The hard questions needed to be asked about Super Rugby

Sydney Morning Herald

10 hours ago

There was some outstanding rugby played throughout Super Rugby, with tournament organisers justified in talking up the increased competitiveness of games and uptempo rugby.
But there are hard questions to be asked of the competition based on the following: in the four years since its inception, only three teams have made the Super Rugby Pacific grand final (Crusaders, Chiefs and Blues). Further, in the 12 semi-finals and grand finals in the 2022-2025 period, only one game involved a team that wasn't the Crusaders, Chiefs, Blues or Brumbies. This is atypical of not just comparable tournaments around the world, but of Super Rugby itself, especially in the 2011-2016 period that produced a diversity of finalists and winners. Competition owners Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby should be asking themselves three things: what changed (or didn't change) after the end of the 'old' Super Rugby to create this four-team dominance?; will it change in the coming years? (in my opinion, no); and if not, what are they going to do about it?
Lolesio loss really hurt the Brumbies
The Brumbies gave it a crack against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday, although even the most committed Brumbies' fans must have had a sinking feeling when James Slipper was penalised just before halftime, an area where the Brumbies had to dominate if they wanted to cause an upset on the road. However, the key moment of the game was the loss of Noah Lolesio in the early stages due to a failed HIA. Not surprisingly, it took Jack Debreczeni about 15-20 minutes to find the rhythm of the game, and even when he settled he was always going to find it hard to replicate the influence that Lolesio has on the Brumbies' game. The Chiefs got a big bump from their bench - the replacement props maintained the scrum pressure while halfback Xavier Roe and playmaker Josh Jacomb were sharp.
Combustible Cheika may be too hot to handle
Michael Cheika almost went out in a blaze of glory with Leicester at the weekend, narrowly losing the Premiership final 23-21 to Bath, but he had one last spray for match officials. Calling a yellow card to prop Dan Cole 'embarrassing for the game', Cheika was also critical of how the scrums were officiated and was clearly irate on the sidelines. It's all part of the package with Cheika, who has an amazing record of turning teams around but also comes with obvious baggage. Wallabies legend Tim Horan this week called for Australian rugby to find a role for Cheika somewhere in the system but there is no mystery while administrators at national or state level don't seem to be rolling out the red carpet. He's an enormous character, obviously very smart but complex, and not the coach for any chief executive who already has enough on his or her plate.
New Super Rugby AU competition will be a step forward
There appears to be a diminished appetite in New Zealand for Australian players, which is just one more reason why the much-expected Super Rugby AU competition in September would be a good thing. It's thought to be one round and a final, and therefore quite limited in scope, but it will still plug a gap in the calendar for those players who aren't involved in the Wallabies. Everyone is struggling with the 'third-tier' format - debates in New Zealand and South Africa are fairly constant about the role of the NPC and Currie Cup, respectively, but the consensus remains that although the perfect model is elusive, an imperfect competition is preferable to the void that Australia has been a constraint on Australian rugby for years.