3 August 2014

Super Rugby is in Big Trouble

3 August 2014 | By 22Years

(Warning: spoiler – result mentioned)
There is very little future for Super Rugby. The reason people are not watching is that it is boring. The old days of the free running Brumbies scoring 50 points mostly in tries has long gone. I recorded and just watched the Super Rugby Final. Played it back at 6x speed. This is what I saw: bla bla bla – penalty – shot – bla bla bla penalty – shot – bla bla bla – penalty – shot – bla bla bla penalty – shot – bla bla bla – wait on, that was a try – replay – bla bla bla – penalty – shot – bla bla bla penalty – shot – bla bla bla – penalty – shot – bla bla bla penalty – shot – etc etc etc. – right up to the end of the game. Only two good things about the Super Rugby Final – an Aussie team won AND it took less than 10 minutes to watch it.

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HiddenDragon6:08 pm 04 Aug 14

I reckon the boring style spread from Old Blighty – particularly during Clive Woodward’s time as coach.

dungfungus5:02 pm 04 Aug 14

watto23 said :

dungfungus said :

JimCharles said :

I never took much notice of rugby til i came here 3 years ago.
I’ve watched the Raiders (not seen them win yet), and the Brumbies.
Rugby League is bash bash bash. Exciting at times, but repeatable and predictable….not a fascinating or mentally stimulating game at all. If they made it so only one player could tackle one opponent at a time, you’d see a lot more inventiveness and a faster game.
Even though the players are bulked up and strong, I’d like to see their stamina levels if they had to play consistently for 80 minutes instead of short bursts with constant stoppages. They don’t move around the pitch anywhere near as much as Union players.

Union is different. Can be boring when styles don’t compliment, but every game is like watching a game of chess, highly strategic, lots more weapons to employ, tactics to counter…the ball turnover and the instant switch from defence to attack to defence flows far better than league. If they could enforce the scrum rule and stop constant resets, it would be a lot better though.

Welcome to the ACT.
Rugby is all about “profile raising” to excite prospective Canberra University students.
We have an over-enthusiastic sports mad treasurer who thinks we should all share his vision. He can’t find enough codes in the ACT so he includes massive sponsorship of a Sydney based AFL team by paying them million to play for a few thosand spectators at Manuka, occasionally.
Next time I get my rates notice I would like to see exactly how much of my rate money goes to professional sports in the ACT. It is not sustainable.

If you don’t understand why governments fund arts, sports and other recreational activities please don’t use the whole rates as it is a rubbish argument. I don’t like funding many things either, but that is how governments work and for every person that dislikes sports funding, there are plenty that like it, or approve of arts funding or some other social funding.

And collectively, we all approve of rates increases?
Give me a break.

watto234:32 pm 04 Aug 14

dungfungus said :

JimCharles said :

I never took much notice of rugby til i came here 3 years ago.
I’ve watched the Raiders (not seen them win yet), and the Brumbies.
Rugby League is bash bash bash. Exciting at times, but repeatable and predictable….not a fascinating or mentally stimulating game at all. If they made it so only one player could tackle one opponent at a time, you’d see a lot more inventiveness and a faster game.
Even though the players are bulked up and strong, I’d like to see their stamina levels if they had to play consistently for 80 minutes instead of short bursts with constant stoppages. They don’t move around the pitch anywhere near as much as Union players.

Union is different. Can be boring when styles don’t compliment, but every game is like watching a game of chess, highly strategic, lots more weapons to employ, tactics to counter…the ball turnover and the instant switch from defence to attack to defence flows far better than league. If they could enforce the scrum rule and stop constant resets, it would be a lot better though.

Welcome to the ACT.
Rugby is all about “profile raising” to excite prospective Canberra University students.
We have an over-enthusiastic sports mad treasurer who thinks we should all share his vision. He can’t find enough codes in the ACT so he includes massive sponsorship of a Sydney based AFL team by paying them million to play for a few thosand spectators at Manuka, occasionally.
Next time I get my rates notice I would like to see exactly how much of my rate money goes to professional sports in the ACT. It is not sustainable.

