The hard questions needed to be asked about Super Rugby
There was some outstanding rugby played throughout Super Rugby, with tournament organisers justified in talking up the increased competitiveness of games and uptempo rugby.
But there are hard questions to be asked of the competition based on the following: in the four years since its inception, only three teams have made the Super Rugby Pacific grand final (Crusaders, Chiefs and Blues). Further, in the 12 semi-finals and grand finals in the 2022-2025 period, only one game involved a team that wasn't the Crusaders, Chiefs, Blues or Brumbies. This is atypical of not just comparable tournaments around the world, but of Super Rugby itself, especially in the 2011-2016 period that produced a diversity of finalists and winners. Competition owners Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby should be asking themselves three things: what changed (or didn't change) after the end of the 'old' Super Rugby to create this four-team dominance?; will it change in the coming years? (in my opinion, no); and if not, what are they going to do about it?
Lolesio loss really hurt the Brumbies
The Brumbies gave it a crack against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday, although even the most committed Brumbies' fans must have had a sinking feeling when James Slipper was penalised just before halftime, an area where the Brumbies had to dominate if they wanted to cause an upset on the road. However, the key moment of the game was the loss of Noah Lolesio in the early stages due to a failed HIA. Not surprisingly, it took Jack Debreczeni about 15-20 minutes to find the rhythm of the game, and even when he settled he was always going to find it hard to replicate the influence that Lolesio has on the Brumbies' game. The Chiefs got a big bump from their bench - the replacement props maintained the scrum pressure while halfback Xavier Roe and playmaker Josh Jacomb were sharp.
Combustible Cheika may be too hot to handle
Michael Cheika almost went out in a blaze of glory with Leicester at the weekend, narrowly losing the Premiership final 23-21 to Bath, but he had one last spray for match officials. Calling a yellow card to prop Dan Cole 'embarrassing for the game', Cheika was also critical of how the scrums were officiated and was clearly irate on the sidelines. It's all part of the package with Cheika, who has an amazing record of turning teams around but also comes with obvious baggage. Wallabies legend Tim Horan this week called for Australian rugby to find a role for Cheika somewhere in the system but there is no mystery while administrators at national or state level don't seem to be rolling out the red carpet. He's an enormous character, obviously very smart but complex, and not the coach for any chief executive who already has enough on his or her plate.
New Super Rugby AU competition will be a step forward
There appears to be a diminished appetite in New Zealand for Australian players, which is just one more reason why the much-expected Super Rugby AU competition in September would be a good thing. It's thought to be one round and a final, and therefore quite limited in scope, but it will still plug a gap in the calendar for those players who aren't involved in the Wallabies. Everyone is struggling with the 'third-tier' format - debates in New Zealand and South Africa are fairly constant about the role of the NPC and Currie Cup, respectively, but the consensus remains that although the perfect model is elusive, an imperfect competition is preferable to the void that Australia has been a constraint on Australian rugby for years.
