As the world’s best rugby competition kicks off for another year, we ponder the potential or possibility of success. It’s all about the campaign, not necessarily the players.
The campaign is all about the people involved: how proficient they are at structuring and implementing a system that manages a team, and a successful strategy which continually evolves throughout this arduous twenty-four week competition.
When I look at the Super season, I look at the coaching and management group and how experienced they are at putting successful campaigns together.
This narrows down the field somewhat.
In New Zealand, it is fairly clear that the Crusaders have been the most successful franchise at running effective campaigns and they have done so under three head coaches: Wayne Smith, Robbie Deans, and now Todd Blackadder.
The Chiefs have had limited success, but now with Dave Rennie and his assistants, who include Wayne Smith, the world’s best back coach, this will change.
Dave Rennie has had a history of successful campaigns at club, provincial, and NZ U20 level. Together, they will neutralise the suspicion that the forwards are underpowered.
They will get the best out of them and prove that a good team can beat a team of good players.
Next in line are probably Jamie Joseph and Simon Culhane at the Highlanders. Both have a track record of running successful campaigns, albeit at provincial level.
The Blues and the Hurricanes’ coaching groups don’t have the same record. And when it comes to the crunch, I doubt they’ll be figuring.
This is dangerous territory when I look at the personnel involved in the Blues line-up, possibly the strongest squad in this years’ Super competition, and at some stage, they should become a powerhouse again.
The Australian franchises are interesting.
Clearly, Jake White has had success at the highest level and has been synonymous with successful teams. So if my theory is correct, the Brumbies would have to rate number one, followed by the Reds and Ewen McKenzie, who has had more immediate success winning last years’ Super competition.
Michael Foley and Scott Bowen at the Waratahs do not have a pedigree as far as successful campaigns and neither does Richard Graham at the Force or Damien Hill at the Rebels.
I am aware that Rod MacQueen is lurking in the background. His influence is valuable and he is the right man to build the Rebel franchise from nothing in a sport-crazy province where rugby is of secondary profile.
Lastly, but certainly not least, we have the Republic, which is as confusing as usual.
John Plumtree has had a reasonable degree of success in running campaigns in different continents for a number of years, and with the very competent Grant Bashford, I’m picking the Sharks to perform and be there or thereabouts.
The Bulls are a bit of a secret society and play things close to their chests.
But who could ever doubt their affinity towards winning, irrespective of the style of game they play.
John Mitchell with the Lions franchise goes into Super Rugby hot on the heels of staging a highly successful campaign during the Currie Cup.
Whether he can continue this at Super Rugby level is yet to be determined, but one thing is for sure, is he has significant experience in putting together campaigns, and one would imagine his skill-set in this degree is now very good.
The Stormers have been under-achievers for a number of years, and with the loss of Rassie Erasmus, I think they will struggle, particularly towards the latter part of the competition, as will the Cheetahs.
The Cheetahs are over-performers in many respects, considering their lack of resource in money and player numbers. But Naka Drotske has been a solid campaigner.
It is easy to draw a comparison here with the New Zealand franchise, the Highlanders.
I believe successful operators develop successful teams, and successful teams come from the utilization of their best players managed strategically from week to week.
This is the first installment in a new exclusive weekly column for The Roar by former All Black great, Murray Mexted. Mexted is the Managing Director of The International Rugby Academy (IRANZ), the leading global Rugby Academy. IRANZ offer an independent high performance pathway for coaches, players and teams worldwide. More details here.
Sachin
Guest
Note the difference between a Super Rugby title and the World Cup. Also note the difference between a first choice flyhalf and a fourth choice flyhalf. And finally note that the ABs have been at the pointy end of the world rankings ever since Smith came back. They scored a few tries too. What was the Reds assistant coach's name again?
Tacksharp
Guest
Chris is just winding people up with a joke. Or he's the joke.
MikeG
Roar Rookie
Rugbug/Sheek, appreciate the feedback guys. One day I'd love to see a schoolboy comp that has the best playing the best. I think only then will we get the best out of these kids, regardless of the school they're representing. I think I'm being to dreamy though. It'll never happen! Cheers
Harry
Guest
8 years of solid undperformance and squandered resources encourages the negativity. For too long, too many were given an easy ride.
WQ
Guest
Cough, Cough, Cough - sorry I nearly choked on my beer!
sheek
Guest
MikeG, In Sydney we have the Waratah Shield. It's an excellent all-schools comp. The private schools - GPS & CAS - are quite free to join anytime they like. But they usually shun it for their own inter-private schools comp. The secondary schools aren't directly affiliated to the ARU, as I understand it, & the ARU is powerless to impose its will in this matter.
