'We need to change that': Wallaby coach blames Super Rugby for 'pressure' failure - plus daft selection policy that must be scrapped

Show me where I said that the test sides were better, I am saying that the NH clubs are better than Saders who are well ahead of everyone else in the league. Lets look at the winning Toulouse team v La Rochelle v Leinster v Saders team (We know the 3 European teams are all about the same level). 1. Baille v Wardi v Porter v Williams, 2. Marchand v Bourgarit v Sheehan v Taylor, 3. Aldegheri v Atonio v Furlong v Jager, 4. Arnold v Sazy v Molony v Barrett, 5. Meafou v Skelton v Ryan v Whitelock, 6. Willis v Boudehent v Doris v Havili, 7. Cros v Botia v Van Der Flier v Christie, 8.Roumat v Alldritt v Conan v Lio-Willie, 9. Dupont v Kerr-Barlow v Gibson-Park v Drummond, 10. Ntamack v Hastoy v Byrne v Mo’unga, 11 Lebel v Rhule v Lowe v Fainga’anuku, 12. Ahki v Danty v Henshaw v Goodhue, 13. Chocobares v Seuteni v Ringrose v Ennor, 14. Retiere v Leyds v O’Brien v McLeod, 15. Ramos v Dulin v Keenan v Jordan. I would do the Benches but Saders bench is much weaker compared to the other 3. Players at the WC but didn’t start Sader = Blackadder, D Havili, Toulouse – Mauvaka Flament, Jelonch, Jaminet, Capuozzo, Malilia, Faumuina, La Rochelle = Sclavi, Leinster = Kelleher, Baird, McCarthy, Sexton, Ala’alatoa. For Toulouse both Meafou and Ntamack would be at the WC but for individual reasons so they are another two that can be added. Do you honest believe that Saders could go toe to toe with that pack for 80 minutes. The NZ team struggled to do the French team which is probably on par with the Toulouse pack.

If NH rugby is so much better than the SH, why has it been 20 years since you won the world cup? And why has SH teams won 8 world cups compared to 1 for the NH? You keep going on about how amazing NH rugby is. Yet you guys can't get enough SH players and coaches. To be frank, with the volume of players and resources the NH has, your results on the international stage are just embarrassing.

The SH still produces some of the best players and coaches in the world. And I’d expect the SR champions to beat their Top 14 counterparts. I don't beleive this is true any more. If you were to rank the top 10 coaches of Rugby right now who apart from Razor would make the list from SR countries who hasn't either been gone a long time (back when it was actually good) and what players from SRP make it into a World 15. Rassie talked about how much coaching at Munster helped him to become who he is now, come back to SA you would think he would of talked up SR and SA but he picks Munster. Rassie is the main driver in getting SA into the NH Club competition because he realized how much better it is. Cheetahs coach when they moved to the Pro14 said that the kicking game up North was miles ahead of anything they had experience in SR or Currie Cup and that is now playing out on the Test arena. Even NZR and SRP teams are realizing the shift with all the new coaches in SRP for 2024 have NH experience and having not been in SRP for years. People go on about how O'Gara is so good because he spent time with the Sader but ignore why he was brought in and who it was who told NZR/Saders to sign him.

you mean retired players like Nonu who was so bad for Toulon they let him leave early and came back to SR before the 2019 WC and was one of the Blues best players. SR is a bubble as its a closed shop with few players coming into it or coaches. NH rugby has 40 professional teams in 3 top leagues. They play in their own league and they also play in a combined competition. At the WC there are 302 players from the 3 European leagues v 106 for SR. Excluding the 5 nations covered by SRP the rest of the players are playing with Nambia (1), Argentina (1). Then consider that there are more Fijian, Tongan and Samoan's playing in Europe than playing in SRP. If we look at the most likely 8 WC quarterfinalist there will be 52 players from SRP and 91 just from France, Ireland and South Africa. Do you believe that NH club rugby is a closed buble like SRP. NPC/SS/HC and SRP are all played and refered the same. The T14, URC and Prem are district leagues who are all refed differently and that has a big affect on the players of those leagues as they learn to adjust to the ref and different styles. Because the coaches and players come from different places they bring different approaches. SA teams are not seen as strong teams in Europe which is complete opposite to when they where in SR. I don't believe that Saders would be able to physically dominate teams like they do in SRP and as we have seen at test level when the ABs can't do that they look clueless. You still haven't told me what players of the Saders winning team you would pick over any ot the Leinster, Toulouse, La Rochelle or Sarries teams. The follow up question is then how many of the players you pick will be at the saders next year.

