In this pinned comment I've attached links to a source I cited from Otago University, as well as a previous video I made around this topic, before I'd reached 1k subscribers. Old Video - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nraDqs942cqXimg.html Fair Use (Otago University) - www.otago.ac.nz/administration/copyright/otago016309.html

As a "Northerner" I can't lie super rugby is still awesome to watch even nowadays 😂😂😂. Used to be better of course, but I love the more dynamic rugby you see in super rugby .

Having seen both worlds now with SA teams being in Super Rugby and NH I think I have a rough idea of what I think are the big issues in Super Rugby. When Super Rugby first hit onto the scene it was a big hit in all 3 nations. Despite the fact that time-zones and travel logistics were crazy the competition worked. My understanding is that the old Super 12 was closer to the Heineken Cup in Europe in the sense that all 3 nations had strong feeder competitions. Currie Cup was still a big deal in South Africa, NPC in NZ and Australia had a healthy amateur scene. Those local competitions create the fantastic tribalism that draws the crowds. Without those strong competitions you basically get a diluted Rugby Championship where you start supporting fellow teams against foreign teams. This may sound like a positive but it also takes away from the tribalism that was built up for over a century in those countries. Not to mention that foreign teams start to seem homogeneous rather than distinct clubs with their own history and fan base. In Europe there is a healthy domestic scene (although Prem is going through a rough patch it has more to do with external factors). Ireland can easily get 40-50k for a domestic derby because they still see each other as distinct teams with their own history. Same in France and Premiership. How would I fix Super Rugby? 1. The Super Rugby channel should have it's own talk show with a mix of NZ, Aus and Islander pundits. Allow them to mix and debate to educate the public on what is a Brumby or what is a Chief. You will feel more compelled to watch a match when you understand who the opposition are. I can tell you from the URC that the first couple of months were hard to get interested but thanks to reddit, twitter and other platforms and interacting with the Irish, Scots, Welsh and Italians I have grown a fondness to their teams. I never thought I would ever get hyped for a Glasgow v Stormers match but I did. 2. Either do the NPC solution in this video or allow for players to play in what ever club and still get selected for their national team. Yes this damages cohesion but imagine how excited a Reds fan will be seeing Barret play for them or how much hype a Hooper to highlanders move will have. 3. Lastly stop having the conversation about whether this player will make the All Blacks or not after games or during. It might seem harmless but it feeds into the perception that these are just gloried trial competitions. You should rather take pride that many of the All Blacks are crusaders, rather than many of the crusaders are All Blacks (there is a difference).

From the start in 1996 to 2013 it was expanded to 12 best teams from NZ, Aus and SA. Then came the big rethink with conferences and expansion. And it went south (pardon the pun) from there. Ultimately resulting in the loss of SA sides to the north. SANZAR killed a brilliant product in Super 12. The days of bulls v saders finals and the heady days of the Brumbies. They broke the golden rule, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Thank you for this video, I was brought up on NPC rugby as a kid proud Waikato man who hated Auckland. The point I am making is the NPC has history. For 100 years we have followed our NPC sides and sellout ranfurly shield games. It makes me so angry and mad to see how the game we love so much in NZ has been ransacked by the NZR and SANZAR. What makes me more angry is that the NZ public have not called out NZR for what has happened to the game we love, it’s our country identity. We let this happen. You just have to look at when they tried to make super league soccer in Europe and the fans were furious. I love my rugby so much with so much passion, I live and breathe it. But it’s heading to life support and it’s so hard to watch. It really makes me emotional how the game we love is being tarnished. This year we have 208 NZ super rugby players. There are 211 NZ professional players playing overseas. Absolutely ridiculous. How does this not make people mad. We are not the rugby nation we once were.

Great analysis. I had a chat recently with Mark Robinson of NZR. Nice guy and he was a little bemused when I told him I have almost no interest in NZ rugby - haven't been back to Eden Park for ages - a huge mostly empty stadium - expensive food and a dull day out. Northern Hemisphere rugby is by far more interesting. Good and enthusiastic crowds and way better commentators and really good rugby to watch with teams that a really more competitive with one another . Sports is all about the packaging as much as the content . Our comps have dull names and dull boof head commentators - Northern Hemisphere is just way better and the 6 nations this year was fantastic!!!!!!!

Firstly thanks for great informative content. This coming from a Saffa who has the privilege of calling NZ home. Super Rugby died long before the SA teams left the competition. The reason as you stated in you video is the lack of Narional players in domestic leagues. Curry Cup in SA is not worth watching anymore because of this. We have to go back to keeping rugby as local as possible with a good spread of National payers in domestic teams. Competition between teams is crucial. This is were the NFL in the US gets it right. I agree mostly with your thoughts, accept for including AUS teams in the NPC. If the quality of the product is good enough then TV rights will flow in and further fund the development of local talents as long as the money is ploughed back into development and even the playing field for all local teams. Keep the content coming.

