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Round 13 – unlucky for some, perhaps, and the teams in contention for the playoffs will be hoping it’s not them. Though it would be a special kind of spooky if Round 13 presented upsets everywhere. Wooo-oooooo!
I said in the tipping panel on Thursday that there were four easy picks – so maybe that’s where the upsets come from? I’ll be pleasantly surprised if the Force-Blues lives up to anything like the drama that me tipping a winner via coin-flip became.
Nevertheless, here’s the talking points for Round 13:
EVERY SUPER RUGBY GAME LIVE ON FOXTEL
Sounds of silence from World Rugby
World Rugby attempted to intervene when James Horwill was charged with stomping during the British and Irish Lions series back in 2013, and they similarly came over the top of Six Nations officials when England prop Joe Marler initially avoided suspension for his now infamous “gypsy boy” comment to Welsh prop Samson Lee.
But on the occasion of a professional rugby player being suspended for biting for a second time, and earning only one more week’s suspension than the first offence, World Rugby has stayed disappointingly silent.
I’ve gone on about the Jaguares’ No.8 Leonardo Senatore’s penchant for South African foreman a little bit this week, and I make no apology for speaking out on what is clearly a failure of judicial process.
To recap, Senatore was looking at 14 weeks, only to have four weeks discounted for “the player’s good character, his playing record and his disciplinary record”. That good character and disciplinary record had previously recorded a nine-week suspension for chowing down on Eben Etzebeth’s forearm in a Test in 2013.
It is, if you’ve managed to avoid my ranting on the matter this week, absolutely ridiculous. I’d word it a little stronger, but I might have used my swearing free pass last week.
Regulation 17 of the 2016 version World Rugby’s own handbook is devoted to the citing and judicial hearing of acts of foul play, and under section 17.22 Appeals, states that appeals by the host union, the tournament organiser, or World Rugby can be lodged within 72 hours of the decision being handed down.
I received the SANZAAR notification of Senatore’s suspension just after midnight on Monday, meaning that unless SANZAAR or World Rugby have snuck an appeal notice through after I’ve submitted this column and before you’ve read it, Senatore is the luckiest second-offence professional biter on the face of the earth.
There are so many examples of judiciary decisions being appealed by higher bodies – SANZAR did it themselves last year when Francois Steyn was cleared of a dangerous tackle, which on appeal banned him for five weeks – yet in one of the clearer and more obvious cases of insufficient suspension, there’s silence on the matter.
Ten weeks for a second biting offence wasn’t good enough in the first place, but letting an inadequate suspension stand is arguably worse. The whole episode has been massively unsatisfactory.
Could opening the borders help?
The Roar‘s Nick Bishop made an interesting comment on Wednesday, in relation to the uphill battle the southern hemisphere nations are facing to retain playing talent in the wake of increased TV deals and higher salary caps in play in the English Premiership and French Top 14 competition.
“Unless South Africa, New Zealand and Australia come to some common agreement about their response to the Anglo-French club game, things could rapidly get out of control,” Bishop wrote, following his excellent analysis of Kurtley Beale’s excellent form before injury struck.
A couple of weeks ago, you’ll recall I mentioned incoming Waratahs CEO Andrew Hore’s thoughts, that the Pro12 clubs might form part of the future of Super Rugby. Hore’s reasoning was essentially the same: to ward off the English and French poachers.
But what about in the short term? Just inviting the Celts to join Super Rugby isn’t exactly the sort of thing you can flick a switch on. What can be done to stop the next Kurtley Beale-type raid?
I’ve often thought, and have often written, that it’s inevitable SANZAAR will one day open the internal borders and allow players to play Super Rugby for whoever they want to, and retain their national eligibility.
If Damian McKenzie can earn a quid playing for the Sunwolves, or Jordy Reid can earn decent money and a starting spot with the Stormers, why not just let them? Why couldn’t Adam Thomson be still picked for the All Blacks from the Rebels, and likewise Michael Alaalatoa for the Wallabies despite playing for the Crusaders?
If players are willing and can stay in the south playing Super Rugby, therefore keeping the competition strong, why penalise them at the national selection table?
It wouldn’t stop all players heading to Europe, but it might stop some. And isn’t that better than stopping none?
The Rebels’ next grand final
The Herald Sun last week described the Rebels’ derby against the Brumbies as the “biggest game in franchise history”, and flanker Sean McMahon echoed those thoughts, suggesting the match was “basically a grand final match”.
And they were right, of course, but they also lost. Meaning their match against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday is even bigger again. Another grand final in consecutive weeks.
Last week, there were only two points separating the Rebels, Brumbies and Waratahs. This week, the gap is seven points, and with only five rounds to go, the Rebels simply can’t afford another loss.
It’s make or break this weekend against the Chiefs, then. Win, and they can stay sort of in touch with the last wildcard spot. Sort of. Lose, and they can start planning the end-of-season trip.
Must-win for the Stormers, too
They were genuinely terrible last weekend, the Stormers, but the two competition points they managed combined with the Bulls’ loss in Sydney meant the Capetonians’ lead in Africa 1 extended out to three points.
It means that this weekend’s north-south battle at Loftus could almost finalise the conference with a Stormers win, or really tighten things up with a Bulls win.
And despite having arguably the easiest run home after this weekend, it’s the Stormers that have the most to lose, if the Bulls get up. They were playing some pretty decent rugby up until the bye in Round 11, but last week it was like they left all their form at home in Cape Town. There wasn’t much on show against the Sunwolves in Singapore.
So with all that said, this match is basically must-win for them – not because their season will be over if they lose, not with the draw they’ve got, but because they need to regain form. Desperately.
Is that it for the newbies?
It’s a fairly safe assertion to say the Kings won’t win another game this year. But what of the Sunwolves and Jaguares? Are they done for 2016, too?
I’d love to see the Sunwolves spring from an upset on the run home, but after the Reds and Brumbies before the June Tests, they have the Waratahs, and then the Bulls in Pretoria and the Sharks in Durban. One win might be their lot for 2016.
The Jaguares are in for a tough time at Ellis Park this weekend, but the following week they should – should – towel up the Kings in Port Elizabeth. After the Tests, they have three home games against the Bulls, Highlanders and Lions. Are they good enough – and disciplined enough – to beat any of those sides? Not so sure.
And if I’m right, that means only five wins between the three new teams. Which would a touch disappointing.
Enjoy your rugby this weekend.