I’ll start with a quick aside, before I get to the topic of Super Rugby Pacific’s alleged Super Round.
I was 18 or 19 and at Athletic Park with a mate, to watch Wellington play New South Wales.
These were the days before Super Rugby and the crowd of a few hundred was testament to that. Super Rugby might not be what it was in its early years, but it’s better than what we had prior.
Giant Wellington prop Bill Cavubati will be remembered by one or two older readers. To say he dawdled round the paddock would be an insult to dawdlers, but he was fleet of foot when he felt like it.
On this day, Cavubati collected a bouncing ball on Wellington’s side of halfway, burst through the New South Wales defence and then went round fullback Matt Burke to score under the posts.
If you hadn’t seen it, you wouldn’t have believed it.
I bumped into Cavubati once and proudly told him I’d been there to see it. Only, as he was quick to remind me, that wasn’t the most unbelievable thing that happened at Athletic Park that day.
Wing Peter Jorgensen scored a try for New South Wales at the northern end of the ground and, as he turned to walk back towards halfway, was clotheslined by Wellington flanker Des Tuiavi’i.
Jorgensen was out cold and Tuiavi’i walked straight towards the tunnel, without the referee having to send him there first.
I recall this incident to say rugby had to do more to protect the head of players, but I don’t believe smart mouthguards are the answer.
You will turn the game into a farce if some bloke in a lab coat is able to keep arbitrarily removing players from the paddock because of numbers on a spreadsheet.
If I look at the opening round of the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, it’s Anton Lienert-Brown and Quinten Strange having to have Head Injury Assessments, that I remember.
Otherwise, the teams that should’ve won their games, did win their games and, while there was a degree of entertainment in the way the matches were won, predictability of outcome is the enemy of any competition.
Which brings us to Melbourne and the Super Round.
This should never have been in Melbourne and it won’t be missed in that city when the Rebels are gone.
It would’ve done well in Wellington or Christchurch, and maybe Auckland as well. It would get lost in Sydney, Brisbane already has the NRL Magic Round, Perth’s too far away for travelling fans and no-one schedules a weekend of fun, frivolity and footy in Canberra.
So that’s not me being parochial. That’s just saying that Wellington and Christchurch, particularly, have stadiums of the right size to not look empty when the less fancied teams are playing and enough for fans to do when they’re not at the games.
The Super Round should be a celebration of the sport. It’s not a mechanism by which to broaden the fanbase, as the concept’s dismal showing in Melbourne has proved.
Super Round will take place in Melbourne for the third straight year. But should it? (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
I couldn’t care less about the NRL’s foray into the United States, but I would gladly go to Brisbane for Magic Round.
That’s because it’s a melting pot of fans from every club but, most importantly, it’s being held in a place where the game is revered.
Remember the NRL Nines at Eden Park? It didn’t work for the same reason the Super Round isn’t a winner in Melbourne.
Auckland’s not a rugby league town, despite the loyal following the Warriors enjoy, and nor will Melbourne ever be a rugby town.
If the Super Round is ever going to match what the NRL is doing in Brisbane and the AFL in Adelaide, with the Gather Round, it’s got to go somewhere where there’s a fervour for footy.
I get that state funding is critical to the hosting of sports events in Australia, but you make yourself truly appealing to sponsors and politicians when you’re able to prove the worth of your concept first.
The Reds will take on the Hurricanes in one of the matches of the second round in Melbourne. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
This isn’t a scene out of Wayne’s World 2. You can’t stick your fingers in your ears and say “if you book them, they will come’’ because our best and brightest rugby talent has been booked at AAMI Park for years now and, sadly, next to no-one’s come.
I’ll want to see how many the Crusaders can beat the Waratahs by this weekend or if the Highlanders can upset the Blues. I’m intrigued to see what the Reds can do against the Hurricanes too.
But I’ll probably be doing it all with the television on mute, because I don’t want to hear the commentators telling me how amazing it is to be in Melbourne and what a buzz there is around AAMI Park.