If you don’t understand why governments fund arts, sports and other recreational activities please don’t use the whole rates as it is a rubbish argument. I don’t like funding many things either, but that is how governments work and for every person that dislikes sports funding, there are plenty that like it, or approve of arts funding or some other social funding.

JC10:33 pm 03 Aug 14

Mattenagger said :

I’ve seen games of Super Rugby before where opposition teams have set up under the posts like a lineout and lifted a player to pluck the ball out of the air before it clears the post. Are they not allowed to do that anymore? As it would have seemed the perfect time for the Crusaders to try it.

Conversion kick yes (that is why you see them running at the kicker), penalty goal shot no.

Mattenagger7:16 pm 03 Aug 14

Who’s not watching? There were 60,000+ at the ground. I didn’t venture out to Debacle but I’m sure it would have been full with rugby fans. I did watch it at home still and it was a thoroughly entertaining match with the score swapping the lead about 4 or 5 times.

The one thing I am wondering about is the commentators were all aware that Foley might not have had the boot to get the distance for the last penalty. I’ve seen games of Super Rugby before where opposition teams have set up under the posts like a lineout and lifted a player to pluck the ball out of the air before it clears the post. Are they not allowed to do that anymore? As it would have seemed the perfect time for the Crusaders to try it.

dungfungus6:05 pm 03 Aug 14

JimCharles said :

I never took much notice of rugby til i came here 3 years ago.
I’ve watched the Raiders (not seen them win yet), and the Brumbies.
Rugby League is bash bash bash. Exciting at times, but repeatable and predictable….not a fascinating or mentally stimulating game at all. If they made it so only one player could tackle one opponent at a time, you’d see a lot more inventiveness and a faster game.
Even though the players are bulked up and strong, I’d like to see their stamina levels if they had to play consistently for 80 minutes instead of short bursts with constant stoppages. They don’t move around the pitch anywhere near as much as Union players.

Union is different. Can be boring when styles don’t compliment, but every game is like watching a game of chess, highly strategic, lots more weapons to employ, tactics to counter…the ball turnover and the instant switch from defence to attack to defence flows far better than league. If they could enforce the scrum rule and stop constant resets, it would be a lot better though.

Welcome to the ACT.
Rugby is all about “profile raising” to excite prospective Canberra University students.
We have an over-enthusiastic sports mad treasurer who thinks we should all share his vision. He can’t find enough codes in the ACT so he includes massive sponsorship of a Sydney based AFL team by paying them million to play for a few thosand spectators at Manuka, occasionally.
Next time I get my rates notice I would like to see exactly how much of my rate money goes to professional sports in the ACT. It is not sustainable.

JimCharles12:36 pm 03 Aug 14

I never took much notice of rugby til i came here 3 years ago.
I’ve watched the Raiders (not seen them win yet), and the Brumbies.
Rugby League is bash bash bash. Exciting at times, but repeatable and predictable….not a fascinating or mentally stimulating game at all. If they made it so only one player could tackle one opponent at a time, you’d see a lot more inventiveness and a faster game.
Even though the players are bulked up and strong, I’d like to see their stamina levels if they had to play consistently for 80 minutes instead of short bursts with constant stoppages. They don’t move around the pitch anywhere near as much as Union players.

Union is different. Can be boring when styles don’t compliment, but every game is like watching a game of chess, highly strategic, lots more weapons to employ, tactics to counter…the ball turnover and the instant switch from defence to attack to defence flows far better than league. If they could enforce the scrum rule and stop constant resets, it would be a lot better though.

Kim F11:58 am 03 Aug 14

I would have watched ……….if it was on Free to Air TV. Sounded like a nail biter!

theword11:07 am 03 Aug 14

Not sure what game you were watching? I’m a Brumbies fan so found it hard to support either the Tahs or Crusaders. I thought it was a great game. The tactics were to be expected for the final. The Tahs deserved their victory.