The true way to test the enjoyability of Super Rugby Pacific is to watch the Waratahs v Western Force game in Sydney on Saturday without a Wallabies lens.
If you can watch that game and not give two hoots about whether Rob Leota or Nick Champion de Crespigny have gone up in Joe Schmidt’s estimation, then Super Rugby Pacific is well on the way to becoming a standalone product with a genuine future.
That’s the way I’ll be watching it, because it is clear that over the opening three rounds that Super Rugby is carving out an identity that is distinct to Test rugby.
The two will never be able to be completely separated, particularly as Super Rugby has a high-performance function in helping players to prepare for Test rugby, but the excellent opening month of Super Rugby has delivered such a level of engagement that the viewer finds him or herself frankly not caring about the Wallabies or the All Blacks.
Related News
17 Mar, 2025
ICC fines Khushdil Shah 50pc match fee f . . .
16 Aug, 2025
Thomas Müller set to make Vancouver Whit . . .
18 Mar, 2025
Egypt gears up for World Cup qualifiers
15 Jul, 2025
CPI, Cong leaders shot dead in separate . . .
28 Apr, 2025
Introducing the Sponsor’s Exemption for . . .
07 Apr, 2025
Ishant Sharma fined 25 percent of match . . .
01 Jul, 2025
You'll soon be able to buy Fantastic Fou . . .
16 May, 2025
Alexis Ohanian follows wife Serena Willi . . .