The much maligned format for the Super Rugby finals series is coming in for more criticism, especially from New Zealanders, now that the protagonists have been settled.
The Brumbies will host a quarter-final next Friday against the Hurricanes, despite winning only half as many games as the defending champions and accumulating 24 less points.
“Super Rugby is idiots-ville,” the New Zealand Herald fumed.
“The champion Hurricanes have been treated with awful disrespect by the Super Rugby system.”
One of New Zealand’s other quarter-finalists, the Chiefs, have to face the Stormers in Cape Town, despite tallying two more wins and 14 more points.
The Brumbies and Stormers earned a home game by finishing top of their respective conferences, while the Hurricanes and Chiefs finished second and third in New Zealand.
South Africa’s Lions, last year’s losing finalists, will conceivably enjoy home advantage throughout the playoffs, despite the fact their 14-1 season record was achieved without playing a single Kiwi team.
They won’t face New Zealand opposition in the first week of the finals either, hosting compatriots the Sharks, who they defeated 27-10 in Durban in the final round.
The Crusaders, who were unbeaten until a last round 31-22 away loss to the Hurricanes, also finished 14-1, but logged two less bonus points than the Lions.
In the pick of the the quarter-finals, seven time champions the Crusaders host the Highlanders, who have gone 10-1 since a 1-3 start to the season.
The Brumbies, Australia’s lone Super final representatives, finished their regular season campaign with successive losses after a vastly understrength side lost 28-10 to the Chiefs in Hamilton.
However, the Canberra-based side will regain a stack of stars rested from the game.
Among them are co-captain and lock Sam Carter and fellow Wallabies forwards Scott Sio, Allan Alaalatoa and Rory Arnold and Test backs Joe Powell and Tevita Kuridrani.
The Hurricanes thrashed the Brumbies 56-21 earlier in the season.
The Brumbies will endeavour to end a 31-match losing streak by Australian teams against New Zealand opposition, stretching almost 14 months.
Also in the last round, Queensland Reds crashed 40-17 to the Highlanders in Dunedin.
There was mixed fortunes for the two Australian teams in danger of being axed from the competition.
Western Force secured second place in the Australian conference, pummelling the NSW Waratahs 40-11 in Perth
Melbourne Rebels lost 32-29 at home to Argentina’s Jaguares despite 22 points from Reece Hodge and leading 16-3 in the first half.
Japan’s Sunwolves upset the Blues 48-21 in Tokyo to snap an eight-match losing skid.
The Stormers beat the Bulls 41-33 in Pretoria and the Cheetahs shaded the Kings 21-20 in Port Elizabeth in the battle between the two South African sides being culled from the competition.
Pinetree
Guest
Kirky - The Lions in 2016 played only 1 less NZ side than the kiwis. Each conference plays 6 games against their own conference, not 8. So when you say that the kiwi teams played each other twice, you are incorrect, which surely you MUST know if you follow SR. So last year, the Lions played 5 kiwi sides, the NZ teams played each other 6 times, or 2 teams once, 2 teams twice. If you want to make an argument on the fairness of the comp, then it may pay to use correct facts to support your opinion. For some bizarre reason, I have seen the "NZ teams play each other twice" in the Super 18 format a few times...
Ash
Guest
Seems to be what it's about for some fans.
Kirky
Roar Rookie
MH01,Rubbish mate, those Kiwi teams played each other twice and because the draw was contrived early on in the piece to favour the Lions as per last Season they have had the easy way through as if it was status quo Lions from last year! The Kiwis didn't have it easy as the only what you may call easy games they had was the Aussie sides, the rest of the time they we're belting he'll out of each other! Did your Boys play the Sunwolves, the Jaguares and the woeful Aussie sides plus the Cheetahs and the Kings? They had it tough all right!
Kirky
Roar Rookie
Exactly Yasser, you know it and I know it that the New Zealanders are the ones to beat and seeing that the Lions got another organised draw this Season like last Super Season they have, by not playing any of the top teams put themselves at a distinct disadvantage apart from the Home game for them. they have never been tested yet because they haven't played any of those top sides! Crusaders and the Hurricanes at the Cake Tin for the Final!!
