Bring Super Rugby back to life.

Super rugby has been losing steam quite rapidly over the past four to five seasons. Not only is there less fans in the stands, but less people seem to be viewing the games on telly too. The decreasing figures are not only a concern in South Africa, but so too in Australia and New Zealand. One would imagine with the inclusion of Japanese and Argentine based franchises, the figures would increase but you would miss the posts by a mile.

Obviously there’s quite a number of reasons as to why the popularity of Super Rugby is on a slope, and personally I believe the number one reason would be the format.

Playing in three separate conferences complicates things drastically. All the teams don’t front up against each other and to make matters worse, some teams have an automatic advantage based on their conference position, tour schedule and fixed fixtures. Its rather essential that each team plays all the other teams. So, to better explain, we are currently facing a situation where the Hurricanes on 50 points and the Chiefs on 45 points, are dumped in a worse position than the likes of the Waratahs and the Lions on 44 and 41 points respectively. This is not a fair system and one would really love seeing your team compete against all the other sides. To determine the top 8 teams in July, you’d require an Oxford degree and that’s just all wrong. The average rugby supporter doesn’t want things any more complicated than it has to be and therefor the comp has to get back to basics (no pun intended).

The other great concern that Super Rugby is facing is the injury count. Some teams in 2018 had to compete despite the loss of more than 20 first class players at once. Squad depth has always been a reality and rightly so, but as off late it's just ridiculous. A couple of years ago the Stormers had lost 5 flyhalves in one season…

Players simply don’t have sufficient time to recover, and it would be safe to argue that the players spend too much time on the pitch, and way too much time in airplanes. If I may, I would like to use Beauden Barrett as an example. The two games Beauden did not start in 2018, the Hurricanes ended up on the wrong side of the score board, even though they were heavily regarded as favorites. His influence is impeccable towards the Hurricanes’ campaign.

If Beauden was to play 80 minutes of every game the “Canes was scheduled for, he would have played 1,280 minutes of rugby. Let’s say the ‘Canes make it all the way to the final he would have spent 1,440 minutes in his rugby gear just for the Hurricanes alone…  

These are just a couple of issues that the current format has to offer. I would like to see SANZAR bulking the comp up with an additional five teams and then tearing the whole lot into two separate divisions with a promotion / relegation system. As ludicrous as this may sound, bear with me and read it out…

Add the likes of a Samoan based team, a Tongan based team, the Western Force, and you can take your pick between the likes of Fiji, Namibia, Griquas and or the Pumas from South Africa. It might even be that New Zealand has another team on offer. These teams might not be as competitive in year one, as one would like but with the funds (broadcasting funds obviously) going their way this might just be exactly what they need to turn from amateur status to professional status. Within one season surely they will consist over the funds to lure back their own, playing trade abroad. This will obviously help turning the younger generation players into full scale professionals.

So basically (based on the current log) the comp will be as follows:

Tier A :                                                                                Tier B:

Crusaders                                                                            Sharks

Waratahs                                                                             Brumbies

Lions                                                                                    Stormers

Hurricanes                                                                           Bulls

Chiefs                                                                                  Reds

Highlanders                                                                         Blues

Jaquares                                                                              Sunwolves

Melbourne Rebels                                                                Pumas / Griquas / NZ Based Side

Samoa                                                                                  Namibia / Fiji

Tonga                                                                                   Western Force

 At first you might get the impression that Tier B will not exactly be competitive but I beg to differ. Between the Sharks, Brumbies, Stormers, Bulls, Queensland Reds and Blues you would have a pretty solid competition. In this tier alone there are 19 Finalists and 9 Champions based on results since 1996. The divisions however is based on the current log and the best part of the proposed format would be the promotion / relegation sequence. After each year, the two teams with the least points from tier A would automatically be relegated to the Second Tier. The two teams from tier B that makes the Final, would be automatically  promoted and advance to tier A.

This feature will have the teams buzzing as there is substance and the results has real purpose and absolute significance. 

In the past, Sanzar rejected a proposal to split the Super 14 into two seven-team divisions, but as of late, they might just reconsider.

Each team would be playing 9 games. With two breaks per team, a Semifinal and final format, along with a break in between the semifinals and the final, the tournament would still be able to finish within four months. No midterm break for internationals… Start February and finish mid-May. Almost the same amount of rugby, but in way less time. Simple as that. Enough time for June Internationals and for a possible 4 Nations in August. What could also turn out as an incredible initiative, is a possible 5 Nations between the likes of Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Japan and Namibia. With all of them already represented in a possible Super Comp, the ground work would be done and the broadcasting rights would finance the adventure. Rugby will turn PRO in the South and we as the fans would get serious value for money.

Sanzar should urgently look into the format, address and alter the competition in order to win back some lost interest. This path alone might not be the right way, but it’s definitely in the right direction. The Pacific Islanders need a change of luck and accommodating them in a Super Rugby format will change the game of rugby globally.