Official Super Rugby 2016 Thread

Fulcrum29

Fulcrum29

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http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/news/sanzaar-fan-and-stakeholder-survey/

For those who care... about doing surveys.

SANZAAR FAN AND STAKEHOLDER SURVEY

Dear rugby supporters….

as you may know SANZAAR is currently undertaking, in conjunction with Accenture, a strategic planning process. The aim is to map out the future of SANZAAR and the tournaments it manages.



As part of this process SANZAAR is conducting a quick survey to better understand how rugby fans support and follow the game.



SANZAAR would like your opinion and feedback and requests that you undertake this short survey. The feedback will form part of the strategic planning process and ultimately assist SANZAAR in defining the way southern hemisphere rugby is played, structured and distributed in the future.



Please feel free to pass this survey on to colleagues, family and friends.



Survey length: approx. 3 minutes.



Survey access: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2837906/SANZAAR-Fan-Survey



Thanks for your participation and on-going support.

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Fulcrum29

Fulcrum29

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The Sunwolves are signing more wingers, it is rumoured that Panasonic’s Yoshikazu and Kenki are to sign with the Sunwolves. Hmmmmm… Maybe Robbie Deans will be the next Sunwolves coach.

Interesting though, that they are targeting their sevens team. If Yamada continue to play for the Sunwolves then they will have 4 seven’s players in the squad. Yamada is also a Panasonic player... and have just now sourced Kentaro Kodama from Panasonic into the squad to replace Yamada on tour.

They had a serious issue on the wing in the 2016 season, now they are over plugging the hole with Panasonic wingers.
 
Fulcrum29

Fulcrum29

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On paper the Bulls should be able to destroy the Sunwolves,

1. Keita Inagaki; 2. Takeshi Kizu; 3. Shinnosuke Kakinaga; 4. Hitoshi Ono; 5. Naohiro Kotaki; 6. Liaki Moli; 7. Taiyo Ando; 8. Edward Quirk; 9. Yuki Yatomi; 10. Yu Tamaru; 11. Yasutaka Sasakura; 12. Haramichi Tatekawa (c); 13. Derek Carptenter; 14. Hajime Yama****a; 15. Riaan Viljoen

16. Futoshi Mori; 17. Masataka Mikami; 18. Takuma Asahara; 19. Faatiga Lemalu; 20. Yoshiya Hosoda; 21. Kaito Shigeno; 22. Mifiposeti Paea; 23. Shokei Kin

This team is underpowered, playing without key players and specialised wingers. They have also excluded the Panasonic winger, Kodama, which may debut next weekend against the Sharks as well as debutant hooker Ryuhei Arita.

They have also given Yama****a a starting chance in Super Rugby at winger which normally plays his rugby at the back and dropped Lemalu to the bench to most likely come on as an impact player by the 50th minute to support Quirk and Moli, and then by replacing Ando with Kin to speed-up the breakdowns.

Where it gets interesting is with their bench… They only have one scrummie and one centre on the bench, no 10 or 15. Paea has missed all his tackles last weekend so he must better make an impact. I speculate that Hammett is planning to play the Bulls right up their alley. I wouldn’t be surprised that they play Kin in the backline…
 
Fulcrum29

Fulcrum29

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Ed Quirk is also in negotiations with the Sunwolves to continue into the 2017 Super Rugby season, however he has reached a stumble block. Though he may play with the Sunwolves, he is not allowed to play Japanese Top League rugby in Japan as he is ineligible due to their rugby policies as he had represented the Australian Sevens, due to this rule,

Japan Top League teams will be able to play more foreign-born players this autumn, the league said Thursday, when it announced several changes to the competition ahead of the 2016-2017 season.

Until now teams were able to have up to three foreign-born players on the pitch at once, provided one was from Asia. Starting this year, a fourth player can also be in the game, provided he hasn’t played internationally for another country prior to June and might in the future be eligible to play for Japan.
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The only Top League clubs which are able to contract Quirk are Ricoh, Kintetsu and Canon, but none has approached him and are unlikely to. Derek Carpenter has been signed with Suntory so I guess that he will also be back with the Sunwolves next year.
 
K

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Fulcrum29

Fulcrum29

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Kr1mZoN said:
Saw and completed the survey last week, however, I won't hold my breath regarding implementing any of the findings (with more expansion already on the cards). Every rugby fan I know dislikes the current format and want a return to a more natural round robin phase with fewer but more quality teams.
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Changes to the current Super Rugby structure will only be possible in 2020, the current agreement allows two more teams to be included in 2018. Whether they will downscale the competition in 2020… don’t know. The Polynesians are already 'dreaming' to be included.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...bid-needs-investor-to-front-with-1012-million

Pacific Island Super Rugby bid needs investor to front with $10-12 million

Calling all philanthropists, the Pacific Island's Super Rugby bid needs you.

