Official Super Rugby 2016 Thread

They seem to be following the NFL's format with regards to the pools and fixtures.
 
I think that the Super Rugby concept for 2016 is going to be weird and strange to get sued to...
It is getting too big and it is losing the initial allure of strength vs strength...
I will miss the clashes between the South Africa teams, the Aus teams and the NZ teams on the original return basis - this to me is what super rugby is about...
Maybe after next season I will feel different - who knows...
But even after the previous "enlargements" for me it started becoming too big... There were teams playing (and even more next year) who really did not belong there...
 
MJ66 said:
I think that the Super Rugby concept for 2016 is going to be weird and strange to get sued to...
It is getting too big and it is losing the initial allure of strength vs strength...
I will miss the clashes between the South Africa teams, the Aus teams and the NZ teams on the original return basis - this to me is what super rugby is about...
Maybe after next season I will feel different - who knows...
But even after the previous "enlargements" for me it started becoming too big... There were teams playing (and even more next year) who really did not belong there...
Click to expand...

Would you say with current standings that the Sharks is one of those teams that does not belong there?
 
Last edited:
Werner Harding said:
Would you say with current standings that the Sharks is one of those teams that does not belong there?
Click to expand...

Not at all - we all know what the sharks can do... And yes, the Lions did well last season - but there are one or 2 teams that really don't do much in AUS and in the case of South Africa I don't think the Kings should be there... I think they should rather bring back the play-offs to get the top 4 teams of NZ, AUS and SA through every year if they then want to include a team from Japan and Argentina - or simply stick to Super 15 - the top 3 teams from AUS, NZ and SA (with the bottom team playing off at the end of the year to see who goes through the next season)
Even with the amount of teams they had this year - with the international break - and then the rest of the season started being too long and led to so many injuries that the Rugby Championship at the end of it all becomes a bit of a joke as so many top players are injured and can not play for their countries...
But, I guess as in most sports, money talks...
 
Chiliboy Ralepele is not bad but with Cooper and Hadebe why take a risk.
 
Werner Harding said:
Good, he is a very good player dont know if he would amount to anything at the sun wolves, is it?
Click to expand...

It is good in my opinion. IIRC, he will be the 7th Japanese player in Super Rugby since 2011. However, these players are underutilised and are more on the bench or stayed put in the training squad. Tanaka is played when in Aaron Smith's absence or when Smith is benched. It is only Michael Leitch which has the opportunity to be in the starting line-up.

Games played:

Kotaro Matsushima - Waratahs 2015 - 0 (Sharks didn't want him)
Keita Inagaki - Rebels 2015 - 1
Akihito Yamada - Force 2015 - 0
Michael Leitch - Chiefs 2013 - 0 (due to injury) / Chiefs 2015 - 13
Fumiaki Tanaka - Highlanders (since 2013) - 41
Hendrik Tui - Reds 2015 - 2

All the above players had a phenomenal RWC 2015 performance.

Michael Leitch and Hendrik Tui are also staying with their 2015 Super Rugby teams. No word that Tanaka is staying with the Highlanders.

Amanaki Mafi has been purchased by an unknown foreign club/franchise, but it will only be made known when he concludes with the 2015/16 Top League season. He has the potential to be a prodigy amongst the loose forwards global pool.

All in all I can only hope that Goromaru will be utilised by the Reds. Many players in SA and Australasia has left for greener pastures in the North or returned to their rugby league code so there is room to push, ahem, transformation in SA and Pacific (Japan is part of the competition as is Canada and the USA) talent in Australia/New Zealand.

The JRFU will decide on the management and coaching staff of the SunWolves in December... so they will have to make do with university players, potential expats and begged for Top League players with little time for coaching.
 
Hmm, not sure if this is in the best interest of the Sunwolves. Don't get me wrong, it's a great opportunity for him to play in an established squad and learn from some of the best but you'd think that as a new team entering the world's toughest provincial competition, you'd want your best players available.

It's obviously not a money issue. Pretty sure the Sunwolves have some deep pockets so they could've matched or bettered whatever the Reds offered.

Good luck to him anyway...
 
Agent_Smith said:
Hmm, not sure if this is in the best interest of the Sunwolves. Don't get me wrong, it's a great opportunity for him to play in an established squad and learn from some of the best but you'd think that as a new team entering the world's toughest provincial competition, you'd want your best players available.

It's obviously not a money issue. Pretty sure the Sunwolves have some deep pockets so they could've matched or bettered whatever the Reds offered.

Good luck to him anyway...
Click to expand...

Sunwolves are under the JRFU canopy, they don't have any corporate (or industrial) support such as with the Top League where the money is. People mistake the JRFU and Top League to be the same thing. They need money, currently or as speculated the Sunwolves may draw union players registered within the universities and limited union clubs, players in the Top League and may import 5 players. Eddie Jones had the idea to import players based in Hong Kong due to their length to condition locks and loosies.

The Industrial league will also need to make their players available to the JRFU which can be very limited to the Sunwolves. I talked to an SA coach based in the Taiwan industrial league, he told me that we may expect a mercenary squad next year as things are going now...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X