolves committee, which is set for some serious structural reform as it recruits "rugby specific people who know what success is." Jamie Joseph, head coach of the Japan national team and a Super Rugby winner in 2015 with the Highlanders, will have a far more hands-on role with the side, with Tony Brown and Filo Tiatia helping the former All Black and Japan international run the team. A doubling of the player budget will allow the team to recruit some marquee players from overseas and it is expected four world-class players will put pen to paper in the coming weeks. With player management one of Jospeh and Tiatia's main concerns, the Sunwolves used 56 players in their second season. That number will be cut to 40 next season, as the Sunwolves look to further their agreements with Top League sides to ensure players are not overworked. With the Sunwolves moving from the South Africa conference to the Australia group as a result of the competition now featuring 15 teams, the side will also see their travel schedule cut drastically. Last season the team flew close to 120,000 kilometers, double the travel of any other side in the competition. -
@stargazer surely getting the best local players is the way forward for this team??
A doubling of the player budget will allow the team to recruit some marquee players from overseas and it is expected four world-class players will put pen to paper in the coming weeks.
-
@taniwharugby said in Super Rugby News:
@stargazer surely getting the best local players is the way forward for this team??
A doubling of the player budget will allow the team to recruit some marquee players from overseas and it is expected four world-class players will put pen to paper in the coming weeks.
If they have deep pockets they'll go the way of French clubs and try to buy best available players. The team needs to be competitive to justify their existence, otherwise interest will be low, supporters will go elsewhere, and the whole thing withers and dies. And that travel schedule they had last year -- double other teams -- was suicidal for an expansion franchise.
-
-
@sammyc said in Super Rugby News:
@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby News:
Blues fans getting their excuses in early this year
Of course they have the hardest schedule. They can't play themselves now can they.
-
@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby News:
Not surprising considering we are in the toughest conference, which made half of the finalists.. having to play each team twice will be tough..
notice that 5 of the 6 toughest schedules belong to nz teams.. the 5 easiest schedules are ridiculous.. Aussies plus JapanLooking at the standings, the Blues were 8th in terms of points.. but missed the playoffs due to the conference system..
In saying that, I don't mind the winners of each conference automatically qualifying.. that happens in the NFL so it's easier for me to accept.. -
-
@nepia said in Super Rugby News:
I thought the whole idea of the rejig was to get rid of the two in-conference games and have everyone play everyone else?
No, it was always to get rid of teams that couldn't compete or were a financial drain. Making the draw more interesting for punters was a requirement.*
Caveat is fans will flock back if their draw means they're winning...
-
-
@antipodean So, I'm not considered a 'punter'?
Which, TBF, is fair, I'm not a gambler.
-
They've explained this so many times.
Two "in-conference games", or local derbies - is considered desirable. Less travel, more local interest. The Pro12/14 uses that as their key feature... made a huge point of guaranteeing their local derbies would be protected in their new structure - as they're by far the most watched/enjoyed games.
FFS - during the last season, half the people here were going on about how the only games they'd bother watching any more were the NZ-NZ games. -
@kruse said in Super Rugby News:
They've explained this so many times.
Two "in-conference games", or local derbies - is considered desirable. Less travel, more local interest. The Pro12/14 uses that as their key feature... made a huge point of guaranteeing their local derbies would be protected in their new structure - as they're by far the most watched/enjoyed games.
FFS - during the last season, half the people here were going on about how the only games they'd bother watching any more were the NZ-NZ games.And the other half weren't. Plus the NZ teams were saying they weren't fans of more local derbies - they didn't find them desirable.
-
@nepia Touche.
I can see why NZ teams wouldn't want to play each other more than necessary as far as how hard the games are... but by that measure, they probably all want to play the Sunwolves 3 times (except perhaps the Blues, obviously).
But - surely they'd be loving these games financially... much more chance of opposition fans turning up at the stadium.
There obviously needs to be compromise somewhere between travel, season length, commercial attractiveness, etc, etc - and everybody's got their own ideas (and bias) on where that compromise should be.
NZ teams don't want the extra derbies because they have to play the strongest teams double the amount of times as the others
SA teams want to minimise the overseas away fixtures - as every one of those is a long way Away (and they already have to travel a fair ways for one of their "derbies anyway)
Aus teams - I'm not sure even they know what they want. -
@higgins said in Super Rugby News:
I see the Cheetahs rolled Leinster 38 - 19 in Sth Africa this morning. Either something rather untoward must have occurred or the Northern Hemisphere rugby standard is not as good as they would have us believe
In fairness to Leinster they were minus their lions contingent. O’Brien etc who as we know are serious players. But I realise that doesn’t suit the point you’re trying to make.
-
@billy-tell said in Super Rugby News:
@higgins said in Super Rugby News:
I see the Cheetahs rolled Leinster 38 - 19 in Sth Africa this morning. Either something rather untoward must have occurred or the Northern Hemisphere rugby standard is not as good as they would have us believe
In fairness to Leinster they were minus their lions contingent. O’Brien etc who as we know are serious players. But I realise that doesn’t suit the point you’re trying to make.
Not being confrontational but were Cheetahs lacking any Boks?
-
Whilst I have little information on some of the England forwards Eddie has selected for their 3-day training camp ahead of the Autumn internationals; 1. I see they have overlooked Brad Shields anyway and 2. Piers Francis is included in the backs.
So whilst the England forwards may be somewhat of an unknown quantity, it is still same old, same old in the backs with the boringly old familiar faces still cropping up. And Piers Francis?? Well that says a lot for where England's creativity and vision are right now. And probably a lot for Eddie Jones as a coach. -
@booboo said in Super Rugby News:
@billy-tell said in Super Rugby News:
@higgins said in Super Rugby News:
I see the Cheetahs rolled Leinster 38 - 19 in Sth Africa this morning. Either something rather untoward must have occurred or the Northern Hemisphere rugby standard is not as good as they would have us believe
In fairness to Leinster they were minus their lions contingent. O’Brien etc who as we know are serious players. But I realise that doesn’t suit the point you’re trying to make.
Not being confrontational but were Cheetahs lacking any Boks?
Off the top off my head - Raymond Rhule. So that would probably have been worth a couple of tries to Leinster.
Without wanting to bore people Leinster team was missing
Lions - Tadgh Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, Jack McGrath, Sean O'Brien, Johnny Sexton
Irish internationals - Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney, Gary RingroseI'm sure Higgins is not a journalist, but lazy uninformed writing about NH rugby is the usual "go to" mode for the media in NZ. Speaking of which, I see Gregor Paul says SA is the "only" option for the 2023 RWC...sort of based on them being a historical rugby power. The best option is probably France (if you ignore them having already hosted in 2007), but the Irish would also be "good craic".
