Super Rugby General Chat

[Ignoto]

injured players is tough cause safety has to be paramount for the injured player so getting off the field not always easy

As a counter to this, if a player suffers an injury that stops them from being moved from the playing field either assisted or by their own self, should be assessed by an independent doctor to ensure they are not further injuring themselves.

Adopt a similar approach to HIA as it's all about player welfare.

If a prop wants a break and feigns a cramp, well, move onto the sideline to be treated and we let a replacement on for the assessment period of they come off completely.

The only thing Eddie Jones was right in recent years is, we need more fatigue in the game to open up defences. Moving away from allowing stoppages helps this and more importantly stops games going on for 2 hours.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

agree on the water boy front. when did they start running all over the field and creating water breaks.
if you are thirsty, there are times when play has stopped and you can call for water (after a try is scored) or if there is an injury that is stopping the game. otherwise - if you really need a drink in that 40 minute period - sort it out with your teammates as you run to the sideline to get a drink.

 

[Tomthumb]

I would also add that you can take about fan engagement all you want and social media and whatever else, but if you draw people in, without good product you aren't going to keep them.
so fix the game first, draw people in and keep them there with good product.

when it is good, it is very good. bad rugby can be pretty awful to watch - and that's the same with every sport for sure, but we need to up the average quality of each game from an entertainment perspective.

so i dont really buy into this fan engagement stuff first. the rebels do a great job and they get about 7k to a game.....

That's because of the entirety of Super Rugby more than any individual teams

They have been telling us for years that Super Rugby isn't really important, resting players and essentially using it as a feeder comp for International Rugby. Until it is promoted as meaning something big, it will never become what it needs to

And I don't buy this "bad game stuff" Every popular sport has bad games, and if the master plan is to eradicate bad games by somehow making everything faster, I think they are in for a shock

Bad games are far more noticeable when you don't care about the teams playing or the trophy they are playing for

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Applications for the SRP (Super Rugby Pacific) CEO role have opened, closing date 31 Jan so unlikely to have anyone hitting the ground until at least mid-March unless their current employer lets them go early.

Role is Sydney-based which I'm just going to assume is one of @Pfitzy's less demanding demands...

 

[Pfitzy]

Role is Sydney-based which I'm just going to assume is one of @Pfitzy's less demanding demands.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^ @Pfitzy pulling the classic CEO move of appearing to consider all options on the table before announcing that on this particular call he's going with the option he put on the table & anyone who has a problem with that is most welcome to just fuck off & never darken his doorway again. Just what SRP (Super Rugby Pacific) needs IMO...

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

the nfl is attractive because it has many of the best athletes in the world playing a fast paced game that when it is on, it is basically just action.
Canadian Football League (CFL) is materially less popular on a relative basis in Canada mainly because 1) the structure of the game is inferior to the NFL game and 2) the calibre of players are second rate versus the NFL.

i personally think the NFL consultants would say "you have too many teams for your talent base, cut teams or import talent - the latter requires money you don't presently have - so its probably the former. less teams of high quality will improve the calibre of the competition overall which should help you draw in more fans, making more money, eventually enabling you to expand again. once you have the right product, then you work on the fan engagement that draws and keeps fans"

I think the most intelligent second tier below super, is a second XV at each super rugby club that plays a domestic home and away season to save on costs of travel and other overhead associated with staff and facilities. Call it something else (in canada we have the CHL, OHL and WHL) which are all feeder clubs to NHL teams for the most part and increasingly some of these clubs are located in the same city as their NHL affilliate). these clubs are more advanced than a second super tier so they stand on their own a bit more

great melbourne club players get signed up to the Melbourne Rising and eventually to the Rebels and hopefully the Wallabies with each level providing an increasingly professional set up.

i suppose a national club comp could work but sounds like perth probably gets cut out - financial reasons alone would make them a difficult sell to include in an amateur competition....eventually the path here in my mind would be you have super club comp and the best funded clubs play in the Super Club Comp and other clubs play in the local competition

you're going to create haves and have nots with this structure, but its probably already there to be honest.

