Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Gone are the days when Super Rugby captured interest for its own sake

Peter Lakai of the Hurricanes is tackled during the round three Super Rugby Pacific match between Hurricanes and Blues at Sky Stadium, on March 11, 2023, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

For my sins, I like to scan websites for rugby stories several times a day.

The Super Rugby Pacific season has well-and-truly started, after all, not that you’d really know from what’s getting written.

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s all aspiring All Blacks player this, would-be All Blacks coach that. Who’s in the frame for the Rugby World Cup? Whose injury potentially puts them in doubt?

Heck, we’ve even had an all-time ranking of All Blacks coaches.

I wrote about Ardie Savea last week. Most of the time I’m waffling on about New Zealand Rugby (NZR) or who ought to be All Blacks coach.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

And there’s a sad reality to why I do that, just as what’s on websites at the moment tells its own story.

Readers aren’t interested in Super Rugby Pacific. The media world is ruled by clicks and reader engagement and if there was a demand for match analysis and thorough previews, then that kind of copy would proliferate.

Instead we debate anything but the games.

It’s easy to say that it’s summer and that test cricket is still taking centre stage. Or that it’s Rugby World Cup year and there’s a natural interest in the bigger picture.

But I genuinely don’t think it matters what month or what year it is. I just believe that Super Rugby Pacific isn’t the competition that the host broadcaster – and NZR – would like it to be.

ADVERTISEMENT

I watched the Blues beat the Hurricanes, with a group of mates the other night.

Normally I won’t watch games live, in large part so I can fast-forward past the lengthy periods when the ball’s not in play. It’s been years since I watched with the sound on, either.

A couple of statements during Saturday’s commentary from Sky Stadium reminded me of why I’m just a bit over Super Rugby.

The first came when Hoskins Sotutu made a good defensive play at the breakdown and the bloke behind the microphone bellowed that this was why Sotutu was one of world rugby’s best No.8s.

ADVERTISEMENT

Now, I’m happy to include Sotutu in the top handful of No.8s in New Zealand, but come on. The world? Give me strength.

The other was when the match was described as extraordinary.

I’ll grant you it was close, but the only extraordinary aspect was the futility of the football played by the Hurricanes in the final minutes.

I’ll commend their effort, but surely the Hurricanes – and every half-decent rugby team for that matter – can do better than just launching one-off runners at the defensive line?

Where was the subtlety or the vision or the use of the ball to beat the man?

All we got was blokes hammering away in the hope the Blues would miss a one-on-one tackle.

Related

I’m told rugby league is one-dimensional and predictable, but no more so than what the Hurricanes dished up on Saturday.

The point is that telling me something is amazing or wonderful or extraordinary – when I can plainly see that it’s not – turns me off.

I might be alone there, but I suspect – judging by some of the crowds and the stuff that’s written and said about rugby these days – that I’m not.

Things that insult people’s intelligence do not encourage them to keep watching.

ADVERTISEMENT

Tackling reasons for drop-out in sport | Zainab Alema | Rugby Rising Locker Room

Krakow | Leg 3 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series | Full Day Replay

Kubota Spears vs Tokyo Sungoliath | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

5 Comments
G
GrahamVF 753 days ago

I suggest for an injection of rugby enthusiasm watch URC and Heineken Cup. Last night's game between campions Stormers and 15 on the trot unbeaten Leinster ended in a thrilling the draw in the worst possible rugby conditions producing seven tries, outstanding defence, and some really exciting running by both sides. Huge physicality, great set piece contests (virtually every lineout was contested), great maul, running, intercept and kick chase tries and just about everything one could want. One side 22 points adrift after 35 minutes only to go five up with ten to play putting on 27 unanswered points and then in the death an absolutely magic try levelling the score with an impossible kick in high wind being snatched away at the last second. all in front of a full house stadium and over half a million TV viewers. Now that is the game played in heaven - rugby.

R
Ray 763 days ago

Super Rugby is in decline,if the crowds are anything to go by.
But it's been in slow decline for years as I remember almost full stadia for even matches between The Western Force and say the Melbourne rebels. Everything changes, so its not surprising really. Anyway at the flick of a button or poke of a phone,you can watch any match anywhere. But I really love the sport to death!

