Super rugby is (finally) getting interesting(ish)
When Super Rugby arrived on the scene in 1996, it was brilliant. Colourful jerseys, mullets, cheerleaders. Even the word 'franchise' sounded exotic back then. 12 teams, everyone played everyone else, two semi finals and the whole thing took about three months. Fans were more interested in smoking a packet of durries before the match and going to an Exponents concert afterwards than loading up the credit card on replica jerseys at Rebel Sport.
But - no-one tinkers with a winning formula like rugby, and in 2018 we have a schedule that starts firmly in cricket season (the BLACKCAPS and England played a three Test-series during the 2018 Super Rugby season) and takes a three week break for a meaningless Test series to be played in June.
Teams from Argentina and Japan are included now, but overall, southern hemisphere rugby is going backwards faster than post-Joshua Tree U2, with former powerhouses Australia and South Africa nowhere near their 1990s form or organisational strength.
For New Zealand rugby fans, it means the same interminable local derbies week after week, with hard earned quarterfinal spots going off shore thanks to a complicated conference system that makes as much sense as those self-service machines in McDonalds.
Drivers for this mess are the desire to grow the game in new countries and the need to generate revenue, but we're left with a competition solely geared to TV that leaves fans bloated and bored by the time it's finished.
It's not *all* bad - the Chiefs and Hurricanes produced a fantastic match last Friday night, despite star players being out injured, and are set to do it again tonight. The playoffs, now they're finally here, look tasty.
What's the solution? For fans, I say don't reward bad behaviour and vote with your wallet. Watch cricket in the summer, and don't watch rugby until after the international break, when the matches start to mean something.
Let's rip the game back from the administrators, referees and sponsors and bring back the Super 10, that ran for three seasons between 1993 and 1995. Four NZ teams, two Aussie, Three South African and a Pacific Island international team. Two round robins, one final. Simple. Let's do this.
Thanks for reading - Richard
The week's best NZ sport writing
Fascinating write up and video on Keith Murdoch's life in self-imposed exile in remote Western Australia - "I watched plenty of games of rugby with him and he never mentioned a word.” [Broome Advertiser]
sportsfreak.co.nz's Euan McCabe wraps up the world cup, where he watched every match. He's been a bloody star for the duration, I'm keen hear more from him between tournaments to be fair! [sportsfreak.co.nz]
In a world of line-toe-ers and career-ists, we need more rugby coaches unafraid to talk common sense and call out rugby's bullshit says Robert van Royen [stuff.co.nz]
Steve Deane has an extremely bold take on the world cup, crowning Australia, yes Australia, the moral victors [Newsroom]
Video nasty
Newcastle's Ayoze Perez has scored the goal of the season before it's even begun. Will require a few viewings.
Long read
Not sport, but a long and rambling transcript of a long and rambling interview with Anthony Bourdain just before he passed away. Wide ranging and superb as usual on his inclusive and worldly outlook, such a loss.
Selected weekend fixtures
Super rugby quarter finals then - Hurricanes and Chiefs play at 7.35pm tonight in Wellington, while the Crusaders host the Sharks on Saturday night at 7.35pm, and the Highlanders are in Sydney to play the Warratahs at 10.05pm, it's all on SKY
With a couple of weeks to go, Sunday is a full round of ANZ Premiership netball, with all six teams in action at the Pulman Arena in Takanini, it's all on SKY from 2.10pm
The British Open is on right now, with kiwis Ryan Fox and Michael Henry teeing it up, it's on SKY every day through until Monday
Tour de France is into the mountains now - you can catch a replay of each stages' last two hours on SKY every morning from 6am
Bring back the gif
When you've arranged to leave work early.