Frankie66
Roar Rookie
Don't disagree with shutting down Super Jeznez if there's an alternative setup established to produce the professional players we need - although I fear there is conflict between RA's short/medium term revenue needs IE Stan contract which relies on Super Rugby and making said changes... time will tell.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
TWAS not fully true, like Dragons den or shark tank sometime you sell a share to get the expertise you are missing. Rugby is a professional sport run by people who may not even have played professional sport and only know that sport. Union has a massive knowledge gap when it comes to earning money etc which is why some partner. SL sold NZR a dream which NZR brought into because they thought they were rugby, Now SL aren't delivering but are still getting paid. We see stupid things like Rugby Brands worth and all the Unions are worth roughly their income but somehow NZR was worth about 2-3 times their income which SL saw as an opportunity to sell the dream and pocket the cash.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
I am sure there are strict laws around ending the competition but it is only the income 6Ns received not what the Unions make off being in the 6 Nations. If Ireland get double their shirt sponsor because of their improved form the IRFU do not need to give any of it to CVC. If Scotland double the price of tickets because they have massive demand CVC see none of that. CVC is only entitled to the income from 6N inc so in order to grow their share and grow income they must make 6Ns inc more money and be more valuable. It is why they got ITV & BBC to hand over $250m to the 6N a year just for the UK rights. If 6Ns, URC, Prem or EPCR start failing as competitions then CVC loses and the unions have less money which means their value becomes less. SL deal is about money pure and simple, any income for NZR is income for SL, if they double ticket income SL gets a cut. This is why SL will be pushing NZR to ditch the loss makers and chase the money makers. NZR will make more money by flying to SA with 50 players during the 6Ns and playing the URC teams and SA in those 6 Weeks, playing SR is costing them money. Ultimately NZR is more likely to look like a cricket team with 50 or so fully contracted people on 2-4 year deals with the rest of the players free to go wherever they want. With the Nations League not being controlled by SL it only leaves the Lions year in a WC cycle for SL to organize the big test but WR want to see that year be more T1 v T2 games. Every $ NZR makes they give a percent to SL, not so with the 6N Unions.
doogs
Roar Rookie
I tend to agree but living in Hobart I'm Super Happy! I get to go to 4 games, I'd be 6 but I couldn't convince the missus :stoked: Go The Reds!!
Gary
Roar Rookie
I reckon I know why - but it’s too upsetting for some Kiwis . It’s the ‘poor cousin’ effect and they are taking great solace at seeing the “ big” cousin having problems in some area , any bloody area , of their lives . Sad but true . I’ve pointed out before that if you look at nearly all other sports Australia has the 70-30 advantage that the Kiwis enjoy in Rugby . It’s their only bragging right . And good luck to them they play the game well . So that’s just sport , they also have to put up with the fact that they are a minnow to our whale in all other aspects , economically , geologically etc . It’s tough for them to be so close but then again they don’t mind our shores and all that brings as well ! And they are welcome ! So cut them some slack here and let them bleat on about the state of Oz Rugby - they bloody well deserve the relief !
Jacko
Roar Rookie
Thanks.... Hadnt heard that.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
More so the heat, & humidity affecting players going there is a big part of the problem.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
There's no way that CVC would agree anything that allowed the other party to just walk away! NZR was always planning to raise that $100m from SL - it was the Players Union's David Kirk who insisted on trying to raise it in NZ. I hadn't realised that it had actually happened. Fair point that the other unions have other revenue streams, but the fact that they have sold off big percentages of the income from their cash cows - which most of them have already spent - means they're in no better shape than us.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
Thanks Brendan. With the way your numbers seem to be pointing, it would be difficult for all Australian professionals to get a job outside Aus. I’m just glad that club rugby is strong.
Reddy
Roar Rookie
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Reddy
Roar Rookie
The drua seem a stronger team at home, no doubt they might get a few surprise wins in the future.
Reddy
Roar Rookie
Something about poor condition of the turf at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland. It’s a home game for Pacifica but switched to hamilton.
Jacko
Roar Rookie
So its only NZ and SA that have these NPC type comps????? And they are the two best rugby nations in history. Weird that eh Brenden. Maybe something could be learnt from that info.
Jacko
Roar Rookie
As did RA have to sign off on it.
Jacko
Roar Rookie
Sorry you couldn't understand it Gary.
scrum
Roar Rookie
I cannot answer that but that is what my research came up with, somehow NZR owned the concept.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
That's called the pandemic destroying their and RA's finances. A freak one-off event, not the Rebels' status quo.
Bearswanatah
Roar Rookie
Hi Sheikh - I would go further and move the ARU to Perth, move away from the Eastern seaboard which is controlled by vested Club rugby, and a school system that belongs to the 1920s. Nothing but a fresh start, symbolically and structurally is needed...
Bearswanatah
Roar Rookie
I've also thought The Rebels had a shot initially... but they have now descended into a farce. Many Aussies (myself included) now think it's a terrible idea to keep flogging this dead-horse... Can't speak for my Kiwi peoples.
Bearswanatah
Roar Rookie
I'm a rabid rugby supporter and I might drop some cash it was in Sydney or regional NSW, but no way would I got to a sh*t cold city to watch mediocrity.... 'DGS' you sure you aren't one of the marketing team for Super Rugby? :-)