Northern hemisphere rugby is its own bubble. These leagues you speak of feature the same players. No different to Canterbury playing in the Mitre 10 cup and the Crusaders playing Super Rugby. As for your question about depth, TP14 Teams are allowed larger squads than SR so of course they will have more depth. What the SR teams don’t have is semi retired players who go North to top up their retirement funds. The reality is the Southern Hemisphere has dominated the North for decades. No doubt the gap has closed recently, and the influx of SH players/coaches in NH teams has played a big part in that. Imagine Ireland without their 3 Kiwi stars or the Schmidt years. The SH still produces some of the best players and coaches in the world. And I'd expect the SR champions to beat their Top 14 counterparts.

Saders have been a successful team in a bubble. They have played no one outside their league. Toulouse, La Rochelle, Leinster and Sarries have all played teams outside their leagues. Sarries have won 11 trophies since 2010, they must be amazing. What Saders players would you put in instead of the Toulouse team that won the T14, or the La Rochelle team or the Leinster team. Saders have 8 players in the NZ squad including LF who is off to Toulon, RM off to Japan, SW off to Pau, while Toulouse bring in Lualala and Franks for the retiring Samoan TH and will play back up to Dorian ALDEGHERI French international. What SR team has that depth.

Why wouldn't I know who is in the Tolouse team? For starters there is 3 former NZ players, and a number of other familiar faces. The Crusaders are one of the most successful club sides in the world and fresh off another title last year. They would be short odds against either Toulouse or La Rochelle.

Yea with all the southern hemisphere players that are on the contract fringe. The ones that hang around only takes an injury and they get their opportunity roigard this year.

What give japan a belting and the euro clubs won't let their Fijian players play. Saw it with jaguares the year they had their French players they made final.

With Alan and Len injured and Wright not being able to tackle, 9 has shrunk to 6. Pete Samu missed also.

Time zones do work both ways in creating disadvantages but your point is well established. Agree re domestic and international comps.

play 22 game season, that is the problem, neither nation have fully professional players outside of the test squad. T14, URC and Prem players would laugh at management if they were told half their season was going to be playing with and against semi-professional players like the NPC and SS/HC. It partly happened during Covid in Toulouse v Cardiff and the Cardiff players talked about being thrown around like ragdolls.

The first 20 years of professionalism ended in 2015…

I think its only a matter of time before the other Currie Cup teams player international club games be it with Europe or SR. I am not sure the buy in from the public would be the same as before as it would clearly be weaker teams being sent to play. SR can't get back the big 4 due to money as per the Lions CEO in 2017 on the value of the two choices.

when 8 out of 12 make the playoffs after 14 games its a bit different to playing each team once and only the top 4 get through. If you take out the NH based players from the SA winning side does SA win the WC in 2019. Super Rugby like the Current Champions Cup was just below international level and it was competitive. Super Rugby now has 3 rounds that matter and that is the knockout rounds and they are played in front of small crowds than the first 20 years of SR. How many games over 30k attendance in SR this year.

While Razor has won SR 6-7 times he has rarely faced experienced coaches. few coaches stay around Sr for more than 4 years while T14, URC and Prem have coaches that have 10+ years or professional coaching and some with international experince.

It won't not should it but what makes you think the Saders are better than the South Africa A or New Zealand. Why do you think Saders would beat Toulouse or La Rochelle. Do you even know who is in the Tolouse team.

Top14 has 106 players at this WC the same as Super Rugby. Ireland, and New Zealand are the only T1 nations who don't have players from there. Toulouse have 17 players at the WC, France have 10 of those. While the Saders 1st 15 would be a match do you honestly believe over a 40 week season that the Saders squad would match the top European teams. Leinster have 18 players at the WC. Benetton are a weak European team but an Italian team that had their pack destroyed the WBs at the breakdown so go luck running the ball when you can't keep it. Munster have Synman, Klyne and Bernie as their locks, all at the WC and yet seen as second level pack. Look what the Fench pack did the ABs and how many of those were Tolouse players.

playing a short 4 month competition where players only see fans at the game is alot different to living in a town of 40k like Castre were 30% of the city show up to watch the team over 9 month season and everyone acknowledges you in town for good or bad during the week. Fans in the T14 have been known to show up to training to complain about team performances ala Italian soccer. The Rebels have to go to games to be recognised so being in the WC bubble is alot different to what they know normally.

With the playoffs involving 8 out of 12 teams what is the point of the season. Then when you get to the playoffs we don't expect teams 6-8 to win so no pressure on the players. The Munster lads with Ireland, SA, and Tonga had to not lose 6 away games to win the URC in SA, Scotland and v Leinster. Connacht players had the experience of playing away in Cape Town infront of 50k SA fans and did well. Oz players need more pressure games and only having a few chances don't help. Challenge Cup gives players at teams like Benetton (like Rebels and Force) the pressure of big knockout games but against opposition that are a similar standard. Not getting hostile crowds which brings its own pressure also missing. Attendance at the WC have been V Georgia 75k, V Fiji 41K, V Wales 55k. When do the players get those games, compare the number of games Skelton and Arnold played infront of that size crowd, compared to everyone else in the squad.