Super Rugby Pacific 2025

[Rebel man]

That's a solid list of Victorian players who’ve achieved international honours over the past 15 or so years! I think you’ve done a great job of covering most of the big names.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of too many more for the Wallabies, but it’s great to see the likes of Rob Valetini and Christian Leali'ifano still having strong impacts at the highest level.

It’s also interesting to note Monty Ioane’s rise for Italy, and Sione Tuipulotu’s journey with Scotland – both really showing the international reach of Victorian rugby talent.

I might add a couple more names to the mix:

• Joe Powell (Wallabies): He earned a few caps around 2017-2019 as a scrum-half.
• Jordan Uelese has been progressing well too.

If anyone else can think of others who have slipped through the cracks, it’d be great to see them listed here!

Big chance Sione’s brothers will earn a Scottish cap as well

 

[Slim 293]

Joe Powell (Wallabies): He earned a few caps around 2017-2019 as a scrum-half.

Joe Powell is a born and bred Canberran, who played the majority of his career at the Brumbies…

 

[Bullrush]

That's a solid list of Victorian players who’ve achieved international honours over the past 15 or so years! I think you’ve done a great job of covering most of the big names.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of too many more for the Wallabies, but it’s great to see the likes of Rob Valetini and Christian Leali'ifano still having strong impacts at the highest level.

It’s also interesting to note Monty Ioane’s rise for Italy, and Sione Tuipulotu’s journey with Scotland – both really showing the international reach of Victorian rugby talent.

I might add a couple more names to the mix:

• Joe Powell (Wallabies): He earned a few caps around 2017-2019 as a scrum-half.
• Jordan Uelese has been progressing well too.

If anyone else can think of others who have slipped through the cracks, it’d be great to see them listed here!

Joe Powell is from Canberra...

 

[Wilson]

I wouldn't put too much stock in it, I'm 80% sure Rhino is ai, or at least pumping all his posts through it

 

[Bullrush]

It's obviously a lot more than that... obviously.

This is not the first time you’ve engaged in this topic in a purposely dishonest manner, and I don’t really care to go at it again.

Mods - can we shut this shit show down?

Stop making bullshit claims. There is absolutely nothing purposefully dishonest about what I have posted.

The claim was there are a "huge amount of Victorians playing at an international or test level."

Rebelman has provided 13 names over 15 years. Even if I double that number, it's less than 2 players per year. Is that what qualifies as a huge amount?

I understand that not having the Rebels will make things harder for guys like Rebelman working in the system but the reality is that the Rebel were always a poor performing team on the field and they struggled to get the kind of home support that their rivals like the Storm enjoy. For the 1-2 Test players per year VIC seems to produce, I don’t know if this was the growing to greatness he is trying to defend.

The original comment on this thread was about being excited for the 2025 season in Australia particularly with the talent that is on the books at the Tahs. Strong, tough Australian franchises is what Super Rugby desperately needs and with the Rebels gone, there already looks to be some good signs even if only on paper right now.

The only dishonest and disingenuous one here is you. You added absolutely nothing and jumped in on the conversation just so you could call me a troll.

It's not my problem that you didn't know the number and google didn't give the answer you thought would back up your little meme. So you cry to the mods to shut it down because you were so wrong....obviously.

 

[Rebel man]

Stop making bullshit claims. There is absolutely nothing purposefully dishonest about what I have posted.

The claim was there are a "huge amount of Victorians playing at an international or test level."

Rebelman has provided 13 names over 15 years. Even if I double that number, it's less than 2 players per year. Is that what qualifies as a huge amount?

I understand that not having the Rebels will make things harder for guys like Rebelman working in the system but the reality is that the Rebel were always a poor performing team on the field and they struggled to get the kind of home support that their rivals like the Storm enjoy. For the 1-2 Test players per year VIC seems to produce, I don’t know if this was the growing to greatness he is trying to defend.

The original comment on this thread was about being excited for the 2025 season in Australia particularly with the talent that is on the books at the Tahs. Strong, tough Australian franchises is what Super Rugby desperately needs and with the Rebels gone, there already looks to be some good signs even if only on paper right now.

The only dishonest and disingenuous one here is you. You added absolutely nothing and jumped in on the conversation just so you could call me a troll.

It's not my problem that you didn't know the number and google didn't give the answer you thought would back up your little meme. So you cry to the mods to shut it down because you were so wrong....obviously.

So explain how killing off your third most productive market is going to help the depth of the game when we face increased competition from the AFL and NRL? You are incapable of articulating how shrinking to greatness will work, when it has proven not to have worked in the past

 

[Bullrush]

So explain how killing off your third most productive market is going to help the depth of the game when we face increased competition from the AFL and NRL? You are incapable of articulating how shrinking to greatness will work, when it has proven not to have worked in the past

You haven't shown that the VIC market will be 'killed off' just asserted it. Just like your assertion of a 'huge number' of test players.

