The Trans Tasman Super Rugby series

[CrazyIslander]

Will stan be showing SR Aotearoa?

[guy smiley]

Each NZ franchise played 20 matches in 2019, last year it was only 7.

Incorrect. The Crusaders played 13 games last year, and the other four franchises played 14 matches.

Is that Deverix poster ever right about anything?

[Slim 293]

Will stan be showing SR Aotearoa?

Yes.

[Ali's Choice]

Each NZ franchise played 20 matches in 2019, last year it was only 7.

Incorrect. The Crusaders played 13 games last year, and the other four franchises played 14 matches.

Is that Deverix poster ever right about anything?

He's struggling a bit on this thread, for sure.

[Shrekles]

Will stan be showing SR Aotearoa?

Yes.

Is that the only place we can get access to the games in Australia though?

[CrazyIslander]

Will stan be showing SR Aotearoa?

Yes.

Right I'll just add Stan Sport before kick off

[kiap]

Will stan be showing SR Aotearoa?

Yes.

Is that the only place we can get access to the games in Australia though?

Probably, apart from one of the SRAu games (I think per round) on Nine GEM, free to air.

[Zakar]

Stan have also just announced they'll be showing Japan's Top League...

Holy shit that's awesome.

Really? Are you going to be watching any if those games?

For sure.

I can't wait to see the Toyota backrow:

6. Himeno
7. Hooper
8. Read

It might be the best non test backrow to take the field ever.

[deverix]

Each NZ franchise played 20 matches in 2019, last year it was only 7.

Incorrect. The Crusaders played 13 games last year, and the other four franchises played 14 matches.

That's only if you include the SR 2020 season that covid canned at the start of March.

And guess what? the NZR is only planning for 4 extra games after this year's Super Rugby Aotearoa - so only 12 Super Rugby games for each franchise..(even less than 2020), & merely the minimum 6 home games required to keep the franchises afloat.. The administrators of this game need an entire overhaul. The ARU has managed to organize a better run competition with the golden try decider instead of the flawed 'golden point' plus a complete playoff series too. 2nd vs 3rd & 1st vs TBD. The muppets at NZRU couldn't even organize a playoff round for SR Aotearoa 2020 when the appetite for it was through the roof. And now they've merely added a 'grand final' instead of having any playoffs at all...

[Ali's Choice]

Each NZ franchise played 20 matches in 2019, last year it was only 7.

Incorrect. The Crusaders played 13 games last year, and the other four franchises played 14 matches.

That's only if you include the SR 2020 season that covid canned at the start of March.

And guess what? the NZR is only planning for 4 extra games after this year's Super Rugby Aotearoa - so only 12 Super Rugby games for each franchise..(even less than 2020), & merely the minimum 6 home games required to keep the franchises afloat.. The administrators of this game need an entire overhaul. The ARU has managed to organize a better run competition with the golden try decider instead of the flawed 'golden point' plus a complete playoff series too. 2nd vs 3rd & 1st vs TBD. The muppets at NZRU couldn't even organize a playoff round for SR Aotearoa 2020 when the appetite for it was through the roof. And now they've merely added a 'grand final' instead of having any playoffs at all...

Why wouldn't you include all the games they actually played when counting the amount of games they played?

As for playoffs, I think a 4 team playoff system is unnecessary in a 5 team comp. A final is fine.

I do think though that a sixth team would have been awesome for Super Rugby Aotearoa, creating three matches every weekend, and I think they have had enough time now to organise this.

[Whatever]

Each NZ franchise played 20 matches in 2019, last year it was only 7.

Incorrect. The Crusaders played 13 games last year, and the other four franchises played 14 matches.

That's only if you include the SR 2020 season that covid canned at the start of March.

And guess what? the NZR is only planning for 4 extra games after this year's Super Rugby Aotearoa - so only 12 Super Rugby games for each franchise..(even less than 2020), & merely the minimum 6 home games required to keep the franchises afloat.. The administrators of this game need an entire overhaul. The ARU has managed to organize a better run competition with the golden try decider instead of the flawed 'golden point' plus a complete playoff series too. 2nd vs 3rd & 1st vs TBD. The muppets at NZRU couldn't even organize a playoff round for SR Aotearoa 2020 when the appetite for it was through the roof. And now they've merely added a 'grand final' instead of having any playoffs at all...