W
William 763 days ago

I started to switched off watching rugby about 2016/17 around the time TMOs got firmly engaged in proceedings and the quality of the refereeing slumped and most decisions to be debated with the touch judges, players and tmo putting in his oar .last test of Lions series 2017 a good example. l watch the first round of super rugby and thought, this looks promising but alas the referee's don't seem to want to enforce the new rules. Slipping back to old habits,players trying to slow down the game,because of fitness
issues , inconsistent decisions by the referee's.I do apologize for the ramblings of a grumpy old man, that can't help wondering how much better it could be.

A
Andrew 763 days ago

Ooooh yes Couldnt agree more, and esp about the Sotutu acclamation and Hurricanes tactics. The first was risible and the second made me want to punch the telly in anger at the utter lack of imagination. WRT the latter I was waiting for the kind of marvellous play that got the Chiefs home against the Blues a season or so ago when McKenzie bamboozled them. Our footy really is low quality now.

W
Willie 764 days ago

Yes, the undue rating of Sotutu made me question the knowledge of the commentator.
And, why isn't Perofeta at 1st 5? Not only is Barrett erratic but it serves the ABs future by giving Perofeta more time there.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
John 22 minutes ago
Super Rugby draw heavily favours NZ sides but they can't win in Australia

Cheers for the comment HHT!


I think your point on unfair draw and mine, which in essence is about an unfair draw actually aid each other for a rather strong argument that the draw needs to be looked at.


I think this is a case of two things can be true at once.


I have chosen in around 1000 words to explore this particular issue with the draw I have identified.


Your point, with having the NZ teams playing each other twice on some occassions while others in Aus not is also not fair.


But with the way the table looks currently, would the NZ sides all be in the top six if the draw had been done more in line with my and your point?


For instance, 4 of the 6 Aus wins against NZ sides have come against the Highlanders, 3 in Aus, 1 in NZ.


The Landers have beaten the Blues and lost to the Canes by 2 points, those are their only two NZ games to date and they play the Chiefs this weekend. Their 3 games against the Aussie sides in Australia compared to the Blues 1 is a massive disadvantage because travel takes it’s toll.


Then looking at your example the Blues, they have the toughest season of any side by far but I would also argue that the limited travel is a massive help in preparation, recovery etc. But their draw must be looked at, any side would suffer with a draw like that.


Although I am not suggesting the Aus sides are better than the NZ sides overall, the current ledger and table set up suggests the rift is not as big currently as the underlying assertion to your argument suggests.


More will absolutley be revealed over the coming rounds as the strength of the two franchises.

7 Go to comments
J
JW 35 minutes ago
'We offered him a three-year deal': Hurricanes priced out of U20 star

I see I’m not getting my point across.

If the plan from his family for him was to make more cash

Lets play along with you presumption these “shackles” existed then. Logically, as I’ve already tried to show, that makes no sense, but I’ll try to use it to show what I mean by saying/answering.. they would have got more cash by playing hard-to-get with the French clubs by returning to New Zealand and signing with the Hurricanes. Now you should see returning to NZ is not relevant to the discussion, it is also a euphemism, as he would already be (have returned) when he first decided to stay. His family would know that signing a development contract for the Hurricanes in no way legally affects his ability to take an offer in France.


Now, that wasn’t what I was saying happened, but if you can now follow that thread of logic, I’m saying its because this situation happened, signing for Toulon just months later, that you are wrong to think “returning to New Zealand” must mean he wasn’t “shackled”.


Actually, I’m not saying that he was “shackled”, the article is saying that. That is how you would read the words “His parents see that as the route they want their son to take, and we support that.” and “but it’s probably a slightly different package to what Toulon can offer” here, and I’m pretty sure in most English speaking places GD.


Of course without those statements I agree that it is very possible he’s grown, changed his mind from wanting to develop here with players and coaches he’s comfortable/friends with, to where he wants to take on the challenge of a rich and prestigious club like Toulon. A few months is perhaps enough time to people he trusts to open him up to that sort of environment even, but that’s simply not the message we go, is it? I also think you maybe have an over defense stance about thinking intrinsically or literally about money meaning he was thrown lots of dollars? It might be far from the case, but the monetary value of been given a home and jobs for the family, all the bells and whistles a wealthy club can provide etc is far removed from the mentality he’d currently be in of “cleaning the sheds” after a game. Even without real money just the life style they got given when there last would no doubt be enough to change the mind of some grown up living day to day off your own sustenance/plantation or like that they would have had.

