With four New Zealand Super Rugby teams looking to secure their final places in the 2016 qualifying stages, it all hedges on two matches this weekend. Those crucial results this Saturday night will be a relief for players, fans, as much as franchise management. With so many possible situations–in match results and team placings–to plan for, it has been a logistical nightmare for Super Rugby teams.
Saturday July 16, 5:15pm – CRUSADERS v HURRICANES, Christchurch
Saturday July 16, 7:35pm – HIGHLANDERS v CHIEFS, Dunedin
SANZAAR [the governing body of Super Rugby] has employed a new conference system in 2016 that has caused much consternation. It now involves four groups that all have one guaranteed home quarter final. Now, at the apex of the season, and with one final round to go, you would assume that all the planning would have been done. Unfortunately, franchise managers; in New Zealand (NZ) at least, have a nightmare on their hands.
Unknown factor impossible to plan for
That ‘unknown factor’ now means that a side like the Highlanders needs to implement four different finals match plans. Difficult enough to plan for one location alone. The arrangements to move an entire team and management, as well as luggage and required infrastructure is massive. Now multiply that by four possible locations. Imagine planning for either;
- a home quarter final
- a domestic flight within NZ to battle any of three fellow Kiwi side
- trip to one Australian venue; to be confirmed
- trip to one South Africa venue; to be confirmed
Those ‘little details’ are not easy to organize. While it might be repeated over a season, the factors involved are unique to team sports. You can imagine the associated logistics that all affected teams [in finals contention] would need to now plan for. That includes the Highlanders, Crusaders, Hurricanes and the Chiefs. For the Hamilton based team, head coach Dave Rennie referenced the fact when asked by One News Sport how difficult it was for the side. “You ask our team manager, who is pulling his hair out right now.”
The same will apply to the Brumbies and Waratahs. Both on the same points, this weekend either side could earn their conference home quarter final. So both the victor and the unfortunate runner-up will each have to plan for the next weeks match. So too will the Sharks. The Durban team have an outside chance of holding onto the eight position, so must plan for a domestic flight to the Lions or, if results go in another way, have to travel to New Zealand to meet any of four sides who top that table.
If it were not so crucial to all their Championship chances, it might be laughable. At the 11th hour, your whole campaign now requires investment in time and planning. Unforeseen circumstances by the teams as well as competition organizers. To a degree, created by SANZAAR itself. Obviously, for that body there is no way to detail all possible final competition placings, yet the fact that four conference leaders are guaranteed a place–regardless of their competition standings–is a separate discussion.
New conference system a test in itself
A conference-based system is decided when the number of sides exceeds the available timetable for teams to play each other once. Literally, there are not enough weeks or ’rounds’ that allow for every side to face one another. Other reasons include geographical locations that make travel difficult. Those two situations exists in Super Rugby. So the decision was premised when expansion plans made changes the successful ‘Super 15’ into the current ‘Super Rugby’ format: 18 teams, across four conferences.
In this expansion, the fact that each conference holds one confirmed quarter final ‘home match’ now see’s the nine strongest teams fighting it out for those limited places. The Lions and Stormers each already know they will hold a quarter final, but their own final placing is yet to be determined. After 17 rounds, it is winner takes all, and the next best just simply have to adapt. Is that fair?
Many players will say so, but they will also not want to be seen as whinging. This clear fact has been publically discussed by the CEO of NZ Rugby, Steve Tew. On RadioSport this weekend he was heard to say ‘frankly, it’s not fair.” During the interview, Tew is asked ‘why can’t we just have four quarter finals? We have a top eight, rank them, here you go.’ His answer involves the identification of pre-Super 18 talks between the SANZAAR partners and the broadcasters, on selling the product [Super Rugby].
Tew explains “on balance, there was a price on having one of the first rounds of the finals in each of the television markets.” He goes on to say “does it feel right from a rugby point-of-view?” and the answer is surely, No. It now places undue pressure on the franchise organisations and in some cases, issues that may become clear after Saturday night that have not yet been identified.
Logistical Nightmare For NZ Super Rugby Teams
What the feedback at that time could not have envisioned, were that four strong New Zealand sides would place so high in the competition. With respect, that has been a common occurrence, so in their planning, one could assume that the format could have been designed in a way that should have limited that plausible outcome. By having the NZ side ‘beat each other up’ in such fierce local derby games [each franchise plays six derby games] that each would cancel the other out.
What could not have been accounted for was the poor performance of teams like the Southern Kings and, to a degree, the Jaguares. Neither team were able to beat an NZ side and the Australian teams only managed two victories over their neighbours. They simply could not counter the strength of NZ rugby and (in a way) have helped position the four Kiwi teams in such positions. Maybe the frustration from management should be directed at them [I jest] but it has simply been an unforeseeable conclusion.
The final eight sides (that will be confirmed after these Round 17 matches) have all earned their places. The Lions had success against NZ teams, as well as their weaker conference partners. The Stormers were in a fortunate group who only had to visit Australia–they missed the Kiwi leg in 2016. The groups are then reversed, so in 2017 the Stormers will have to face four NZ teams; that is the rotational program Super Rugby has developed and see’s the existing conference format concreted in until the end of 2017.
At 9:30pm Saturday night, all will be revealed
It is exciting, exhilarating, frustrating even, and almost impossible to plan for. For all nine teams who find themselves ‘possibly’ in line for a quarter final, they hope for the best. The Highlanders CEO Roger Clark will be in the same position as his fellow franchise executive management. Each will make similar plans, investigate all the logistical measures and assign resources to every scenario. It will be hard, some will ‘lose plenty of hair’ but the rewards outweigh the negatives. Win this weekend, and you are the master of your own destiny.
Rugby is all about decisions on the park. The game itself is not won by the coach, the manager or the travel consultant. This round, they will all be required to work just as hard. One will end up with mud on their knees but crucially, all the others will ensure success on the field now, and in the future. And each should be congratulated for it. A super effort from all of them.
“Main photo credit”