Good analysis. Btw complete agree re the rules: I hear some NH fans saying we should bring in the 20 minute red card for the Six Nations but I'm completely against it.

Totally agree. They should just expand the NPC. Include all the existing Super Australian teams, more if any and run it like a division set up like the NFL. That way hopefully the players actually get some down time at the end of season.

Point about discipline - I completely agree! You see SH teams getting cards way more often than NH teams and they can't get away with it any more given how much stronger the NH has become recently

It was a sad day when the S.A teams left..😢

Where can I buy a crusaders shirt with the old logo.

Great video mate, I agree that SuperRugby should be dissolved, then NPC should be the main NZ domestic league, I wouldn't add AUS teams they should rather build up their already amazing lower league clubs which have amazing following get those teams in a national Pro competition. Then have a Champions cup style competition that can be called SuperRugby with the top 4 of NPC, top 4 of AUS Cup, top 4 of Japan League One, and sprinkle in some of the pacific teams like Drua and Moana and bring maybe even in the top USMLR and Super Rugby Americas teams in a knockout tournament. And although the MLR product isn't great right now but looking at the attendance this year it's been highly successful. Utah Warriors (team in last place) just played their final game in an MLS stadium for the 1st time and was able to attract 10,000 people.

Here’s my 9 teams to form a condensed NPC Northern Taniwha Northland/North Harbour Supercity Blues Auckland/Counties Manakau Waikato Chiefs Taranaki, King Country, Waikato Whakaari Swamp foxes (Bay of Plenty/Thames Valley) Hawke’s Bay Magpies (Hawkes Bay / Waiarapa, East Coast, Poverty Bay) Wellington Hurricanes (Whanganui/Wellington/Horowhenua/Kapiti/Manawatu) Kahurangi Mako (Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough, Buller) Canterbury Mainlanders (Canterbury, West Coast, South Canterbury, Mid Canterbury) Southern Highlanders (Southland, North Otago, Otago) I thought about evenly spreading populations and choosing the right geographical locations when coming up with this

So I slightly disagree with the NPC and Aussie mix. As a South African I where always jealous of how NZ choose players to represent Super Rugby. Mixing guys from different NPC teams to Formulate a Super rugby Team. In SA we got 14 unions but guys only playing in the super rugby teams Wil represent that union. For example a Stormers Player will be a Western Province Player. But a SWD Eagle player will not represent the Stormers although their from the same region. Thus we only had a few players in a Huge player pool. So keep the NPC in NZ and get super rugby teams like you do from NPC players But to change Super Rugby I will Add Japanese Rugby. By adding Japan Top league to Super rugby. So 24 teams in total divide into two leagues of 12. Promotion/Relegation system of 3 or 4 teams. This will inject so many money into NZ and Australian rugby. And also promote rugby in Japan the pacific Islands. Players will be bought buy bigger teams in Japan but also have to compete against great super rugby Teams. Sorry for the long comment. Love out of South Africa 🇿🇦

Bro i watched this whole thing with my 12 yr old son n he learned alot appreciate the work and research youve done on this video keep it up brother

NZ and Australia lack Crowds. But Fiji, I dont think so!!. Crowds wild overhere🎉. We would leave the TV on for the elders and just go watch some freakish SR tries😊

Definitely jumped on northern hemisphere rugby and actually learned to appreciate it more! Rugby needs to get progressive with its approach to the digital era! I definitely think a major issue was super rugby expanding and then contracting - just really lost its buzz! Cheers for the shoutout too! All love.

Nz can only afford 5 fully professional teams in Nz and remain competitive in an international market. If there were more Pro teams each player would get a smaller piece of the pie and the best players would be off, fans would disengage even more and then the whole thing would collapse In an ideal world nz would go back to the NPC as the premier competition but they can't afford that many teams fully pro teams

Question: Does Super rugby have worse discipline or are refs just stricter and more likely to dish out red cards (knowing that it will have less impact on the outcome of the game)?

“95,000 in Canterbury”?? You probably mean 9,000

I was afraid a video like this would show up, but fair analysis on SANZAAR's piss poor sense of direction with the "rest periods" for All Blacks and Wallabies players that stuffed the domestic comp for NZ at least. Reminds me of how professionalism in Fiji was attempted in the 2000s but fans were more into their provincial teams and it died out. But yeah investment into domestic comps like the NPC and RA trying something similar would be something where SR could be revamped into a comp similar to your idea, because at the moment SANZAAR might as well try a southern hemisphere "Heineken Cup" with Japanese League One if they're so concerned about finances and getting more bums on seats where the Drua home games literally put them to shame. Still love Super Rugby though despite the SANZAAR meatheads in charge not being too bright and innovative as you Max. 😉 ✌️

100% abolish super rugby. Round robin NPC with quarters, semis and grand final. Add the 5 Oz teams as well. U20 competition running alongside.