Why wouldn't you include all the games they actually played when counting the amount of games they played?

As for playoffs, I think a 4 team playoff system is unnecessary in a 5 team comp. A final is fine.

I do think though that a sixth team would have been awesome for Super Rugby Aotearoa, creating three matches every weekend, and I think they have had enough time now to organise this.

Interesting, but would this sixth team have a future beyond this year? I think at one stage there was some talk about a 6th NZ franchise - given that SA and Aust had extra teams that weren't much chop - but never eventuated. For memory, it would have been based around the disgruntled unions of Taranaki and Hawkes Bay.

If there could be a future for such a team then why not? Would be better than the Force. For me, I will miss the Saffa-NZ franchise matches - my favourite matchups - and this team would create some interest to compensate. My fear is that by diluting the NI teams it will ultimately make the Crusaders stronger...

Also: having three matches every weekend is the argument for keeping Italy in the 6N - the self proclaimed greatest rugby comp in the world - so need to be sure they are competitive.

[deverix]

Each NZ franchise played 20 matches in 2019, last year it was only 7.

Incorrect. The Crusaders played 13 games last year, and the other four franchises played 14 matches.

That's only if you include the SR 2020 season that covid canned at the start of March.

And guess what? the NZR is only planning for 4 extra games after this year's Super Rugby Aotearoa - so only 12 Super Rugby games for each franchise..(even less than 2020), & merely the minimum 6 home games required to keep the franchises afloat.. The administrators of this game need an entire overhaul. The ARU has managed to organize a better run competition with the golden try decider instead of the flawed 'golden point' plus a complete playoff series too. 2nd vs 3rd & 1st vs TBD. The muppets at NZRU couldn't even organize a playoff round for SR Aotearoa 2020 when the appetite for it was through the roof. And now they've merely added a 'grand final' instead of having any playoffs at all...

Why wouldn't you include all the games they actually played when counting the amount of games they played?

As for playoffs, I think a 4 team playoff system is unnecessary in a 5 team comp. A final is fine.

I do think though that a sixth team would have been awesome for Super Rugby Aotearoa, creating three matches every weekend, and I think they have had enough time now to organise this.

The conservative cronies at NZRU don't want to include playoff series or add a sixth team (to enable 3 games instead of merely 2 per week, & hence a vastly better competition...) because they're worried about the physicality & attrition level that the NZ derbies bring. They only care about the test team & welfare of All Blacks - and look how that turned out (2020 was the All Black's worst season going by results since 1998).

My theory is because of the lack of rugby & the huge down-period between matches destroying the momentum of individual players & not allowing to build consistency due to lack of regular rugby. This period for example: - SRA ends - (3 weeks later) North vs South - (2 months later) - Bledisloe 1..

Last year they restricted our Super Rugby franchises to weekly-byes & no playoff series when there was mountains of free space in the rugby calendar due to Covid, and then only made room for one North vs South match instead of a 3 or 5 match-series when they had a whole three month gap between SRA's conclusion in the 1st week of August & the first Bledisloe match on October 11...

So many blunders and missed opportunities.

[Monkey Magic]

Is there really any appetite for multiple north vs south matches? Was pretty lackluster interest last year and we lost ennor for the season, what will extra games bring?

More games fans don't give a crap about and injuries? may as well throw a conference system in and we're back to the awesome super rugby format everyone loved

[jdogscoop]

Super Rugby Aotearoa has a team sitting-out for a rest every single week because there's only 5 teams in this embarrassingly truncated farce of a competition

Super Rugby Aotearoa was the best Tier 2 comp I have ever seen. Every match was close and the standard was extremely high. I reckon each of the franchises would have beaten the All Blacks in 2020 over a three match series.

Probably a fair comment given Ian Foster's All Blacks appear to be less than the sum of their parts.

[Anonymous 1]

Super Rugby Aotearoa has a team sitting-out for a rest every single week because there's only 5 teams in this embarrassingly truncated farce of a competition

Super Rugby Aotearoa was the best Tier 2 comp I have ever seen. Every match was close and the standard was extremely high. I reckon each of the franchises would have beaten the All Blacks in 2020 over a three match series.