Set aside all the emotive and endearing rhetoric and the push to include an Island team comes down to this: the need to find private backers willing to stump up $10-12 million per-year.

That's operating costs alone, covering everything from player and coaching wages to marketing, but does not take into account set-up overheads that could squeeze out at least another $5 million, depending on stadium and infrastructure needs. Travel is centrally covered under the Sanzaar model.
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The above, explored many times, but due to maladministration they never succeeded to participate in the Super Rugby competition, however with investors,

High performance academy systems that provide education and pathways would need to be established.

Once all these boxes are ticked, Sanzaar still needs to sell the proposal to broadcasters who have agreed to the current format through to 2020.

The same process will be followed with other countries - Canada is understood to be one - who have expressed an interest in joining.

So while the dream of welcoming a combined team from the Pacific remains alive and well, an investor willing to fund the team is still a vital missing piece of the equation.
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I speculate this much, SANZAAR wants to compete with the Northern Hemisphere European rugby structure. The competition is likely to expand, but to be broken down into leagues or divisions with an introduction to relegation and promotion games.
 
Fulcrum29

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http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRugby/force-player-urinated-in-bloem-hotels-hallway-20160708

Force player urinated in Bloem hotel's hallway

The Force announced on their official website that this was due to captain and prop Pek Cowan and fullback Dane Haylett-Petty breaching their leadership standards while on tour in South Africa.

According to Australia’s Daily Telegraph, a few Force players misbehaved in a Bloemfontein hotel following their narrow 30-29 loss to the Cheetahs there last Saturday.

One of the players also urinated in the hotel’s hallway while arguments took place between a few players.

Lock Adam Coleman is believed to be another player involved in the misdemeanours.

According to the Australian newspaper, Matt Hodgson - the Force’s regular skipper who is injured - earlier this week accused fellow players of ruining the culture of the franchise in a fiery meeting regarding their drunken behaviour in South Africa.

Hodgson blasted the misbehaving players after a training session on Wednesday, telling them they were denigrating the team and lacking leadership qualities.

After losing to the Cheetahs, Force players reportedly went out drinking and broke curfew of 01:00.

...

One unidentified player then urinated in the hotel hallway. It’s understood he was locked out of the room and too drunk to control himself.
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Lulz. I don’t whether this is sad, sorry or damn out right laughable. Issues…
 
Agent_Smith

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I picked the Blues more in hope than expectation. Am glad with the result but undershot hopelessly on the predicted score!
 
modern10

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Picking New Zealand teams ahead of Australian teams is a no brainer. The Australians are just piss poor this season.
 
DanDango

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STATS AND FACTS
– This will be just the second time these sides meet in Super Rugby. The Lions defeated the Kings 45-10 in their first meeting, in April this year.
– The Kings are searching for their second away win in Super Rugby. They’ve lost each of their last 10 games, with those defeats coming by an average margin of 30 points.
– The Lions have won their last four Super Rugby games, and a fifth straight win would equal the team’s record-winning streak in the competition.
– The Lions have starved their opposition of possession so far this season, allowing their opponents only 13 minutes and 13 seconds with the ball in hand each game, the fewest of any team.
– Kings lock JC Astle has won 60 lineouts so far this season, including three last week, the fourth most of any player after 15 rounds in 2016.
 
DanDango

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http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRugby/warren-whiteley-chats-to-sport24-20160707-2

n an exclusive interview, Lions captain WARREN WHITELEY discusses the Lions’ attacking evolution, his dream of captaining the Springboks in the future and the local derby at Ellis Park on Friday night.

Sport24 asked: The last time that the Lions (then the Cats) qualified for the Super Rugby playoffs was in 2001. What elements have come together to make this season such a resounding success?

Warren Whiteley: It’s definitely not just this season. Over the last three years we have been building up to reach this point. Having the same players together for a number of years and getting better at what we do has been key. This season, every single player that has been afforded an opportunity or been asked to perform has really put his hand up. The spirit is fantastic in the camp at the moment and while we have had a few niggles this season, it hasn’t slowed down our momentum and the confidence within the group. The fact that we have coped with injury setbacks speaks to the depth that we have grown at the union. Being successful in Super Rugby really is all about a squad effort.

Sport24 asked: Why do you feel strongly that no individual can be recognised without the team?

