Why the Brumbies have been dudded by new Super Rugby playoffs system
It seems highly unfair, but that's the system put in place by Super Rugby Pacific, which determines that the only punishment for the Chiefs losing is being 'penalised one seeding place'.
The system is designed to offer a reward to the team that finishes as minor premiers, but a look through Super Rugby's history shows it is double-dipping and overkill.
The valuable reward for finishing first in Super Rugby has always been having the ability to go on and host the final, as long as you keep winning.
In a competition involving long-haul travel, stats show hosting the final is akin to having one hand on the trophy. In 27 competitions since 1996, the minor premiers have won 19 times. (And counting the COVID-era comps, it's 25 from 33).
The team finishing second has won six times, meaning there have only ever been two winners from outside the top two - the Crusaders (3rd) in 1999, and the Highlanders (4th) in 2015.
Playing at home deep into the Super Rugby finals has an outsized advantage. The home team has won 49 of 58 semi-finals since 1996 - and most road wins were achieved by domestic rivals. No overseas team has ever won a semi-final in New Zealand.
So the Brumbies will have a steeply uphill assignment to get the win in Hamilton next week. No Australian side has ever won a playoff after a flight across the Tasman, and the Brumbies have been beaten in New Zealand in the semi-finals for the last three seasons.
They have themselves to blame for dropping games and not finishing in the top two. And the bizarre part is that if they beat the Chiefs, and the Blues somehow end the Crusaders' run of 30 straight finals wins at home, the Brumbies would then host the final.
But armed with their generous get-out-of-jail-free card, the Chiefs could also still host the final, too.
The more cogent system would either be giving the top two teams a week off before the semi-finals, or just observing the basic principle of rewarding winners.
The minor premiers, who will rarely lose in this fashion, undoubtedly deserve a second chance. But in a competition where hosting a home final has proven so advantageous, it's too much to give a losing team two bites at the playing-at-home cherry.
Asked about the system post-game, diplomatic Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said he was okay with it, but was no doubt also aware about not sending signals about the Hamilton trip being mission impossible.
'There needs to be a reward for a team that finishes first,' Larkham said. 'Otherwise, they're just like everyone else in the qualifying finals. They've been outstanding all year.'
Loading
The Brumbies are determined to 'go one better' than their last three campaigns, and they can draw from the fact that they are the only Australian side to have won finals overseas. With Larkham as backs coach and now-forwards coach Ben Mowen as captain, the Brumbies beat the Bulls in a 2013 semi in Pretoria, and they also won in Cape Town in a quarter-final in 2015.
Though they didn't plan to talk about it if the Blues won and turned their final into a knockout game, players heard the news via the GIO Stadium loudspeaker during warm-ups.
'I thought we were really calm going into the game,' Larkham said. 'We spoke about controlling our emotions in finals footy and yeah, when it was announced over the loudspeaker, it could have been easy for the guys to start panicking.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Why the Brumbies have been dudded by new Super Rugby playoffs system
It seems highly unfair, but that's the system put in place by Super Rugby Pacific, which determines that the only punishment for the Chiefs losing is being 'penalised one seeding place'. The system is designed to offer a reward to the team that finishes as minor premiers, but a look through Super Rugby's history shows it is double-dipping and overkill. The valuable reward for finishing first in Super Rugby has always been having the ability to go on and host the final, as long as you keep winning. In a competition involving long-haul travel, stats show hosting the final is akin to having one hand on the trophy. In 27 competitions since 1996, the minor premiers have won 19 times. (And counting the COVID-era comps, it's 25 from 33). The team finishing second has won six times, meaning there have only ever been two winners from outside the top two - the Crusaders (3rd) in 1999, and the Highlanders (4th) in 2015. Playing at home deep into the Super Rugby finals has an outsized advantage. The home team has won 49 of 58 semi-finals since 1996 - and most road wins were achieved by domestic rivals. No overseas team has ever won a semi-final in New Zealand. So the Brumbies will have a steeply uphill assignment to get the win in Hamilton next week. No Australian side has ever won a playoff after a flight across the Tasman, and the Brumbies have been beaten in New Zealand in the semi-finals for the last three seasons. They have themselves to blame for dropping games and not finishing in the top two. And the bizarre part is that if they beat the Chiefs, and the Blues somehow end the Crusaders' run of 30 straight finals wins at home, the Brumbies would then host the final. But armed with their generous get-out-of-jail-free card, the Chiefs could also still host the final, too. The more cogent system would either be giving the top two teams a week off before the semi-finals, or just observing the basic principle of rewarding winners. The minor premiers, who will rarely lose in this fashion, undoubtedly deserve a second chance. But in a competition where hosting a home final has proven so advantageous, it's too much to give a losing team two bites at the playing-at-home cherry. Asked about the system post-game, diplomatic Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said he was okay with it, but was no doubt also aware about not sending signals about the Hamilton trip being mission impossible. 'There needs to be a reward for a team that finishes first,' Larkham said. 'Otherwise, they're just like everyone else in the qualifying finals. They've been outstanding all year.' Loading The Brumbies are determined to 'go one better' than their last three campaigns, and they can draw from the fact that they are the only Australian side to have won finals overseas. With Larkham as backs coach and now-forwards coach Ben Mowen as captain, the Brumbies beat the Bulls in a 2013 semi in Pretoria, and they also won in Cape Town in a quarter-final in 2015. Though they didn't plan to talk about it if the Blues won and turned their final into a knockout game, players heard the news via the GIO Stadium loudspeaker during warm-ups. 'I thought we were really calm going into the game,' Larkham said. 'We spoke about controlling our emotions in finals footy and yeah, when it was announced over the loudspeaker, it could have been easy for the guys to start panicking.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why the Brumbies have been dudded by new Super Rugby playoffs system