Geoff Brisbane now California
Guest
Wish we had BUCK commenting
soapit
Guest
mate, rugby is a game of basic skills done under extreme pressure. the fact is that the reds were able to score through set moves which, though simple, werent able to be matched (at least as regularly) by others sides last year. im pretty sure most teams around the world will execute when the pressure and intensity is off say in your training drills.
scottmit
Roar Rookie
The private schools don't want to change because the current arrangements work perfectly well for them. They aren't particularly interested in what happens to rugby after that. The comps aren't set up around the elite teams but rather the whole school playing in the winter sport competitions. it would be very difficult to break this up. You'd be better off looking at the age team comps operating within the existing club structure. These generally pick up the local day-boy kids who want to play seriously in the 14/15/16 year brackets - because they want more footy than the schools can give them. Becomes more problematic if the kid makes a first 15 team but by then they will likely have been identified and put in a program anyway.
Rugbug
Guest
Hi Mike, It is a little complicated re the national secondary rugby tournaments and I have trid to find a simple explanation but it is just as complicated as rulings surrounding the break down. Auckland has the 1A competiton which consists of the top Auckland schoolboy teams private and public, do note that these teams are made up of teams from Inner West Auckland down to South Auckland. They then have various other tournaments for the numerous other schools and I do believe a promotion relegation system in place for each grade. The Auckland Schoolboy competition would be the best in the country, Auckland Grammer and Kelston boys are fantastic games to watch as is the annual grudge match between public school Auckland Grammer and Private School Kings College. All the schools contest trophies within the various tournaments also. North Harbour has its own competition again. If you look around the provinces in NZ all have a secondary schools competition however the top schools generally play their 1st XVs in the Senior Development or U20's competition. Many only playing their peers for traditional matches or when trying to qualify for the national competitions case in point would be New Plymouth Boys High School they rarely play other schools from their region due to being far superior and a top rugby school nationally. NPBHS also contest the Super 8 trophy each year which consists of Boys Highs Schools from the Central North Island, Hamilton , Tauranga, Rotorua, Gisborne, Hastings, Napier and Palmerston North Boys High Schools this is a very tough and prestigeous tournament in its own right. Most secdondary schools within NZ have annual exchanges with schools from other regions and again notably the NPBHS vs AKL Grammer is always a fiercely contested match. I have spent the last half hour trying to find links to how the national structure works but its proving to be quite difficult. As far as I am aware they play local competitions then regional then zones etc that each school must qualify from with the top four teams playing off to be the national champions. It gets a little more complicated in the fact that there is a All Boys school national champion and a Co-ed national champion for obvious reasons. This has probably confused you more as it has me a little confused, maybe Murray can explain it in detail?
Mike G
Guest
Clearly you've never had a Heineken headache, Sage!!
Sage
Guest
It's pretty good beer, does that count ?
Sage
Guest
Stillmatic maybe you should have spent more time watching then and less time hating Quade.
MikeG
Roar Rookie
You wont get a lot of love on here for these comments Markus, but for what it's worth - I agree with you. I'm generalising here, but it seems to me that those within the Private school structure (at least in Syd anyway), are very happy keeping the status quo. You can probably tell that I'm not a private school boy but I do love the game that my Dad taught me as a kid (he also was a public school boy), that much that I want to see it get to where it belongs, on top.
MikeG
Roar Rookie
Cheers Sheek - I'd read your work if you were a journo!! hahaha Now, back on topic Appreciate the detail re NZ school comps...So simple yet obviously so effective, would be easy to replicate...so of course we wont!
Tissot Time
Guest
Mace the most brutal rugby I ever played in was inter form and interhouse rugby at school.
Justin
Guest
So SM considering this is as simple as 1,2,3 what is complex in your eyes? I dont disagree that these guys work at it but lets face it how many times in a match situation moves breakdown because the players run the wrong angle, are not where they are supposed to be, the weight or timing of the pass if off etc etc. As for not scoring the most tries or points that is a different kettle of fish and you are moving the debate away from what we were originally discussing. And can I say I am mighty impressed the old boys in Brissy can open the defences of the kids at training. Super stuff, pats on the back from me ;)
MikeG
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the feedback, mace. As much as I appreciate the history of competitions such as the GPS, I just can't get past the feeling that Rugby will always be a niche sport because of them...And maybe that's how it'll always be?
sheek
Guest
MikeG, If you can ignore, or appreciate my forthright manner, I'm actually a nice guy underneath it all. I just believe in saying it like it is. Any opinion, in my opinion, is not a popularity contest, but being honest with yourself & the sport, or sports you love. Like how the umpires & two leading Indian players failed to be honest with themselves over a run-out fiasco the other day. The Sri Lankan batsmen was out according to the law. But somehow, because everyone wanted to be feely-pally, he got off, which was clearly the wrong decision. No wonder then no-one trusts any law or any rule in sport. With respect to NZ rugby sport, some can explain it better than me. Although the private rugby schools do play each other, all schools compete in zones along their provincial lines, with a champion NZ school up for grabs each year. It can be a private school, or a govt school that is crowned champion school of NZ.
sheek
Guest
Murray, Thanks for that - I'll take it as a compliment. I wish someone would give me a job as a journalist. Although perhaps I'm too forthright for my own good sometimes. Or too often.....!