11 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
Ex-All Black Richie Mo’unga teases return to ‘Test match setting’ in 2025

They didn’t really let him go though did they. He was gone, already signed to leave some 18 months earlier. Not much they could do.


Definitely a shame though, hence why I criticize the coaching for not unlocking that composure earlier. We would have seen he was definitely the player we need to take us through that WC, and the next, before the contract talks started. After, was too late. Conversely, if he had of continued to play the way he had been when he signed to go to Japan, I have no doubt Damien McKenzie would have been the player to lead us in 23’, and then we very likely would have won that Final. I’m not so sure Dmac would hve been good enough to get us past Ireland, Richie definitely deserves a lot of credit for simply getting us to the Final.


But that was all my message to HHT was. That class, or talent in this case, is permeant, and games like Ireland showed he did definitely had that. Obviously Richie’s got a large responsibility in realizing it sooner too, but in terms of not displaying it when it counts in 2019 or 2023, I reckon that’s on the coachs more than a lack of talent on his part, and it’s the same shame when it comes to your sentiment. If he was at the point were he could have saved out bacon against Ireland in 2022, it might not have been too late for NZR to have come in with a big contract offer. The bigger problem now is that Razor is only exasperating that problem with this new group. We now clearly know he was a big factor in Richie taking so long, because he’s replicating the same problems with the current batch. Thankfully NZR had no other option but to offer a big contract to secure Dmac this time though, regardless of how he must have felt after being treated like that.

8 Go to comments
L
Louise Hayward 2 hours ago
Zainab Alema breaking new ground: ‘I had to invest in sport hijabs to play comfortably’

HOW I WAS ABLE TO GET BACK MY STOLEN BITCOIN THROUGH (FOLKWIN EXPERT RECOVERY.


I would never have dreamed that a second could change everything. One minute, I am sitting in the café working on a project. The next minute, my laptop is gone-took in two seconds. That was not merely a device being stolen. On that laptop, my entire future financial life-some $630,000-worth of Bitcoins-was located. I refused to believe that just the first moment it had happened, and I began a crazy search all over the café, as if I'd misplaced it. But deep down, I knew it: It was gone. The realization hit like a punch to the gut. Not only had I lost my most important work tool, but I had also lost years of careful savings.

Then, panic hit. I hadn't ever backed up my wallet. The thought of losing it all made me feel physically sick. My mind raced through all the things I could have done differently, all the ways I could have prevented this. But regret wouldn't bring my Bitcoin back.

Desperate, I began searching for solutions. That was when another designer spoke about Folkwin expert Recovery. The first thought that came into my mind was, could anyone actually recover stolen cryptocurrency? But I reached out because I had no other options.

From the very first conversation, I knew I was in the right hands. Their team wasn't just professional; it was really very understanding. They never made me feel silly because I didn't have a backup. They only reassured me, explaining each step of the recovery process to me. They had dealt with cases like mine before and were determined to help.

The waiting period was excruciating. There were days when I lost hope, convinced my funds were gone forever. But the Folkwin expert Recovery team kept me updated, using advanced blockchain tracking and forensic tools to trace my stolen assets.

Then, after weeks of work, I got the call—they had recovered my Bitcoin. The relief was indescribable. It felt like getting my life back.

They not only helped me recover my money but also, beyond that, they improved my security: through their app providing real-time security alerts, encrypted backups, anti-theft, of which I had no idea.

This experience taught me a hard lesson about digital security, but it also showed me that even the worst situations can be turned around with the right experts. I owe them everything at Folkwin expert Recovery, and if you ever find yourself in the same nightmare, don't hesitate to reach out to Folkwinexpertrecovery (@) tech-center (.) com , Whats-App: +1 (740)-705-0711 for assistance.

Regards,

Mis Louise Hayward.

0 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Can likely lads deliver long overdue positivity in Wales? Can likely lads deliver long overdue positivity in Wales?
Search