About seven months out from the beginning of the next season of southern hemisphere rugby that isn’t extremely clear. We’ve had Super 12, Super 14, Super Rugby and SupeRugby. What are we going to get in 2016?
Before we get to that – what a final.
If that was the end of Super Rugby as we know it – if this competition jumps the shark (not the Durban ones) next year; if we find ourselves wondering what we’re doing watching a jet-lagged Japanese Kawasaki versus the Western Force in the back blocks of Tokyo one Friday night – then I’m glad that was the final to bring down the curtain on this era.
You could argue it was the perfect final. The Kiwis have ruled Super Rugby for the most part, first through the Blues, then the Crusaders and more recently with the Chiefs. It was fitting that two New Zealand teams play a close-to-perfect final as a final salute to a particular time in the history of Super Rugby.
The Hurricanes led the way all season, beckoning everyone to chase their style of never-say-die rugby, to trust skills as much as they do, to play rugby the way it will be in heaven.
In the final, another club finally caught up.
The Highlanders rode a month of sparkling form to pip the leaders at the post, not through sleight of hand or changing the nature of the fight, but by trusting those skills and playing their own brand of rugby from another dimension.
I’m not going to lie – I’m a man of many words. I’ll spout words about anything. But that match literally took my words away.
Late in the match, when Marty Banks aborted a drop-goal attempt and broke the line before offloading, a try looked all but certain. But Julian Savea came rushing out of nowhere and delivered a hit with the power of a maxed-out steam train to knock the ball out.
That’s when I finally didn’t have any words – “Whhhhaaaaaatdkfkvichwnektovociehebtnv” was what I tweeted; an accurate representation of what was happening in my brain.
Both sides had played at such breakneck speed, such commitment to the cause and to the game. It made me tired just to watch the lung-busting speed, the punishing collisions and dextrous skill, all applied in what seemed like a trance-like state. Very rarely are all 30 players on the field in the same ‘zone’ that sportspeople get into. It was a rare night.
Congratulations to the Highlanders and commiserations to the Hurricanes. And thank you to both. If we end up looking back on the 2015 final as a culmination of this era of rugby, it will be with fondness.
We’ve had two decades of Super Rugby. It formally began as a 12-team competition in 1996. That model lasted a decade before the Western Force and Cheetahs were added as the 13th and 14th sides for the 2006 season. In 2009 the Melbourne Rebels made it 15.
The latest evolution of splitting the ladder into three national conferences debuted in 2011, and on our next go around the sun they’ll be international conferences with additional teams.
Has the conference system worked? Are five seasons in that model long enough to know? I’m going to be a homer, ignore the lopsided draws and advantage handed to mediocrity, to say two Australian championships make it a success.
So what will be watching next year?
The Kings are back in South Africa. That’s good for them, they’ve had a few players do well since their last inclusion. And there will be a team each from Argentina and Japan added to the competition.
As of May 11 Argentina have signed 25 players to join the squad for the 2016 season. Many of those are capped at Test level and some have come back from professional careers in Europe.
Eddie Jones has been named director of rugby as the yet-to-be named Japanese team.
From here it gets a bit weird.
In February, Tatsuzo Yabe, Japan Rugby Football Union chairman, said the financial budget of the club would kick in from October this year. So, three months from now and just four months before the season will probably start, they haven’t signed a player. Not a single player.
The team name will be announced sometime around the end of July, the culmination of a competition from fans’ nominations.
Super Rugby got a run in the New York Times in April, but it was largely to list all the hurdles that need to be cleared to get this thing off the ground. The article quoted Yabe as saying the Japanese team would be made up of national team players and imports playing in the Top League.
No information I’ve found suggests the contracting has been sorted out yet. And there are issues in their sevens program, with players trying to leave Top League teams to play at a higher level.
So, no team name yet. No head coach. No budget. No players.
While I was watching the final I realised if either the Brumbies or Waratahs played either finalist in that particular mood, the score would be five or six tries worse. How poorly would a Super Rugby team made up of inexperienced players fare after coming together less than six months out?
If you’re expecting a team to compete at Super Rugby level you’d want more than crickets nine months out from kick off.
So, what exactly will we be watching next season? It sounds like the Argentinean inclusion will be feisty and well organised. The Kings will probably struggle, as they’ve been stripped of a number of good players that were there for their last Super Rugby appearance, but will progress on a South African rugby platform.
And as for the Japanese team – well the 2015 final was a great way to bring the curtain down on a season; we have to hope there’s a professional team in Tokyo ready to go when the curtain is lifted again.
Mingin
Guest
So basically you rambled on and told us zero about the format we will be watching next year... could you please next time pre-warn that your heading will not be covered properly. 3 minutes of my life I won't get back!
AndyS
Guest
- yet still far more representative than an ERCC or any Champions Cup we might be heading toward...
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
Like a monumental mess, more or less.
Markmako
Guest
Bugger!
Bay35Pablo
Roar Guru
Well that headline was misleading. Mostly waxing lyrical about the final, the brief comment on the 2016 season with no real explanation of how the conference system or finals will work. Reset button please.