It seems highly unfair, but that's the system put in place by Super Rugby Pacific, which determines that the only punishment for the Chiefs losing is being 'penalised one seeding place'. The system is designed to offer a reward to the team that finishes as minor premiers, but a look through Super Rugby's history shows it is double-dipping and overkill. The valuable reward for finishing first in Super Rugby has always been having the ability to go on and host the final, as long as you keep winning. In a competition involving long-haul travel, stats show hosting the final is akin to having one hand on the trophy. In 27 competitions since 1996, the minor premiers have won 19 times. (And counting the COVID-era comps, it's 25 from 33). The team finishing second has won six times, meaning there have only ever been two winners from outside the top two - the Crusaders (3rd) in 1999, and the Highlanders (4th) in 2015. Playing at home deep into the Super Rugby finals has an outsized advantage. The home team has won 49 of 58 semi-finals since 1996 - and most road wins were achieved by domestic rivals. No overseas team has ever won a semi-final in New Zealand. So the Brumbies will have a steeply uphill assignment to get the win in Hamilton next week. No Australian side has ever won a playoff after a flight across the Tasman, and the Brumbies have been beaten in New Zealand in the semi-finals for the last three seasons. They have themselves to blame for dropping games and not finishing in the top two. And the bizarre part is that if they beat the Chiefs, and the Blues somehow end the Crusaders' run of 30 straight finals wins at home, the Brumbies would then host the final. But armed with their generous get-out-of-jail-free card, the Chiefs could also still host the final, too. The more cogent system would either be giving the top two teams a week off before the semi-finals, or just observing the basic principle of rewarding winners. The minor premiers, who will rarely lose in this fashion, undoubtedly deserve a second chance. But in a competition where hosting a home final has proven so advantageous, it's too much to give a losing team two bites at the playing-at-home cherry. Asked about the system post-game, diplomatic Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said he was okay with it, but was no doubt also aware about not sending signals about the Hamilton trip being mission impossible. 'There needs to be a reward for a team that finishes first,' Larkham said. 'Otherwise, they're just like everyone else in the qualifying finals. They've been outstanding all year.' Loading The Brumbies are determined to 'go one better' than their last three campaigns, and they can draw from the fact that they are the only Australian side to have won finals overseas. With Larkham as backs coach and now-forwards coach Ben Mowen as captain, the Brumbies beat the Bulls in a 2013 semi in Pretoria, and they also won in Cape Town in a quarter-final in 2015. Though they didn't plan to talk about it if the Blues won and turned their final into a knockout game, players heard the news via the GIO Stadium loudspeaker during warm-ups. 'I thought we were really calm going into the game,' Larkham said. 'We spoke about controlling our emotions in finals footy and yeah, when it was announced over the loudspeaker, it could have been easy for the guys to start panicking.
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Coach Ryles welcomes hype as spurned Eels face Galvin
Jason Ryles has 70,000 reasons to be happy with the media storm around Parramatta's clash against Lachlan Galvin, the teenage star who rejected the Eels. Canterbury have confirmed their highly prized mid-season signing will on Monday make a poetic club debut against the other team that courted him amid his split from Wests Tigers. Galvin's protracted exit from Wests has dominated headlines this NRL season, and his first game since is a chance to attract Australian rugby league's largest regular-season crowd. The NRL has already broken that record once this year, with the Bulldogs beating South Sydney before 65,305 punters on Good Friday. But Bulldogs officials are expecting as many as 70,000 could turn out to Accor Stadium on the King's Birthday. Ryles said last week it had been disappointing for the Eels to be left at the altar by Galvin, but the coach can see the silver lining. "If there is hype around it, then that's great," Ryles said. "It's good for our game, the more we can get good stories out there. "Obviously Lachie going to the Bulldogs, that's a decision he made and it's great for him and his family." After a long-term stint as Craig Bellamy's right-hand man at Melbourne, it's made Ryles proud to see the NRL compete with the AFL for crowd numbers. "I've lived in Melbourne for quite a big chunk of the last 10 or 15 years and (70,000 fans) is kind of normal for the AFL," he said. "The fact that we're talking about getting 70,000 to a club game, that's outstanding." It remains to be seen how high-flying Canterbury will use the versatile Galvin, but coach Cameron Ciraldo has already confirmed he will not replace Toby Sexton at halfback. The uncertainty won't perturb the 16th-placed Eels, who are on the rise with two wins from their past three games. "He's just like (any) other player that we're preparing against. It's exactly the same," Ryles said. "We just focus on what we can control, and that's been that improvement that I spoke about earlier." Missing out on Galvin has meant the Eels still have one spot left on their top-30 roster. But as of Sunday, Ryles said there were no firm plans to fill it with an external signing before the June 30 deadline. "Not right at the minute," he said. "But if something does come up in the next 30 days, which I imagine it starts to get pretty hectic over the next little bit, I'm sure we'd consider it."