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The Advertiser
32 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Rugby Australia warned: Release your Wallabies, or else
The British and Irish Lions have put Rugby Australia on notice, declaring the governing body will be breaking an agreement if they don't release Wallabies players to oppose them in tour games. After touching down in Perth on Sunday night, the Lions attended a Welcome to Country ceremony at Kings Park on Monday ahead of the highly-anticipated three-match Test series against Australia. The first Test will take place at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on July 19, but before that comes a concerted build-up for the tourists. More than 40,000 fans are expected to turn out to watch the Lions take on the Force at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. They will then play the Queensland Reds (July 2), the NSW Waratahs (July 5) and the ACT Brumbies (July 9) before facing a combined Australia and New Zealand outfit in Adelaide on July 12. The Force will unleash Wallabies squad members Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White against the Lions on Saturday. But complicating matters is the fact the Wallabies take on Fiji on July 6, meaning other Force squad members like Carlo Tizzano, Harry Potter, Jeremy Williams and Ben Donaldson are in camp with the Wallabies and will miss out on the first tour match against the Lions. Australian coach Joe Schmidt was initially keen to protect most of his squad from the tour games, but has since softened his stance somewhat. The Lions want Rugby Australia to make as many Wallabies players as possible available for the tour matches. "The agreement is very clear. It says that Test players have to be released to play in the fixtures leading into that Test series, and so that's our expectation," Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said on Monday. "I think it's really important that these games are competitive. "And it's not just from a performance standpoint. The players do want to test themselves, and they do want to build towards the Test series. "It's also right for the fans and for the broadcasters and the partners and so forth, who are all expecting competitive fixtures, and for the rugby-loving public here in Australia, "We'll play the game at the weekend, and we'll carry on having discussions with Rugby Australia, with (RA chief executive) Phil Waugh and the rest of the executive team." The Lions are licking their wounds following a shock 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week. Though stung by the defeat, it opened the conversation of whether Argentina or even France deserved to be included on the current rotation of Lions tours. Currently, the Lions only tour every four years, alternating between Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. "We remain open to having discussions about what the future for the Lions may hold, but those conversations are for another time," Calveley said. "You can certainly understand why people will get excited about that sort of a concept (a series in France). "What's not to like about some of those wonderful clubs you could play against and some of those wonderful venues in the summer time as well? "I've seen the feedback over the last couple of weeks from various people ... and it was enormously positive. But we're focused now on this tour. "We haven't made any decisions to go in that direction yet." The British and Irish Lions have put Rugby Australia on notice, declaring the governing body will be breaking an agreement if they don't release Wallabies players to oppose them in tour games. After touching down in Perth on Sunday night, the Lions attended a Welcome to Country ceremony at Kings Park on Monday ahead of the highly-anticipated three-match Test series against Australia. The first Test will take place at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on July 19, but before that comes a concerted build-up for the tourists. More than 40,000 fans are expected to turn out to watch the Lions take on the Force at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. They will then play the Queensland Reds (July 2), the NSW Waratahs (July 5) and the ACT Brumbies (July 9) before facing a combined Australia and New Zealand outfit in Adelaide on July 12. The Force will unleash Wallabies squad members Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White against the Lions on Saturday. But complicating matters is the fact the Wallabies take on Fiji on July 6, meaning other Force squad members like Carlo Tizzano, Harry Potter, Jeremy Williams and Ben Donaldson are in camp with the Wallabies and will miss out on the first tour match against the Lions. Australian coach Joe Schmidt was initially keen to protect most of his squad from the tour games, but has since softened his stance somewhat. The Lions want Rugby Australia to make as many Wallabies players as possible available for the tour matches. "The agreement is very clear. It says that Test players have to be released to play in the fixtures leading into that Test series, and so that's our expectation," Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said on Monday. "I think it's really important that these games are competitive. "And it's not just from a performance standpoint. The players do want to test themselves, and they do want to build towards the Test series. "It's also right for the fans and for the broadcasters and the partners and so forth, who are all expecting competitive fixtures, and for the rugby-loving public here in Australia, "We'll play the game at the weekend, and we'll carry on having discussions with Rugby Australia, with (RA chief executive) Phil Waugh and the rest of the executive team." The Lions are licking their wounds following a shock 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week. Though stung by the defeat, it opened the conversation of whether Argentina or even France deserved to be included on the current rotation of Lions tours. Currently, the Lions only tour every four years, alternating between Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. "We remain open to having discussions about what the future