What we Learned from SUPER RUGBY AOTEAROA

PLAYERS FEAR IT WILL BREAK THEM

Super Rugby Aotearoa produced exactly the sort of rugby that had been envisioned by the founders of the Sanzar competition 25 years ago.

Every weekend there was drama, intensity, compelling rugby that left everyone in doubt about the outcome until the final minutes.

The rugby was bruising, physical and skilled, It was fast and furious and there was obvious passion – rivalries were real and keenly felt.

Players and coaches were in agreement that the games were about as close to test match intensity as it was possible to get.

As Rob Nichol, head of the Rugby Players' Association, said: “You just have to watch the games. They’re incredibly intense both emotionally and physically.

“It’s as close as you’re going to get to test match rugby. And we all know that if you ask players to play three Tier One test matches in a row … to come down emotionally and then get back up is pretty hard.”

It's possible to become confused with this statement and wonder whether this is contradicting the previous arguments made under the old set-up, which was that the greatest flaw in the 15, 16 or 18-team formats was that there was not enough competition and that too many games were one-sided.

But, Nichol's point is more related to the fact that with just five teams there was no room to build-in enough bye weekends. With three more teams, the competition would provide an intensity of competition, but also more breathing space for the players to recover and prepare.

“The footy is awesome, the content is really good and