You are incapable of articulating how 'growing' to greatness has worked. Was Australian Super Rugby better with 3 Super Rugby teams or 5?

 

[Rebel man]

You haven't shown that the VIC market will be 'killed off' just asserted it. Just like your assertion of a 'huge number' of test players.

You are incapable of articulating how 'growing' to greatness has worked. Was Australian Super Rugby better with 3 Super Rugby teams or 5?

I stated the third most local juniors to play internationally.

You don’t understand the sporting landscape in Australia at all. So enjoy your day

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Bloody hell, Lloyd Johansson. Theres a guy that went rouge on a footy field.

Still remember when he tried to test structural integrity of Mortlocks neck-head attachment.

 

[WoodysRFC]

You haven't shown that the VIC market will be 'killed off' just asserted it. Just like your assertion of a 'huge number' of test players.

You are incapable of articulating how 'growing' to greatness has worked. Was Australian Super Rugby better with 3 Super Rugby teams or 5?

Where does Victoria sit as the third biggest producer of talent behind Queensland and NSW, are they right behind them in terms of developing professional?

Don't see why you'd bail out the professional arm in Melbourne to a tune of $20 milloon for a production line which has developed 36 pros over 20 years.

 

[Braveheart81]

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Who has the best draw this year?

If you don't have to go to Fiji or Eden park it feels like a good thing.

 

[Bullrush]

I stated the third most local juniors to play internationally.

You don’t understand the sporting landscape in Australia at all. So enjoy your day

Oh OK.... so VIC produces the 3rd most - not the most or the 2nd most but the 3rd most - players who go and play overseas. Not Test level just overseas. Playing internationally not internationals. I see what you didn't there.... lol

And now because there will be no more Rebels in 2025, those junior players can't play overseas? Or VIC will stop supplying other competitions with 'huge numbers'?

But also, all the players who were playing for the Rebels will now go overseas?!

Is going overseas or playing internationally a good or bad thing?

I will have a good day thanks - hope you do too

 

[Bullrush]

View attachment 20609

I'm still excited for the 2025 Super Rugby season!!

 

[Slim 293]

 

[Dismal Pillock]

I'm still excited for the 2025 Super Rugby season!!

You better be, the Blues time is NOW.






...... would be funny if the Blues lucied their own charlie brown football, got high off their own stash, confounded all the sky high expectations..... and wheeled out a disastrous 2010's 3-and-11 retro throwback season.

 

[Wilson]

Who has the best draw this year?

If you don't have to go to Fiji or Eden park it feels like a good thing.

Rugby.com did a break down based on win %s, which ends up mostly being in line with last years table (the worse you did the harder your draw looks):

Super Rugby Pacific: Ranking each team's Super Rugby Pacific 2025 Draw

www.rugby.com.au

Looking at the games and where they are, Crusaders as the hardest does look to hold up - doubles against the Chiefs, Blues and Canes, a trip to Fiji with an away game against the Hurricanes immediately after then home to face the Blues. Just after the middle of the season this could break them if they have started poorly again.

Moana having all their doubles against kiwi sides is really going to hurt them too, I'm surprised they didn't get the Drua twice.

The tahs is a bit each way but might also come unstuck in the second half of the season - after an easier start the back half of the comp is tough away trips (Fiji, Perth, Canberra, Eden Park) and top teams from this year (Brumbies, Reds, Canes, Blues and Chiefs). If they're outside the 6 after the first half of the comp the pressure to chase may see them fall right away. They do get the best possible bye though - the week after the trip to Fiji, where most teams have struggled.

 

[KOB1987]

Gee I'm glad I dropped in here for a look at what's happening in 2025 and landed 3 pages back.......

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^ morphing into The Thread That Wouldn't Die v3.0...

 

[Rebel man]

That’s a really sharp breakdown of the season’s dynamics! The Crusaders definitely seem to have a brutal schedule, especially with those double matchups against the Chiefs, Blues, and Hurricanes. That mid-season stretch with the Fiji trip and back-to-back matches against tough Kiwi teams could be a real test. As you said, if they start slow, it could make the rest of the season an uphill battle for them.

Moana Pasifika having to face only Kiwi teams in their doubles is definitely a tough draw. It’s strange that they don’t get the Drua twice—that could have given them a slightly better shot. They’ll need to punch above their weight if they’re going to be competitive with such a hard schedule.

As for the Waratahs, their second half of the season looks rough, especially with all those away trips and matchups against top-tier teams. They’ll really need to capitalize on the easier start. If they aren’t in a solid position by the midpoint, the pressure of the back half could derail their season. Getting the bye after the Fiji trip might be a lifesaver, though, as teams tend to struggle after playing in those conditions.

Is this bloke real?