for the Lions may hold, but those conversations are for another time," Calveley said. "You can certainly understand why people will get excited about that sort of a concept (a series in France). "What's not to like about some of those wonderful clubs you could play against and some of those wonderful venues in the summer time as well? "I've seen the feedback over the last couple of weeks from various people ... and it was enormously positive. But we're focused now on this tour. "We haven't made any decisions to go in that direction yet." The British and Irish Lions have put Rugby Australia on notice, declaring the governing body will be breaking an agreement if they don't release Wallabies players to oppose them in tour games. After touching down in Perth on Sunday night, the Lions attended a Welcome to Country ceremony at Kings Park on Monday ahead of the highly-anticipated three-match Test series against Australia. The first Test will take place at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on July 19, but before that comes a concerted build-up for the tourists. More than 40,000 fans are expected to turn out to watch the Lions take on the Force at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. They will then play the Queensland Reds (July 2), the NSW Waratahs (July 5) and the ACT Brumbies (July 9) before facing a combined Australia and New Zealand outfit in Adelaide on July 12. The Force will unleash Wallabies squad members Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White against the Lions on Saturday. But complicating matters is the fact the Wallabies take on Fiji on July 6, meaning other Force squad members like Carlo Tizzano, Harry Potter, Jeremy Williams and Ben Donaldson are in camp with the Wallabies and will miss out on the first tour match against the Lions. Australian coach Joe Schmidt was initially keen to protect most of his squad from the tour games, but has since softened his stance somewhat. The Lions want Rugby Australia to make as many Wallabies players as possible available for the tour matches. "The agreement is very clear. It says that Test players have to be released to play in the fixtures leading into that Test series, and so that's our expectation," Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said on Monday. "I think it's really important that these games are competitive. "And it's not just from a performance standpoint. The players do want to test themselves, and they do want to build towards the Test series. "It's also right for the fans and for the broadcasters and the partners and so forth, who are all expecting competitive fixtures, and for the rugby-loving public here in Australia, "We'll play the game at the weekend, and we'll carry on having discussions with Rugby Australia, with (RA chief executive) Phil Waugh and the rest of the executive team." The Lions are licking their wounds following a shock 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week. Though stung by the defeat, it opened the conversation of whether Argentina or even France deserved to be included on the current rotation of Lions tours. Currently, the Lions only tour every four years, alternating between Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. "We remain open to having discussions about what the future for the Lions may hold, but those conversations are for another time," Calveley said. "You can certainly understand why people will get excited about that sort of a concept (a series in France). "What's not to like about some of those wonderful clubs you could play against and some of those wonderful venues in the summer time as well? "I've seen the feedback over the last couple of weeks from various people ... and it was enormously positive. But we're focused now on this tour. "We haven't made any decisions to go in that direction yet."
The Advertiser
33 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Bad news for Saints, All-Australian Dog sidelined
St Kilda's Max King has needed more knee surgery, confirming he won't play any AFL this season. The key forward's inability to recover from his pre-season injury has been a disaster for the Saints, who are in the bottom four after Saturday night's fighting loss to Collingwood. Also on Monday, Saints young gun Mattaes Phillipou reportedly is out for several weeks. He was distraught after aggravating a lower-leg injury only minutes before of the start of the Collingwood game and was a late withdrawal. And the Western Bulldogs have lost All-Australian Adam Treloar for six weeks with another calf muscle injury. Treloar was hurt in the first half of Sunday's win over Richmond and coach Luke Beveridge said there was "significant concern" about the midfielder's latest setback. King has not played since round 17 last year, but the Saints had been hopeful he would return before the end of this season. He has already needed two operations on his right knee because of the initial injury during a February practice match. The Saints re-signed King to a six-year deal last season, taking him to 2032. In a statement, the club said Monday's surgery was on damage to the medial aspect of the knee, which had caused "occasional but persistent" pain. The Saints are also adamant they have been baffled by King's ongoing problems. "Max's case has not been simple nor linear, and we've attempted to adequately keep our members and fans up to date while maintaining Max's privacy," said Saints football boss Dave Misson. "We have also been dealing with a medical situation that has often confounded the many medical experts we have consulted."About 10 days ago, as Max was closing in on a return to football, he felt a clunking in his knee - the same knee that has been causing him trouble throughout this season."This was as surprising as it was frustrating, as all indications were that Max's most recent arthroscope had addressed this issue." That meant more consultations and scans, leading to Monday's surgery. "We feel the cause of Max's issue has been pinpointed and that damage to the medial aspect of his knee, in certain situations, was impeding his movement and causing pain," Misson said. "The operation aimed to address and repair this issue. It will see Max off-legs for