Good luck with it this year and lets hope its never seen again

[jdogscoop]

Super Rugby Aotearoa has a team sitting-out for a rest every single week because there's only 5 teams in this embarrassingly truncated farce of a competition

Super Rugby Aotearoa was the best Tier 2 comp I have ever seen. Every match was close and the standard was extremely high. I reckon each of the franchises would have beaten the All Blacks in 2020 over a three match series.

Good luck with it this year and lets hope its never seen again

It makes sense though. Super Rugby Australia kicked off tonight with a big win to the Reds over NSW and then the ACT over the Western Force. The Melbourne Rebels will enter the fray next week.

If they don't get to play the five Kiwi teams in the coming weeks then they'll just go round again before playing finals.

In any event it's still a great showcase for rugby.

[Whatever]

Will stan be showing SR Aotearoa?

Yes.

Wondering if we will be able to get SR Aust & Aotearoa outside Australasia. I usually download them from ATT after the fact, but if this 'Stan' is a subscriber streaming service I wonder if someone will be able to make the matches available there?

No sign yet, so I'm bit worried.

[Anonymous 1]

Super Rugby Aotearoa has a team sitting-out for a rest every single week because there's only 5 teams in this embarrassingly truncated farce of a competition

Super Rugby Aotearoa was the best Tier 2 comp I have ever seen. Every match was close and the standard was extremely high. I reckon each of the franchises would have beaten the All Blacks in 2020 over a three match series.

Good luck with it this year and lets hope its never seen again

It makes sense though. Super Rugby Australia kicked off tonight with a big win to the Reds over NSW and then the ACT over the Western Force. The Melbourne Rebels will enter the fray next week.

If they don't get to play the five Kiwi teams in the coming weeks then they'll just go round again before playing finals.

In any event it's still a great showcase for rugby.

I know it makes sense but its a band aid that hopefully won't be seen again.

[Whatever]

Will stan be showing SR Aotearoa?

Yes.

Wondering if we will be able to get SR Aust & Aotearoa outside Australasia. I usually download them from ATT after the fact, but if this 'Stan' is a subscriber streaming service I wonder if someone will be able to make the matches available there?

No sign yet, so I'm bit worried.

I'll post this here, for those like me o/s who download from ATT and elsewhere. The 2 Sup Rugby Aust matches not up for download on ATT, but the usual guy who does those says:

"The Super Rugby AU matches played today are not on ESPN+ so I don't have a source to cap from yet. Hopefully, both SR AU and SR Aotearoa are on ESPN+ next weekend.

In the meantime, can someone cap today's matches?"

[Dan54.]

New Zealand were just throwing a bone to Australia rugby who I read were about to be taken over by a private equity firm.

That is vultures circling stuff.

How many times is New Zealand going to have to bail Australian rugby out?

Nah, I think both unions were genuinely keen. It would have been a fun way to end the respective Super Rugby seasons.

Agree, I doubt NZR want to put the players through 3 rounds of derbies if can be helped, but don't see any other option. I really believe the RC will be held in Oz again this year, as even if there a bubble by then the Boks and Pumas won't be part of it. Perhaps no mid year tours either? Could slip in a North/South game?

The reality is that (at a minimum) a franchise needs six home games just to survive...

We usually play 15 test matches in a non-world cup year. Last year it was only 6.

Each NZ franchise played 20 matches in 2019, last year it was only 7.

This 'player welfare' argument is a load of horse-shit. The players are only playing (at most) 1/3 of the rugby they'd be subject to if Covid wasn't around.

If NZ Rugby & AB Coaches are concerned about the physical toll of the NZ derbies that can simply be managed through rest & rotation. But, even having said this.. Super Rugby Aotearoa has a team sitting-out for a rest every single week because there's only 5 teams in this embarrassingly truncated farce of a competition. So the player workload excuse is pure & simply bullshit.

Actually as a rule it is the players that say it. Sam Whitelock makes no bones about how many games the players can handle, especially the derbies. He probably got more idea than you or I, I would think.