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Over in the Southern Hemisphere, momentum is starting to build and the runners and riders in this year’s Super Rugby competition are starting to make themselves known. In England’s Aviva Premiership, the pecking order has been established for some time, and now it’s a case of jockeying for position with one eye on the playoffs or, for some, where they’ll be playing next season. But which competition is best? There’s only one logical answer…
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Relegation makes things more interesting
Bristol may be propping up the table, but their fight for survival adds a level of spice to a competition which would be over by now without the threat of doom provided by a trapdoor into the Championship dungeon. Sure, an underfunded and largely non-competitive second tier renders banishment from the Premiership a potential death sentence (RIP London Welsh), but Super Rugby lacks the requisite mortality to force teams at the bottom end of the table to pour their hearts into the game. Thus, especially towards the end of the season, you end up with matches with little to no meaning, with players just trying to avoid injury instead of being terrified of financial ruin.
Defence over attack
The free-flowing, free-running, free-scoring rugby on display in the Southern Hemisphere may be pleasing on the eyes, but it lacks the grit and bile of a good old fashioned English mud-wrestle. Titanic tussles in terrible conditions resulting in a 6-3 victory can be every bit as entertaining as an extravagant try fest, and the ability to prevent the opposition scoring is often as rewarding as scoring yourself. A beautifully choreographed routine featuring every player on the team, finishing with Julian Savea going under the sticks unopposed may look pretty, but seeing the perpetually gnarled Dan Cole flop exhaustedly over the line in the pissing rain after 78 minutes of running into a brick wall also has its charms. Plus, by liking the more complex or less aesthetically pleasing aspects of rugby, English fans get to think of themselves as culturally superior, like people who listen to experimental jazz or Tom Waits.
The fans
Super Rugby matches seem to generate a decent atmosphere for the most part, but it’s jarring to watch some of the best players in the world performing in giant stadiums with a sea of empty seats. English teams have seemingly learnt the lessons of London Irish, who will be taking a step down in capacity from the never-full Madejski to Brentford FC’s proposed new ground in 2019. Matches are generally well-attended in the Premiership, probably largely due to the fact it’s ever so slightly easier to travel from Northampton to Leicester than it is from Auckland to Buenos Aires. There’s also a little less razzle-dazzle in the Prem, with a general paucity of pyrotechnics or scantily clad women serving as substitutes for genuine atmosphere – though the less said about the god-awful Stand Up For the Saracens song the better.
Big name players
A controversial one this, considering the bulk of the former Tri-Nations international sides still ply their trade in Super Rugby, but the Premiership seems to be attracting more and more big name players. Whilst France has long been the destination of established big names looking for a hefty pay cheque for relatively little work, French rugby is waking up to the reality of allowing clubs to chuck money around without developing their own talent. As such, the mass exodus to France seems to have stymied somewhat, but it looks like the big buck deals are shifting to Blighty, especially given the increase of funds from the new TV contract. Relegation favourites Bristol have attracted the likes of Steven Luatua, Northampton have pinched Cobus Reinach, Willie Le Roux will be lining up for Wasps and Maxime Mermoz will be heading to Newcastle after his stint with Leicester. South Africa have recently adopted the Australian system in order to allow them to pick overseas based players as they attempt to overcome the departures of several key players. Whilst the All Black production line shows no sign of slowing down, expect to see more and more big names popping up in England before word gets out that the weather is bloody awful in the UK.
