Super Rugby

[rowan]

Well, fortunately that is the last we'll see of the convoluted Super 18 ladder - for a while anyway.

[rowan]

[rowan]

This one doing the rounds again, as it has done intermittently since Super Rugby's inception, and while it's a nice idea it just doesn't seem to have found favour with the SANZAAR officials. More realistically they should target the proposed Indo-Pacific league, set to commence next year. I'm guessing that's the reason Andrew Forrest named it such - with a view to Pacific Island inclusion.

Montpellier and Fiji powerhouse wing Nemani Nadolo has renewed calls for a Pacific Islands team to be introduced to Super Rugby.

The southern hemisphere's leading club competition has reverted back to it's 15-team format this year after two inconvenient years which saw the tournament expanding to 18 teams.

South Africa's Cheetahs and Southern Kings as well as the Western Force from Australia were subsequently removed from the competition with the two former teams joining the PRO14 tournament in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Force will be of billionaire Andrew Forrest's proposed Indo Pacific Rugby Championship, which is set to kick off in 2019.

Super Rugby's current broadcast deal will come to an end in 2019 and preparations are already underway to determine the tournament's shape and structure after that.

Although South Africa's future could lie in Europe, it is understood that the South Africa Rugby Union (SARU) want to continue in Super Rugby due to the strength of the competition.

But regardless of South African teams' future participation in the competition, SANZAAR are likely to turn their attention to the Pacific.

Nadolo believes it is critical that a team from the Pacific Islands region is included in Super Rugby.

“In Samoa, in Tonga and in Fiji they idolise Super Rugby,” he told Fox Sports.

“They watch more Super Rugby than their heroes who play in Europe.

“If you took a game to Samoa, to Tonga, Fiji and put the ticket prices down, you’re going to get numbers through and it’ll bring everyone together.

“It’s what the island nations need at the moment.

“We need a team that’s going to put us back on the map and Super Rugby would be the ideal competition.”

The 30-year-old said he prefers a combined Pacific Islands team to play in Super Rugby, so that all the regions’ resources could be pulled together.

“If you’re going to put an islander team or Fijian team, I’d combine a Samoan, Tongan, Fijian mixture because we’re probably limited to what we can do and all our players all play overseas,” he added.

“A Pacific Islander team would be ideal because having one country is probably not fair to us — we’re all in the same league in terms of infrastructure, rugby wise and resources — so if we can combine with one force and attack Super Rugby it would be pretty exciting to see and you’re going to get more numbers and more interest from the Pacific Islander community.”

https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rugby ... e4289710af

[rowan]

Reds edge the Fiji Warriors 17-15 in a Super Rugby warm-up at Ballymore last weekend:



Tahs hammer Rebels:

[rowan]

More on the Pacific Islanders Super Rugby franchise concept: https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/sup ... real-boost

[J Dory]

Sam Nock not starting or listed as injured for the Blues, any one have the low down?

[zer0]

No idea, unfortunately. But making Pulu the captain may not have been the best decision.

[rowan]

Can't wait till Super Rugby starts again!

[morepork]

Can't wait till Super Rugby starts again!

It has started.

[rowan]

Thanks for the heads up!

I see the Rebels thumped the Reds in their opening game. I guess that will be held up as vindication of the ARU's controversial decision to retain them ahead of the Force. But time will tell us more. Could be that the Reds are just going to be rubbish again this season when the whole idea of contraction was to get them back up to speed.

[rowan]

Sunwolves in the Aussie conference makes so much more sense. Much less travel and more or less in the same time zone. Looks like they've ditched Singers as the alternative venue and gone with HK, which is probably a good move as well:

Hong Kong will stage its first ever Super Rugby match on 19 May 2018 at Mong Kok Stadium when Japan’s Hito-Communications Sunwolves host South Africa’s DHL Stormers in Week 14 of the 19-week 2018 regular season.

Although the Sunwolves will be on debut in the city, the side features some familiar faces for local fans – including over 10,000 Japanese residents in the city, with test captain and flanker Michael Leitch, scrumhalf Fumi Tanaka, hooker Shota Horie, backs Yu Tamura, Kenki Fukuoka, Akihito Yamada, Harumichi Tatekawa and sevens star Lomano Lemeki all having represented Japan here previously.

https://www.asiarugby.com/2018/02/23/sunwolves-2/

[zer0]

I hadn't realised they'd dropped Singapore. HK does indeed make more sense for getting a larger crowd at a non-Japanese venue. But the Sunwolves now play most of their matches in Australasia, as opposed to Africa. So I don't see why they aren't playing all their home matches in Japan, as the whole reason for playing in Singapore was to try and reduce travel for the South Africans.

[rowan]

Yes, dropping Singers now makes sense, since they certainly weren't getting the crowds there. Obviously they're looking at the economic benefits of a game in HK with a decent-sized attendance likely.

Meanwhile, Saders off to a perfect start, thumping the Chiefs

[rowan]

Jags leading the Lions in Jo'burg 0-7 early on.

FT 47 - 27 Lions

Meanwhile, Uruguay is examining the possibility of obtaining a Super Rugby franchise next time it expands https://www.referi.uy/se-viene-el-rugby ... a-n1174916 Would be good to have another team on the South American continent.

[rowan]

Hopefully we don't see Ihaia West back in a Canes' jersey again. Barrett's got to be starting next week. Still, not too disappointed with a 2-point loss in Pretoria.

[rowan]

[rowan]

Better from the Reds this week. I see them as the litmus test for the success of the changes that have been made to the comp this year. A perennial giant in representative rugby, they clearly did not have the depth to help support 5 Aussie franchises. They made a wretched start last week, but have bounced back with this win over the Brumbies. As for the Auckland Blues, not much sign of a revival there, going 0-2 with a loss to the Chiefs.

[morepork]

Maybe the Blues and Warriors should swap stadiums. Neither seem to be able to win at home.

[rowan]

Another poor start from the Sunpoodles, 0-2 after a drubbing at home from the Rebels. The Aussies, however, are off to an encouraging start with two straight wins, perhaps going some way toward justifying their inclusion ahead of the Force after all . . .

[zer0]

The Rebels have had the majority of the Force players assimilated into their squad. The same would've happened if it were the reverse. That being the case, I'd say it has next to nothing to do with justifying ones inclusion ahead of the other.

[morepork]

20 mins, 26-0 to Cru over the Stormers.


Oh yes.

[morepork]

Counter attack is brutal.

[morepork]

South African beef hammers it in.

[morepork]

Goodhue pretty much has to be killed to stop him going hard doesn't he?

[rowan]

Crusaders looking ominous once again. This is really disappointing from the Stormers so far.