HIGH HOPES FOR NEW CAMPAIGN

By Peter White

The Crusaders will defend their title when the Super Rugby Pacific men’s competition kicks-off. Can any other team stop them rolling on to another triumph in 2023?

For every Super Rugby player, the grind of pre-season fitness work – charging up bush-clad hills and running on soft sand beaches under sweltering heat – is never something to look forward to.

But you can bet the tournament to be held in France through September and October this year has brought an extra edge to the training sessions and warm-up games. This is Rugby World Cup year and while it is not front of mind right now, it will definitely be lurking in the thoughts of every player looking to make an impact in Super Rugby Pacific.

The second instalment of Super Rugby Pacific kicks-off in Christchurch on February 24 with a mouth-watering clash between defending champions Crusaders and the highly rated Chiefs.

Once again, the Crusaders are the team to beat after winning a record 11th Super Rugby title last year. The Blues were the form team throughout the competition, losing just one game compared to the three suffered by the Crusaders on route to the play-offs.

The Blues just edged the Brumbies 20–19 in one semi- final, while the Crusaders defeated the Chiefs 20–7 in the other, setting up a final for the ages at Eden Park.

Not for the first time, the Crusaders played at a different level in the season’s showpiece, with their All Blacks-dominant forward pack seizing control of the set pieces to inspire a 21–7 victory.

Crusaders’ coach Scott Robertson has again assembled a top-class squad, with his canny ability to find relatively untried players who always seem to quickly reach the highest standards.

The Blues were obviously disappointed to have played so much great rugby last year, only to fall at the final hurdle, but will be mentally much stronger for the experience. Coach Leon MacDonald has abundant depth of talent across his squad, with the return from Japan of former captain Patrick Tuipulotu a major boost to the tight forwards.

Pocket-rocket Damian McKenzie returns from playing in Japan to not only illuminate the Chiefs’ attack but the whole competition. His form could well dictate how well Clayton McMillan’s team performs.

Last year, Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika added the

Pacific flavour to Super Rugby that has been desired by so many for so long. There were plenty of tears shed by administrators and fans of both teams as years of frustration were finally rewarded.

The new teams had little build-up time ahead of last year’s landmark competition and consequently struggled to find any consistency, but there are positive signs from both camps that they will be highly competitive this time round.

Fijian Drua will play six home games in Fiji, rather than the two they had last year when they were based in Australia, while Moana Pasifika host an historic first home game in Apia in round eight against Queensland Reds, which will be something to behold.

Last December, New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia announced details of a new joint-venture agreement that will extend the current format until 2030, which is a hugely significant decision for the growth of professional rugby in the Pacific region.

The family connections among Super Rugby Pacific teams always creates an interesting element to the competition.

This year, there are seven sets of brothers spread across the five New Zealand clubs with Akira and Rieko Ioane (Blues), Julian and Ardie Savea (Hurricanes), Beauden, Scott and Jordie Barrett (Blues, Crusaders and Hurricanes), Anton and Daniel Lienert-Brown (Chiefs and Highlanders), Bailyn and Zarn Sullivan (Hurricanes and Blues), James and Will Tucker (Blues and Highlanders), and the Umaga-Jensen twins, Peter and Thomas (Hurricanes and Highlanders).

The Super Round involving all 12 teams returns to AAMI Park in Melbourne in round two: Friday, March 3 to Sunday, March 5. Last year, COVID-19 restrictions forced a move to ANZAC weekend, which meant rugby competed against the totally dominant AFL in the Victorian capital.

This time there is no clash of events, which should mean big crowds will turn-out to watch the double-header matches to be played each day. It is a hugely important weekend for promoting not just Super Rugby Pacific but the game of rugby to a wider audience.

All Super Rugby Pacific matches will be live and exclusive on Sky Sport New Zealand.