Part-time Super Rugby Aupiki ‘harder’ than in Covid bubble
Time is almost up for Super Rugby Aupiki this season and those involved in the competition want more of it when it returns next year, with one coach warning this year has been ‘‘harder’’ than last year, when teams were forced into a Covid-19 bubble.
Over the next six days, the rugby will be the centre of attention, first as the semifinals take place at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland today, then as the winners prepare to face off at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton next Saturday.
It’s Matatu¯ v Blues first this weekend – a rematch of a contest that was decided by two points back in round one – followed by Chiefs Manawa v Hurricanes Poua – a contest the Waikato team won 53-21 three weeks ago.
The undefeated Chiefs have led the way this season and are the favourites to take home the spoils for the second year in a row, but their coach, Crystal Kaua, believes the current part-time setup can’t continue if the competition expands any futher.
‘‘I don’t think you could have people do this format – part-time, Thursday to Sunday – for 10 or 12 weeks from a wellness perspective. There has to be a period of full-time rugby and a full-time pre-season. The toll that the weeks that we’re currently in create – I’d say going into the bubble last year was easier. We all
thought that was really hard and then we’ve done this one and this is actually harder. We couldn’t keep this format for 12 weeks. I don’t see that producing what we need. I think it has to go full time for a period of time and it has to have a full-time pre-season. I really would be advocating and pushing for that for our staff, for our players, for the game.’’
Most players in Aupiki assemble from Thursday to Sunday, then work other jobs from Monday to Wednesday, with those on Black Ferns contracts the main exceptions. Chiefs flanker Tynealle Fitzgerald said she had had to ask for Mondays off from her work the past few weeks. ‘‘My boss is probably sick of me, because every Monday I’m like, oh, I’m not going to be coming in just because I’m so buggered from the weekend, but they’ve been real good about it.’’
Her Blues counterpart Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, a member of the Black Ferns’ Rugby World Cup squad last year, said players who were working other jobs in the first half of the week were the ‘‘real champions’’.
‘‘They’re going to work Monday to Wednesday and they’re having to basically play catchup and having to come and put their best foot forward for our team. ‘‘I think they’re just holding on to the faith that one day this will be a full-time thing.’’
For her part, Fitzgerald says it’s hard getting home after four days in camp with Chiefs Manawa, then returning to a job where she mostly works alone. ‘‘I would absolutely love to be paid to just play rugby all the time.’’
She has impressed in the loose forwards for the Chiefs and said there was no complacency for the favourites heading into today’s clash with the Hurricanes.
NZ Rugby has signalled it will look at what the next steps for Super Rugby Aupiki will be at the end of this season, with Rugby Australia keen to have a trans-Tasman competition from next year.