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UK rugby commentator's take on Super Rugby Aotearoa sparks fascinating north versus south debate

Crusaders stars Will Jordan, David Havili, Sevu Reece and Richie Mo'unga. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

A tweet from rugby commentator James Gemmell has kick-started a fascinating debate on the quality of rugby in the southern hemisphere compared to the north. Gemmell, who works for Sky Sports, took to Twitter to offer his opinion that New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa competition is on another level to anything he has seen before.

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Gemmell wrote: “Having lived in the UK for 12 years now, and having covered every major club rugby competition in the world, I firmly believe #SuperRugbyAotearoa 2020 has produced consistently the highest quality rugby I’ve ever seen.”

It didn’t take long for Gemmell’s tweet to take-off, with All Blacks legend Sean Fitzpatrick and former Ireland international Jamie Heaslip among those adding their voice to the discussion.

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    Eddie Jones on how rugby will return to England

    Eddie Jones, Steve Grainger RFU Rugby Development Director, Claudia MacDonald and Bill Sweeney, CEO of RFU. Eddie Jones joins a local teenage club at the Twickenham Stadium to launch a new form of socially distanced, government approved non-contact game called Ready4Rugby.

    Heaslip questioned whether the European Champions Cup winners would ‘stand a chance’, others argued that the lack of relegation in Super Rugby Aotearoa invited more open, attacking play, while some felt the competition lacks the atmosphere seen across the Champions Cup.

    Super Rugby Aotearoa concludes this weekend, with the Crusaders wrapping up the title with a game to spare thanks to a thrilling 32-22 win over the Highlanders.

    The competition has produced a number of brilliant games, and Gemmell wasn’t alone in his belief that the it has been unmatched in terms of consistent, high quality games.

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    JW 42 minutes ago
    James O'Connor, the Lions and the great club v country conundrum

    Lol you need to shoot your editor for that headline, even I near skipped the article.


    France simply need to go to a league format for the Brennus, that will shave two weekends of pointless knockout rugby from their season and raise the competitions standards and mystique no end.


    The under age loophole is also a easy door to shut, just remove the lower age limit. WR simply never envisioned a day were teams would target people under the age of 17 or whatever it is now, but much like with Rassie and his use of subs bench, that day was obviously always going to come. I can’t remember how football does it, I think it’s the other way around with them, you can’t sign anyone younger than that but unions can’t stop 17 or 18 yo’s from leaving for a pro club if they want to. There is a transaction that takes place of a few hundred thousand for a normal average player. I’d prefer rugby to be stricter and just keep the union bodies signoff being required.


    What really was their problem with Kite and co leaving though? Do we really need a game dominated by Internationals? I even think WR’s proposed calendar might be a bit too much, with at minimum 12 top tier games being played in the World Championship. I think 10 to 12, maybe any one player playing 10 of those 12 is the best way to think of it, for every international team is max, so that they can allow their domestic comps to shine if they want, and other nations like Japan and Fiji can, even some of the home nations maybe, and fill out their calendar with extra tours if they like them as a way to make money. As it is RA don’t have as good a pathway system, so they could simply buy back those players if they turn good. Are they worried they’ll be less likely to? We wait for baited breath for the new season to be laid out in front of us by WR.

    It could impose sanctions on the Fédération Française de Rugby, but the body which runs the Top 14 and the ProD2, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, is entirely independent.

    It’s not independent at all. The LNR is a body under, and commissioned by, the FFR (and Government control) to mediate the clubs. FFR can simply install a new club competition if they don’t listen, then you’d see whether the players want to stay at any club who doesn’t tow the line and move to the new competition, as they obviously wouldn’t fall under the auspice of world rugby. They would be rebels, which is fine in and upon itself, but they would isolate themselves from the rest of the game and would need to be OK with that. I have no doubt whatsoever that clubs would have to and want to fall in line to remain part of the EPCR and French rugby. Probably even the last thing they would want is to compete with another French domestic competition that has all the advantages they don’t.


    All those players would do good for a few seasons in France, especially the fringe ones, with thankfully zero risk of them being poached if they turn good. New Zealand had a turn at keeping all of it’s talent, and while it upticked the competitiveness of the Super Rugby teams into a total dominance of Australian and South African counterparts (who were suffering more heavily than most the other way at that stage), it didn’t have as positive an effect on the next step up as ensuring young talents development is not hindered does. Essentially NZR flooded the locate market with players but inevitably it didn’t think the local economy could sustain any more pro teams itself, so now we are seeing a normal amount of exodus for the availability of places again. Are Australia in exactly the same footing? I think so, finances where dicey for a while perhaps but I doubt they are putting money constraints on their contracting now. It’s purely about who leaves to open up opportunity.

    58 Go to comments
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