Sunday games will add fresh element to Super Rugby vibe
FOR the first time, the Southern Kings will be playing Super Rugby on a Sunday in South Africa in a new spiced-up fixture list.
This is one of a number of innovations for the upcoming season, designed to attract bigger crowds to the tournament.
The latest fixture list has the Kings down to play the Lions in Johannesburg in a Super Sunday fixture on May 28 at 2.30pm.
It is not surprising that rugby bosses are experimenting with Sundays because soccer and cricket have found Sundays good for drawing crowds.
The Kings start the season with a home match against the Jaguares at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
Just days before the new tournament kicks off, Super Rugby chief executive Andy Marinos said the tournament attracted a global audience far in excess of European competitions.
He also rejected claims that Super Rugby was in a downward spiral.
Most of all, Marinos is trumpeting a global audience he says hit 50 million last year.
“On all of those numbers we are up on any other rugby competition in the world.
“From a viewership perspective, we dwarf by some order of magnitude what the other competitions are generating.
“I still believe it is the premium competition.”
Defending champions the Wellington Hurricanes start their programme in Tokyo against the Sunwolves.
This year’s South African Conference winners the Lions and Stormers will play the Free State Cheetahs and Pretoria’s Bulls respectively.
It will be the second season for the 17-round, four-conference tournament structure that sees each team play 15 matches and have two byes.
This year each team will play six matches in its own conference and nine against other conference teams.
The June test window and in particular the British and Irish Lions series in New Zealand affect the match schedule.
Fixtures in early June and July are scheduled around the various June tests and the matches between the British and Irish Lions and the five New Zealand Super Rugby teams.
“The new season is set to be another enthralling, actionpacked one as we enter the second year of the 18-team conference-style tournament,” Marinos said.
“The tournament saw some fantastic rugby last year and we look forward in particular to the continued development of the new franchises that added exciting new territories and colour to the tournament.
“The schedule will see four Sunwolves matches played in Tokyo and three played in Singapore.
“Eight matches will be hosted by the Jaguares in Buenos Aires.
“Both these teams made their Super Rugby debuts in 2016, with the Kings from South Africa returning after their brief spell in 2013,” Marinos said.
“It is anticipated that all three teams will be better for the experience of 2016 as we look forward to seeing their continued improvement.
“Super Rugby continues to be the toughest rugby tournament in the world given the high-level, week-to-week competition and the travelling that is undertaken.
“We enjoyed a global audience of just over 50 million viewers for the 20th edition of Super Rugby, with just over two million fans attending the matches.
“A big thank-you to all the fans for their support through 2016.
“I look forward to having the competition entertain and entice everyone through 2017,” Marinos said.