Challenge of the newbies
Uncertainty, confusion as SA conference splits to accommodate Kings, Los Jaguares and Sunwolves
THERE is often much pomp and excitement ahead of a Super Rugby season but a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the revamped, bigger and longer competition this year.
The loathed conference system has become even more complicated after the decision to break the South African conference into two to accommodate the Southern Kings, new kids on the block Los Jaguares from Argentina and Japanese outfit, the Sunwolves.
But in the midst of trying to understand the system, there will be cause for excitement in South America and Asia as they welcome a competition entering its 21st season and which remains the envy of world rugby.
Eventually the confusion will be a thing of the past once the competition kicks off next month with some mouth-watering fixtures already on the cards.
While the more established teams will want to get out of the blocks in a flurry, it would be wise for all concerned not to take the newbies of the competition lightly, especially the men from Argentina who possess a squad littered with internationals who have played in Europe and represented Los Pumas with pride at last year’s Rugby World Cup.
Los Jaguares begin their maiden campaign with an away fixture against the Chee- tahs in Bloemfontein, which will be followed by another match in South Africa against the Sharks before heading home for an historic home fixture against the Chiefs on March 20.
The Sunwolves will herald a new dawn for Asian rugby with a tough encounter against the Lions at the Prince Chichibunomiya Memorial Stadium in Tokyo while some of their home games – three to be exact – will also be played in Singapore.
There may be no notable international player with an illustrious career in Super Rugby in the Sunwolves’ squad but they boast about 18 internationals mainly from Japan as well as the Samoan duo of Tusi Pisi and Fa’atiga Lemalu, the American loose forward Andrew Durutalo and Argentinian Tomas Leonardi.
With former All Black prop and Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett at the helm of the Sunwolves, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if a few of the top teams succumb in Asia.
But there will be more to this year’s Super Rugby than the new arrivals as the quality of South African rugby will be put to the test by the strength and experience in the Australasian conference made up of the Australian and New Zealand teams.
A wave of elder Springboks have long left South Africa for the colder and gloomy conditions of Europe, seeking the pay cheque that will see them retire comfortably, but the focus will be on the younger generation who will have to shoulder the burden of changing the country’s fortunes in the competition.
Not since the Bulls won their third title in 2010 has any South African team looked like becoming champions but some on the Highveld will want to believe that Johan Ackermann’s Lions are likely to lead the South African charge in the series and will in all likelihood go furthest of the African teams.
One, though, can never discount the Stormers and Bulls, who are both under new coaches – Robbie Fleck (interim) at Newlands in Cape Town and the inexperienced Nollis Marais at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The Sharks look set to continue on their path of selfdestruction and bring more heartache to their loyal supporters, but it won’t be for lack of trying.
They just lack the quality and experience that have seen them do well in this competition previously.
The fact the Sharks still don’t have a head coach, while their director of rugby, Gary Gold, is pulling the strings from the background, exacerbates an already dire situation and they seem set to continue on the road to nowhere.
In the same vein, the Kings’ financial and administrative woes have dealt them a fatal blow long before the start of the competition, while the Cheetahs will once again make up the numbers as they desperately lack player and financial resources to make a good fight of Super Rugby.
It seems more and more of a sad reality that toughness and quality of what is dubbed the fiercest regional competition in the world will come from the smallest contributors in terms of players and money in the inflated competition.
It will be up to the defending champions, the Highlanders, to prove that their win in the final over the Hurricanes was no flash in the pan.
The Hurricanes, though, will be desperate to go through another almost perfect season but with trophy in hand, this time around.
But there will be plenty of fight coming from the south island in the form of record titleholders, the Crusaders, who even without legends Richie McCaw and Dan Carter will pose a serious threat.
While rugby in Australia may appeal less to the majority of the country, their teams will want to build on the strides their national team made during the World Cup so don’t be surprised if the likes of the Brumbies and Waratahs are among the early belters.
It might not be a bad thing that the Australasian teams are fancied to run away with this competition, while the rest of the teams in the two Africa conferences are given little hope of success.
That has often been the order of things when Super Rugby was considered normal and this might just be the twist that lifts the veil of confusion and brings back the excitement that comes with the unpredictability of results that has made Super Rugby the best competition in the world.