several months, however, will allow him to be ready for the commencement of pre-season." Meanwhile, the AFL website reported Phillipou would be out for several weeks after his plantaris tendon injury flared again before Saturday night's match. Phillipou was a late scratching when he felt sharp pain in his calf while warming up. Injuries have restricted him to only four games this season. Treloar has only played four games in 2025 after last year's All-Australian honours. The Bulldogs confirmed he has a moderate-grade calf strain and ruled him out for six weeks. St Kilda's Max King has needed more knee surgery, confirming he won't play any AFL this season. The key forward's inability to recover from his pre-season injury has been a disaster for the Saints, who are in the bottom four after Saturday night's fighting loss to Collingwood. Also on Monday, Saints young gun Mattaes Phillipou reportedly is out for several weeks. He was distraught after aggravating a lower-leg injury only minutes before of the start of the Collingwood game and was a late withdrawal. And the Western Bulldogs have lost All-Australian Adam Treloar for six weeks with another calf muscle injury. Treloar was hurt in the first half of Sunday's win over Richmond and coach Luke Beveridge said there was "significant concern" about the midfielder's latest setback. King has not played since round 17 last year, but the Saints had been hopeful he would return before the end of this season. He has already needed two operations on his right knee because of the initial injury during a February practice match. The Saints re-signed King to a six-year deal last season, taking him to 2032. In a statement, the club said Monday's surgery was on damage to the medial aspect of the knee, which had caused "occasional but persistent" pain. The Saints are also adamant they have been baffled by King's ongoing problems. "Max's case has not been simple nor linear, and we've attempted to adequately keep our members and fans up to date while maintaining Max's privacy," said Saints football boss Dave Misson. "We have also been dealing with a medical situation that has often confounded the many medical experts we have consulted."About 10 days ago, as Max was closing in on a return to football, he felt a clunking in his knee - the same knee that has been causing him trouble throughout this season."This was as surprising as it was frustrating, as all indications were that Max's most recent arthroscope had addressed this issue." That meant more consultations and scans, leading to Monday's surgery. "We feel the cause of Max's issue has been pinpointed and that damage to the medial aspect of his knee, in certain situations, was impeding his movement and causing pain," Misson said. "The operation aimed to address and repair this issue. It will see Max off-legs for several months, however, will allow him to be ready for the commencement of pre-season." Meanwhile, the AFL website reported Phillipou would be out for several weeks after his plantaris tendon injury flared again before Saturday night's match. Phillipou was a late scratching when he felt sharp pain in his calf while warming up. Injuries have restricted him to only four games this season. Treloar has only played four games in 2025 after last year's All-Australian honours. The Bulldogs confirmed he has a moderate-grade calf strain and ruled him out for six weeks. St Kilda's Max King has needed more knee surgery, confirming he won't play any AFL this season. The key forward's inability to recover from his pre-season injury has been a disaster for the Saints, who are in the bottom four after Saturday night's fighting loss to Collingwood. Also on Monday, Saints young gun Mattaes Phillipou reportedly is out for several weeks. He was distraught after aggravating a lower-leg injury only minutes before of the start of the Collingwood game and was a late withdrawal. And the Western Bulldogs have lost All-Australian Adam Treloar for six weeks with another calf muscle injury. Treloar was hurt in the first half of Sunday's win over Richmond and coach Luke Beveridge said there was "significant concern" about the midfielder's latest setback. King has not played since round 17 last year, but the Saints had been hopeful he would return before the end of this season. He has already needed two operations on his right knee because of the initial injury during a February practice match. The Saints re-signed King to a six-year deal last season, taking him to 2032. In a statement, the club said Monday's surgery was on damage to the medial aspect of the knee, which had caused "occasional but persistent" pain. The Saints are also adamant they have been baffled by King's ongoing problems. "Max's case has not been simple nor linear, and we've attempted to adequately keep our members and fans up to date while maintaining Max's privacy," said Saints football boss Dave Misson. "We have also been dealing with a medical situation that has often confounded the many medical experts we have consulted."About 10 days ago, as Max was closing in on a return to football, he felt a clunking in his knee - the same knee that has been causing him trouble throughout this season."This was as surprising as it was frustrating, as all indications were that Max's most recent arthroscope had addressed this issue." That meant more consultations and scans, leading to Monday's surgery. "We feel the cause of Max's issue has been pinpointed and that damage to the medial aspect of his knee, in certain situations, was impeding his movement and causing pain," Misson said. "The operation aimed to address and repair this issue. It will see Max off-legs for several months, however, will allow him to be ready for the commencement of pre-season." Meanwhile, the AFL website reported Phillipou would be out for several weeks after his plantaris tendon injury flared again before Saturday night's match. Phillipou was a late scratching when he felt sharp pain in his calf while warming up. Injuries have restricted him to only four games this season. Treloar has only played four games in 2025 after last year's All-Australian honours. The Bulldogs confirmed he has a moderate-grade calf strain and ruled him out for six weeks.
