Editor’s letter
SOMEHOW, PROBABLY AGAINST THE ODDS, Super Rugby will celebrate its 25th season in 2020. Against the odds because who really thought that a cross-border competition originally spanning 10 time zones and two continents would survive as long as it has?
The logistics of Super Rugby have always bordered on impossible. In the beginning there were 12 teams split across New Zealand, Australia and South Africa and while the competition was short and sweet, it was still prohibitively expensive.
It was still a nightmare trying to get teams back and forth across the Pacific and Indian Oceans and find kick-off times that worked for the three respective audiences.
However hard it was in the beginning it became harder again when the Jaguares from Argentina and Sunwolves from Japan joined, meaning the competition now spans four continents, 17 time zones and both hemispheres. As we all know, the logistics have stretched Super Rugby to breaking point. The expense of moving so many teams around while trying to engender global audience engagement has not been easy and the competition has struggled financially for the last decade.
It has not caught the imagination the way it once did and even in New Zealand, where the decline in interest has been least and where the financial hardships haven’t been felt so much, there is still this sense of Super Rugby being a competition that is passively rather than actively enjoyed.
But here we are 24 years on since the first game was played in Palmerston North between the Hurricanes and Blues and Super Rugby is still here, however challenged and damaged.
It may not be in glorious health but it is alive and we readily and easily forget that it has delivered an enormous number of wonderful players and glorious memories.
This special issue not only asks the key questions about what may happen in 2020, it trawls through the entire history of the competition to recall the best players, best moments and best stories.
And that trip back in time brought into focus how successful Super Rugby has been in achieving its original goal of providing high-paced, frenetic entertainment.
It was launched with the aim of winning a new audience: of attracting people who knew little or nothing of rugby previously but were drawn by the pace and entertainment of the game.
The bonus point culture was introduced and designed to keep encouraging teams to play with the ball in hand and take advantage of the mostly dry fields and warm temperatures that were encountered in all three nations at that early time of year.
Think back across the period and the entertainment has been fantastic. We have seen players such as George Gregan and Stephen Larkham become legends of the game all because they were given a chance to shine through the creation of the Brumbies.
Carlos Spencer is a highlights reel all of his own – perhaps doing more than any other player to capture and promote the ethos of Super Rugby.
King Carlos in his prime was what Super Rugby was all about- innovative rugby, played at pace and with vision and bravery.
Carlos tried anything and everything when he played for the Blues and that was why the stands at Eden Park were mostly full back in the day.
There were others in the same mould – Chris Latham from the Reds was a man who knew no bounds and in more recent times Super Rugby has been the perfect vehicle for ball-players such as Damian McKenzie and Ardie Savea to shine.
And that’s the beauty of Super Rugby – it has been a competition that has given a way for the unorthodox to become superstars. It is a tournament that has nurtured those with a creative bent to use it and those who want to entertain to go for it.
In the history of Super Rugby there has never been any team that has restricted its players to a kick and grind game.
Even the Bulls, when they won three titles between
2007 and 2010, had a creative side.
Yes they kicked and drove lineout mauls, but they were also expansive when they wanted to be. They still moved the ball at times and had the skill-sets to score tries through pass and catch.
Good old Super Rugby has had and continues to have its faults but the intent has always been noble, which is something we should celebrate.
The European Cup is awash with money and big names but often the rugby is exclusively territorial and attrittional.
The skill-sets are good and the desire of some teams to play with the ball is there, but we only see sporadic games that really capture the imagination.
In Super Rugby the intent to run and entertain is much stronger.
In almost a quarter of a century it has been rare indeed for anyone to walk out of a Super Rugby match complaining about a lack of ambition or the intent.
Some games can be frantic and loose but better that than tight and dull surely?
Thinking about it, it would be fantastic to be celebrating 50 years of Super Rugby because it is a great competition that hasn’t always been given the love it deserves. • Finally, on a sad note we are saying farewell to Kevin Roberts who has been writing columns for NZ Rugby World since 1997. KR is a deep thinker, an innovator and a top bloke.
He’s got rugby in his soul and while he’s obviously trying to wind down a little, I’ll make a futile plea for him to get involved in the game in some capacity because, frankly, rugby needs a man of his knowledge, experience and vision. Thanks for everything KR.