My reasoning is there must be a point of saturation in Europe. If you develop enough talent to fill every hole in the wall you might eventually have enough left for yourself.
Coconut
Guest
Thanks Biltong, you are frustrated, that much is obvious, but with all respect I dont understand your logic: "We aren’t currently retaining our top players anyway, would it not be best to focus on developing more?"... Developing more for what? To be a feeder nation for UK/Europe competition? I dont see what you have gained there... you would be spending lots of money and continuing to bleed talent. I am very worried about the state of the game in the SH. Even NZ cannot continue to sustain the cost of developing rugby talent to see it disappear to the UK/French club rugby scene... its ok for now, but cant continue like this forever. As I say, I dont much like this situation either, but if not the Super Rugby model then what else? This is the problem.
Clyde
Guest
Why all the disrespect suddenly for a format that they happily agreed to when the conference system was first implemented for super xv. A conference system that favoured 'derby' matches to create some kind of domestic competition for those who not have a domestic competition.
Jeffrey
Guest
Yeah, but the fans and the media are the ones who are complaining here, not the NZRU. Your original statement implied that it was the NZRU (and every other kiwi) who are making a big fuss about it. They are not, as they only care about the bottom line, they probably couldn't care less if a NZ team won it or not. It's the loyal supporters who have to cop the unjust draw and having inferior teams qualify ahead of the teams they follow. There is no justifiable decision to allow the Stormers or the Brumbies to host a Quarter final. That's how flawed this system is.
For some reason my reply to you has been in moderation for a while., so let me try this again. Being isolated from all international forms of rugby is not the same as focusing on development of domestic competition and players. We aren't retaining our players in the current formats anyway. And quotas can be more successful if all teams compete on an equal footing.
Hi coconut, I don't think "going back into our shell" is going backwards at all. Being in complete isolation from world rugby and focusing on your domestic rugby development arre two totally diffirent scenarios. We aren't currently retaining our top players anyway, would it not be best to focus on feveloping more? Besides that, transformation in rugby in SA has a much better chance of success if every team competes on an equal basis.
Rugby Tragic
Roar Rookie
biltongbek... points taken but the AB's will improve in those areas, of that I'm convinced. It was though a fun series to attend, I could only get to the 2nd and 3rd tests (neither of which the AB's won) but thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie .. As for Davies, yes he had a great tour ... I do not recall him making a single mistake in 3 tests ...
Sportscrazy
Guest
Who cares the Pulver code is dead.
Kelefua
Guest
AAP trying to pump a story lol. Most kiwis already knew of the possible outcome of the current format & we all had a talk about it here on the Roar when it was rolled out a while ago, Kiwis, Aussies & Bokke supporters. Whoevers wins deserves it.
Kelefua
Guest
Few other things like that little boat race they won recently;)
richard
Guest
If it does come to pass,I hope you are right,Jacko.The thing is,SA bought in the bulk of the revenue,but I don't see where it is going to come from without them.
richard
Guest
Too right.You wanted the game out of the normal schedule.Why should we play an extra game just to fill England's already bulging coffers.The RFU and its fan base with its "born to rule" mentality.
richard
Guest
Thanks for that.
Bakkies
Guest
'Maybe swap the Force with the Sunwilves?' That's what John O'Neill suggested if the ARU didn't get the insane fifth side in 2011.
Bakkies
Guest
'The fans and the media didn’t agree to it. To be fair to the NZRU, I don’t think they command much say and have to toe the line to whatever the South African Union decides. SA holds the big cards when it comes to SANZAR.' The fans and the media are irrelevant to the decision made by Sanzaar to approve this Finals format. There is no justifiable decision to allow the team that came last in a conference in to the Finals.
Coconut
Guest
Biltong, I heard you expound on this theory before, that somehow SA Rugby will be better off if it goes back into its shell, hides away from the world and then (I guess) shows up every 4 years to win the world cup. We have the same people in NZ who think they should just go back to the NPC. I cant see how going backwards works, quite frankly. You know you have the problem of player retention with the professional game, not to mention you need to expose as many of your players to the different styles out there etc... Or have I got you wrong?