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Veterans not done yet: Hazlewood and Lyon reject Johnson's Ashes exit remarks in The Nightly
Nathan Lyon says the ageing members of the Australian team are not waiting around for a grand send-off during the Ashes this summer, while Josh Hazlewood has defended his decision to return to the IPL instead of beginning his World Test Championship (WTC) preparation early, after the pair were among those criticised by Mitchell Johnson last week. Writing for The Sunday Times and The Nightly, Johnson wrote the Australian selectors faced tough decisions regarding the veterans in the team following the WTC loss to South Africa at Lord's earlier this month. 'Our successful 'big four' bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon can't be taken for granted as a lock going forward either,' Johnson wrote. 'We've seen concerns about Hazlewood's fitness in recent years, and his decision to prioritise returning to the delayed Indian Premier League over his national team preparations raised eyebrows. Lyon didn't look his best on day three either. 'If veteran players are sticking around just for the Ashes as a send-off, it does beg the question of whether that's the right mindset. It's crucial that we embrace the future and build confidence in selecting our next Test players.' Hazlewood, 34, has a career bowling average of 24.7 over 73 Tests and took 35 wickets at an average of 13.6 in 2024. He took 2-85 at Lord's and was part of a 59-run tenth wicket stand with Mitchell Starc that put Australia in a much-stronger position ahead of South Africa's second dig after Australia's batters failed in both innings. Speaking in Bridgetown ahead of the first Test against the West Indies on Wednesday, Hazlewood explained why he decided to return to the IPL in late May after it was halted following air strikes between India and Pakistan. 'It seemed far and away the best place to get ready for any type of cricket that was coming up,' he said. 'The weather was definitely a factor as well. Just getting over there and playing intense competition like that — it's hard to replicate in training. 'In Sydney, it was raining and I had literally nowhere to bowl. I got to Brisbane for three or four days and it was very wet. We were lucky to get on. I just thought the best place to bowl was India. We were still in the competition, we were going to play semis, and I was going to be there for 10 days.' Lyon, now aged 37, denied he had his sights set on retiring after the home Ashes series. He has a bowling average of 30.33 for the 553 wickets he has taken across 137 Tests. In 2024 he had an average of 22.69 over nine Tests, taking 33 wickets. 'Regarding 'Johnno', there's nothing really to be said there,' Lyon said. 'We never take any of our positions for granted. There's that much competition within the squad … and guys putting the senior players under pressure. 'There's no one planning a farewell tour or anything like that. I don't see why the guys can't keep going for a number of years. They're only doing that for the betterment of Australian cricket. We want to play in games, we want to win games. 'That (South Africa loss) does still sting a fair bit, to be honest with you. 'We're really proud of the last two years that we've had to reach the final. Everyone says how hard finals are to reach, but we got outplayed. And that's the disappointing part of it — a tough pill to swallow.' The selectors did heed Johnson's analysis that Marnus Labuschagne had run out of chances, dropping the Queenslander for Sam Konstas for the upcoming three-Test series.
