Super rugby super boring

There has been a lot of debate on Twitter this week as to whether Super Rugby is dead, or in the final acts of dying? Crowd attendances are down and the first half of a game like the Sharks versus Stormers hardly made for gripping viewing. The Australian conference is in shambles and Japanese team the Sunwolves have hardly any Japanese players in it.

I must say the tournament does not carry the same excitement for me as it once did and watching an Australian derby ranks right up there with visiting the dentist. I found myself wondering whether I would even be following this tournament if it wasn’t for the fact that I bet on the games.

The Sharks game last weekend was a good example how a financial interest helped me to enjoy a game when others were switching channels to watch a rerun of Australian Master

Chef. I had taken 8/10 under 6.5 tries in the match and so was quietly celebrating every knock-on and collapsed scrum in what was a dour first half. By contrast, I was on the edge of my seat when both teams suddenly started to play in the second half and it was with some relief that I banked the bet after 80 minutes.

The problem for Super Rugby is that it cannot survive on punters like me who will watch every game if they can and I am not convinced this tournament will see out the next decade. That is something for others to worry about and one things is for sure there is always going to be plenty of sport to bet on.

Last weekend saw the start of the SuperSport Challenge and a post in our forum saw me backing WP -20.5 away to the EP Elephants. I barely knew some of the players names yet I sat glued to the screen shouting WP home to a comfortable win.