Warren Whiteley: Rugby is a team sport and there is no way that you can achieve without the men alongside you. In this sport, you cannot do it alone and therefore no individual can be recognised without the team. For us at the Lions, it’s never been about the individual and has always been about the team. As such, we don’t rely on specific individuals, but rather the unit. We are a team and play as a team. In modern professional sport it’s challenging to be in an ego-free environment. And especially so when you start achieving, but over the last few years we have worked hard on the person. The All Blacks have a motto: “Better people make better All Blacks.” And, at the Lions, we also believe in that mantra. We work tirelessly on ourselves as people and we don’t veer away from asking the tough questions of ourselves and each other. We discuss the challenges that we might face and have an open policy in our squad when it comes to communication. I believe that if you develop as a person, it will ultimately reflect in your performance as an individual and as a collective.

Sport24 asked: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has said: “Worry is a wasted emotion.” How have the Lions addressed the fear of failure and been able to play the game with a sense of freedom?

Warren Whiteley: We all have fear inside of us, that is a given, but it’s about overcoming that fear. Because we spend so much time talking about the pressures we are set to face on game day, in real time we can make the right decisions and react accordingly. Obviously in the past it was more difficult to do, but as you develop as a side and gain more experience, you naturally start making better decisions. You can’t say that their isn’t pressure or a fear of failure, that feeling will always be there, but being able to overcome that is really important. In terms of errors, you can’t fix a mistake you make during the game, but you can actually rectify the situation as in your reaction to the mistake. At the Lions, we have calls that we make when an error is committed. For instance, when a player knocks the ball on we will shout, “Next job”. We have been employing the policy for a number of years now. Everyone knows that system and is aware of the trigger words that we make use of.

Sport24 asked: The Lions’ attack has evolved. What impact has backs coach Swys de Bruin made?

Warren Whiteley: Coach Swys has had a huge impact. He’s a fantastic individual and someone that is so passionate about the game. He has taken our attack from strength to strength. Coach Akkies (John Ackermann) had a vision in terms of how he wanted us to play and was initially influenced by John Mitchell. But when Swys came to the Lions, he implemented some new elements to our attack. He has been instrumental in the way that we attack and we train his running lines weekly. For me, he is a visionary when it comes to rugby. He sees things differently, is always up for something new and has a trick up his sleeve. He keeps us on our toes as players and has been unbelievable for the union. We are very fortunate to have him within our camp and he keeps challenging us as players. I must also mention JP Ferreira. While he is our defence coach, he also works on our attack from kick-offs. And credit must also go to our conditioning coach because we wouldn’t be able to attack like we do if we weren’t suitably conditioned. Holistically, our coaches make a great team unit and they work together in terms of the way we want to play. They all work in tandem and that synergy certainly rubs off on us as players. We can have a go, back ourselves and really trust our instincts as players. We are afforded the freedom to express ourselves and that is very rewarding for us players.

Sport24 asked: What do you make of the comparisons the Lions have drawn with the Kiwi sides?

Warren Whiteley: As South Africans we have been used to a certain brand of rugby, but you can’t say that South African teams are incapable of passing between backs and forwards. I believe all our sides can do that, and if you go watch schoolboy rugby you will see a forward running and passing. As South African rugby players, I feel we all have the talent to be able to play the style of rugby we have honed at the Lions. However, we also have to be honest and admit that New Zealand is the benchmark at the moment in world rugby. Of benefit to them is that they play a similar style of rugby across the board. All their Super Rugby franchise employ a similar style of play and ultimately, when they get chosen for national duty, it makes it a lot easier to implement that brand. The All Blacks are the front-runners at present. However, I maintain that we have the talent and playing personnel in South Africa in order to narrow the gap and definitely surpass them in the near future.

Sport24 asked: You are seen as a future Springbok captain and have been likened to Gary Teichmann, who led the national team in 36 Test matches. What do you make of that comparison?

Warren Whiteley: It’s a huge complement and honour to be compared to Teichmann. I originally hail from Durban and he was a boyhood hero of mine. It’s a massive task to live up to the player and captain he was, but I appreciate the comparison. In terms of the Springbok captaincy, I can’t deny that I have dreamt about it. As a player, the ultimate is to captain your team. But, for me, it’s about first proving myself at international level and being the best player in my position before I can captain. I’ve only started one Test match and, first and foremost, it will be about establishing myself.

Sport24 asked: The Lions top the overall conference system. Is your ambition to win Super Rugby?

Warren Whiteley: We can’t deny that we dream of winning Super Rugby. However, our focus, like it has always been, will be on the task at hand. It’s about living in the now and facing the Kings on Friday is our next challenge. We’ve spoken about not becoming complacent and we challenge ourselves as individuals and as a team on a weekly basis. You always need to keep yourself in check and we work on that at all times. The Kings draw confidence from a solid set-piece, but we’ll focus on what we want to achieve. We are a performance-based rather than results-driven team and will concentrate on our performance. We’ve set a standard during the season which we need to uphold
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Jaco van der walt will apparently play 20 minutes Currie Cup this weekend and should be back in the Super Rugby mix for the Jaguares game
 
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