The club structure seems to be the way we're headed. With haves and have not. But that's more or less needed in such a movement. The one thing I don't agree with is the idea of Perth not being included in such a structure. You reference Ice Hockey. Well, we have our own national league featuring 10 teams playing 26 games each. Including a Perth based team. If Ice Hockey in Australia. A sport with far less resources than Rugby can do it. Then why can't Rugby?

 

[Pfitzy]

"I've weighed up all the options, and realised you're all idiots"

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

"I've weighed up all the options, and realised you're we’re all idiots"

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Moana playing in Nuku’alofa for the first time, v Clan on May 4.

 

[Dan54]

Interesting to read, the URC are getting record breaking crowds etc over festive season etc, and in South Africa where it's summer they smashing the numbers. Is there something to be looked at there? If we have to have games at 8pm is it better to have it when the weather is still warm?
Not suggesting it is great idea , but just thought I would throw it out there.

 

[Adam84]

Amazing what a decent product can do for support in a market. South Africa haven’t looked back since they were booted from Super Rugby

 

[dru]

Amazing what a decent product can do for support in a market. South Africa haven’t looked back since they were booted from Super Rugby

Geez, I wonder if there are any lessons there? <sarcasm, obviously>

 

[Ignoto]

Interesting to read, the URC are getting record breaking crowds etc over festive season etc, and in South Africa where it's summer they smashing the numbers. Is there something to be looked at there? If we have to have games at 8pm is it better to have it when the weather is still warm?
Not suggesting it is great idea , but just thought I would throw it out there.

At the same time, Nienaber said a few days ago that the URC isn't great for the Springboks and players are better off in Japan;

Jacques Nienaber offers theory as to why Boks choose Japan over Europe

Former Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has provided an insight into why so many South African players are plying their trade in Japan.

www.planetrugby.com

“We find it difficult with our URC players as well where we play our club competition in the northern hemisphere, but the Test matches are still with the southern hemisphere,” he told The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast.


“What we can do is manage the players in South Africa and manage their load. We took them out of rugby in the Six Nations for a reconditioning block because otherwise they would have just played and played and played.


“That is the bad thing for those who play abroad, they don’t get managed; they just play and play and play.


“That’s why I think a lot of players are going to play in Japan because the Japanese season is a lot more aligned with the South African international season. There’s a lot more flexibility there.

 

[Dan54]

Geez, I wonder if there are any lessons there? <sarcasm, obviously>

Well lesson number 1 would be that international is the way to go? No domestic stuff stay at home there is there?

Perhaps it's not just RA etc who think international stuff is required for state/franchises etc? Irish teams have won by far most comps too.
So what is best fromat?

 

[dru]

Well lesson number 1 would be that international is the way to go? No domestic stuff stay at home there is there?

Perhaps it's not just RA etc who think international stuff is required for state/franchises etc? Irish teams have won by far most comps too.
So what is best fromat?

Yeah, nah. That's not it.

 

[Tazzmania]

Interesting to read, the URC are getting record breaking crowds etc over festive season etc, and in South Africa where it's summer they smashing the numbers. Is there something to be looked at there? If we have to have games at 8pm is it better to have it when the weather is still warm?
Not suggesting it is great idea , but just thought I would throw it out there.

I beleive that their ticket prices are ridicolously low.

To watch the Natal Sharks at home, tickets range from $4 (yes four dollars) to $16 (top seats lower western stand).

I think they are made sustainable by the coporates and TV money.

 

[Derpus]

Most European rugby is propped up by corporates/individual interest. Rugby is generally a pretty unproductive activity (financially).

 

[Dan54]

Yeah, nah. That's not it.

Well it cerainly shows that the idea of comps being domestic is the only way is a fallacy though doesn't it? I agree with your Adam's comment (that you were rightly agreeing with) that it's a decent product, people get behind it.
It's international etc, and people are enjoying it, seemingly watching in record numbers (mind you that over holiday season too), in SA's case they playing in summer. in general teams have been cut that can't afford to avoid running countries into debt etc, so hard decisions made etc.
I will also add most of these countries have a good domestic comp below so players have alternatives if they not quite up to standard.

 

[Adam84]

No, my comment was more highlighting how Super Rugby has fallen and the shit product that it has evolved too that a patchwork URC comp could invigorate lagging interest in established markets where Super Rugby failed, it was in no way an endorsement of Super Rugby