Nobrain
Guest
i can only speak for the Argentina franchise, there are 29 players that signed up for the new team and the rule that you must played in the franchise if you want to wear the Pumas outfit in the feuture. You will get to see pretty much what the team will look like in the RCH where you will notice some youth in the team compare with the other RCW editions. Annother point is that the current president of SANZAR will be maniging the franchise after leaving his post in July and move all his family to Argentina. This will not help much in terms of rugby but it will of great help in organization , contracts, travel, amount of coaches, where to stay when you have to play abroad, how many days in advance you have to travel , TV contracts, ect...Things that will seem pretty easy for the other teams but not for a new comer with no experience at all, just think that this is a new franchise in total different continet without any peers and no proffesional experience at all, son Mr. Peters may help us go trhough that painful process in a faster and easier way. To tell you the true we are are not bothered with the format because we do not know any better, but I can understand that the fans that been following the competition for many years have the right to express their dissapointment and concerns. But who knows, this is the beginning and thing can be improved in the future. I can only tell you that I am exited to be able go to the stadium to see great players from abroad perfom in the field 12 times a year (8 SR games And 3 RCH), this was not possible 5 years ago, so I am happy regardles of the position on the SR table in 2016 of our team. Lets give this thing a chance, see how it develops, and then give some positive opinions to improve it and make it great. Hey, after watching the final last week I can only be proud of being part of the rugby that is being played in the SH compare to the one in the NH, I do not care how much money or names have up there, IMO I prefer the one down here.
RobC
Roar Guru
Thanks Elisha. At least the Japanese team, they know who the coach is. Unlike Queensland
sheek
Roar Guru
And almost nobody remembers that the S12 in its formative stages was initially & briefly called the International Provincial Championship (IPC).
hog
Guest
yes lets be serious, Australian rugby needs to gain market share, how do you do that with 5 teams, this year we had 2 semi finalists, we could put 7/8 competitive teams on the field. Yes they would struggle to begin with that's because we spent 20 years not developing the domestic market. But you need to local people to tune in to become competitive, that means giving them a domestic footprint to support. What are you saying a 2nd NSW team could not compete with Taranaki/Hawkes Bay ?? "In all other sports in Australia the challenge has been to improve the standard within so we can compete with those from other countries." You won't improve the standard within within unless you come up with a product the locals want to follow. Yes we need to get our house in order, but to do that you must first create the interest from the public. So ask this why after 20 years of Super rugby is the code struggling so much in Australia. And yes, why would NZ be interested in us competing in the Ranfurly Sheild, maybe the same reason for Super Rugby, MONEY. For all this SANZAR waffle about japan/Argentina paying the bills, the biggest market available to NZ rugby is Australia. Just remember the AFL get $10 for every $1 the ARU get, so just think you get 10% of that you double your income.
hog
Guest
Well then it won't be jet lagged for about 20% of the season
Wozza
Guest
Ir was only Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington in S6, (no qualification) and every Kiwi I knew all said Wellington were cr@p Canterbury were so so and Otago and Waikato were far better than both of them
Ryanno
Guest
Targa, a 20 team round-robin comp from NZ and Australia with 12/13 NZ provincial teams and 7/8 Aussie teams and involve the Ranfurly Shield. I would really like to see this in the future too, I think this is the best option for Australia and NZ to build a comp that can develop into something resembling the size of the NRL. The time differences with SA are just to hard to play them regularly but winner or top 2 should play the best of SA and Europe at some point to get a worldwide club challenge winner.
Dave from Mt Druitt
Guest
Targa Lets be serious. A 20 team robin-comp with 7 / 8 from Australia would decimate the local competitions of players. Even 5 teams does that now, the local competitions are rubbish and the teams are still not competitive even with the assistance of overseas recruits. The local competitions in SA and NZ i.e. Currie Cup and ITM cups are at such a standard that most of the Australian S15 teams would struggle to compete hence less public support, less viewing and therefore unviable. In all other sports in Australia the challenge has been to improve the standard within so we can compete with those from other countries. Therefore we need to get our house in order, organise a suitable structure to develop players of the required level and stop assuming that everybody else are going to invite us to join their competition and devalue their product. Besides why would NZ want any Australian team involved with their Ranfurly Shield!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bob
Guest
I dont get it though, they need to be careful to not to undermine the top league, what is better for japan one super rugby team or the entire top league, this is why they are scared not take away importance for the top league by taking the players out of the system completely, look at the wafl sanfl as examples
ohtani's jacket
Guest
I'm sorry, but you have the wrong end of the stick somehow. Here is an article about corporate sports from the Asahi Shimbun -- http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/sports/AJ201108207631 And here is an entire series specifically devoted to Toyota's involvement in sport -- http://ajw.asahi.com/tag/Toyoya%20Motor%20Corp.
bob
Guest
why is the japanese team jet lagged if it is playing in tokyo?
Jerry
Guest
In Aus it was called the Super 6, in NZ it was called the South Pacific Championship.
Bakkies
Guest
South Pacific Series?
True story
Guest
They do pull the plug on unsuccessfull teams however the companies still have to allocate that money to other sports. A good friend of ours when we lived in Japan was the Toyota go to man for sports money allocation. He visited us last year and indicated this was still the case. It's part of cooperate responsibility to give back to the community.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
It won't fall to bits, but it could end up being fairly rag tag.