McKellar slams Super Rugby's summer start

......live in Canberra. Have since I was 7. Canberra boasted the hottest Summer of all capitals in 2018 - 19 and will likely do the same again 2019 - 20. You clearly are the stereotypical soft Australian that clings to the Groundhog Day reasonless temperate coastal climes of the continent. Anything that drops below 20C is deemed cold by those of your persuasion, so you are probably from Sydney or north of. To claim that anywhere in Australia experiences 'Winter' is an exercise in hyperbole. especially today, given CC's impact on our supposed seasons. Fact is Australia's south east now has three seasons on offer, the very protracted Summer one that runs from October to April; Autumn which has now been re branded by climatologists 'New Summer' since remains quite warm runs through to July; Spring which sets in in August and runs through until the beginning of Summer in October.

so haven't been in Canberra for winter then...

.......concur 100%. I believe however this isn't as much about our leaders as it is our feckless and individualistic citizens. Leading up to our last Fed Election, CC was the number one issue, dominating the Australian political and social sentience. The glaring contradiction was that Australians voted for a cynical, climate change denying party for multinationals, despite this strong pre election message. I believe this pattern is well entrenched, courtesy of a Murdoch dominated media (CC deniers) culture throughout Australia. Ours is a disparate Federation that further fuels our dysfunctional democracy and as such, we will continue to see ultra conservative governments perpetuating a convenient denial, to rule here for the foreseeable future.

.......no, play the game in Winter when it should be played. That said, Winter isn't a season experienced in Australia, it's simply been clumsily transposed from the northern hemisphere courtesy of imperialists Albion.

......min of 27C in Canberra Sat pm. Another record in a Summer of many, while the 'Bushfire Capital' has been warming slowly for decades and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

How is changing seats going to improve the experience? It was too hot to play. Case closed.

Yes it's the modern business culture. Move things forward or move out.

In fairness, they did choose Canberra over Brisbane.

Play the game somewhere cooler then. Only 30 degrees where I live.

Tuesday will have an overnight low of 8... it cannot get here quickly enough.

It’s crazy playing in January in the fish bowl of Kings Park Stadium in Durban in January. High humidity and even tho 7.00pm the temperature still hovers around 30 degrees. I believe Brisbane is similar and it’s downright irresponsible. Heat exhaustion can be life threatening and it only takes one incident.

Essentially you've put the case that SANZAR would use to justify the early start to the season. That's fine if the only issue is money, but at some point player safety has to be considered. I have no issues with the Super Rugby season being broken into two parts,if that means players don't have to put up with such high temps. Also, as one of the people who attended the game pointed out, his wife was in some distress, which could again become an issue if this trend of early season starts continues.

Agree. But the problem is the mid season tours from the NH and then the RC. Maybe revert to each side playing the others once in the RC allowing it to start later and putting a 3 week break on SR for the mid season and restarting after this. Problem is that the NH sides won't change their tour dates. Though I don't like halting the SR season for the internationals.

You can only suspect he thought it too their advantage with a younger squad who'd have spent more time playing in similar (hot/humid) conditions. I agree that it was daft from a player welfare point of view.

.......this reflects a culture that expects unlimited 'product' 24/7. Are we really that insatiable or increasingly impressionable to the marketing perpetuating this philosophy? A cultural devolution has compromised any demarcation of seasonal boundaries in respect of sport and dumbed it all down truth be told. Cricket, Tennis oh and we can also dish up some Union as a side courtesy of your sanitised Fox network, just in case you are all a tad bored with the traditional offerings. Commercial profit clearly drives this gluttony, despite the plus 40C temp and a gate that reminds us that its only clocked onto Feb and doesn't cool down in this country until May.

The one thing that will kill super Rugby in Australia, as it is with other Australian sports, is the climate disaster that is happening. Footbawas a winter sport which overlaps into the change over seasons occasionally. We will no longer have the change over seasons due to climate change. Football will suffer. As I write this I am watching the rugby sevens playing in Sydney and the temperature is 44°. I don’t know what the answer is except to play in rooved stadiums with climate control. I don’t know any of those. Or to have A very small window to play in late May through to late August. Make no mistake sport as we knew it is over in this country. Smoke heat wild rain lightning, hail, forget northern hemisphere money, forget All the other factors that get discussed here on this website, climate is the greatest risk to super Rugby in Australia as it is with the Australian Open and other sporting events. There are so many reasons besides sport to lean on these government to show leadership in this climate emergency. Our leaders need to act as if their hair is on fire because this countries hair is on fire

Thorne is a meathead. It has nothing to do with culture. He simply exhibits that macho misguided leadership which started with him cutting the Rope on Slipper. If there was ever one player to keep in the fold it was James slipper. Thorne didn’t care that he had a mental health issue he just cut him loose. Thorns support is only for those who fit his macho model. In his eyes. Can’t wait to see the end of him

Maybe he should take that puffy jacket off.

Has anybody yet heard a reason from SANZAAR for starting in mid-summer?

Cricket is a slow game suited for summer. Basketball has the indoor luxury of air con. Both Rugby & the A-League are fast-paced games on the slide with viewers. Playing in the colder months would be more ideal.