I watch a bit of super rugby now...tbh it feels a bit 'same-y'. Lovely tries but no defence and poor tackling. I think u could make a similar video about the currie cup and turning it into a round robin league with 14-16 teams. Rugby keeps trying top down development instead of supporting the foundations/semi pro and community game. In Ireland...the AIL has suffered as a result of the provinces. Would be nice to see the AIL, Welsh premiership and Scottish championship form a 3 conference 'Celtic League'.

from a springbok their provincial teams with aussies and the teams that joint not playing top club teams in the world but i cant say if its a good or bad thing sa will probably know all their opponens when they meat for their country so the question should they join yes from me they will make the competition very hard with their style of play

Let's just say this. Sanzaar's 20-minute reds are the best thing to happen to the northern hemisphere. Thank you for turning the All Blacks into a team with the same discipline as Dennis The Menace.

You’re going to drop Moana Pasifika? That’ll stuff Samoan and Tongan rugby

Super Rugby became less interesting when the results became a forgone conclusion. The number teams of each nation needs to be re-balanced so that the pool of players is evenly balanced between each team. I can see the URC suffering a similar fate when Leinster who are the defacto Irish National team, win almost every game they play.

Not a fan of super rugby but Im a staunch Northland Taniwha supporter.

You forgot James Lowe who currently plays for Ireland

Five NZ Super rugby franchises is the perfect size for the depth of NZ rugby talent. Its why Moana Pasifika looks like a collection of also rans. What ruined the competition is the SA and Australian expansion teams that were unsuccessful and diluted the depth and quality. Skys broadcast presentation has gone backwards and seems to be designed to appeal to people who only watch rugby occasionally rather than the highly knowledgeable NZ rugby public. No SA players has seriously devalued the competition

Brother you predicted the Rebels folding haha

As a Saffa me eyes went 👀

I know little about super rugby to be honest, only have time for 6N, Heineken Cup, URC, Autumn internationals,,World Cup and in other sports Gaelic football and hurling. Thank goodness for VPN's and the numerous Irish sports bars in Istanbul, Turkey! I think highlights are definitely a way to promote a sport, Sanzaar seems to be shooting themselves in the foot by being so strict. The playing rules differences will naturally cause problems. One other very nice thing about this video Max were the memories you brought back. I did a year round the world backpacking trip in 2003/4, a month in New Zealand and remember a lot of the places where these clubs are including Whanganui which is such a beautiful town and completed two of my biggest life achievements, climbing Mt Cook and traversing the Fox Glacier. As for your ideas they seem very sensible to me.

Good to be wrong mate... the biggest problem in rugby is the NH. The IRB changing the laws to suite their teams and style of rugby period. I grew up watching running rugby in the SH even before rugby turned professional. and yet look at how many times the ball are spread around the park in the sport today. everything evolves around brute force in attack n defense. Now we have to watch rugby where the ball gets kick a million times, kick for the corner for lineouts and driving maul. milking penalties at scrum time. yeah the rugby up North is great. It sucks but if you enjoy the boring kicking and driving maul, milking of technical penalties good on you, but rugby in general sucks. Coming from a South African who support the ABs but prefer to watch Rugby League atm.

Super rugby absolutely sucks and I would much rather see NPC games with All Blacks

The new laws make the game more watchable and interesting and will hopefully be adopted by World Rugby. Somebody needs to be the test subject and I think it's good that it's us. Regarding discipline, if you look at longer dated stats you will find that the All Blacks have lacked discipline and had more cards than opposition for a long time - before these new rules. Commercially I agree, we need to invest in making the game more of a spectacle / having more fan engagement / invest in grass roots level to compete with NRL and make it comparable to Europe.

New Zealand (and Australia) should perhaps try and get their teams into the URC. We could have a two-tier comp, with promotion/relegation. If that's not feasible, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji should be looked at as a source for possible expansion teams. If there's enough investment (and yes, money is an issue), Super Rugby could become a thing again. But Northern Hemisphere countries need to stop raiding Pacific Islands for their talent. And perhaps Rugby needs to have limits on these players representing New Zealand as well. Perhaps there could be a cap of 30 games for the ABs or a five year limit, whichever comes first.

They must actually make a World League (League World Cup made up out of Super Rugby teams, URC teams, Premiership and French Top 14 teams. Then we can finally see the Crusaders play Leinster.

rugby honestly has no place in Aus. its just a game for rich kids and anglophone expats, and frankly always has been. It was even smaller in the 70s than than these days, in the 80s the wallabies failed to fill 20k stadiums. Time for it to finally go the way of the dinosaur

Alot more teams means alot more money and it isnt around to pay all these players

NEW ZEALAND rugby need to scrappe the five super rugby franchises teams of New Zealand and go back to the provinces have there own national domestic rugby championships at the provincial level there are 27 rugby provinces union teams all need to be professionally run independent from NZRFU and need to be privately own by investment groups these 27 teams are then divided into three independent national championships there are 8 teams in say the division three championship and nine teams in the division two championship ten teams in the division one NPC Championship or Bunnings Rugby Championship there automatic relagation / promotion between the divisional championships in the first division of the Bunnings NPC Rugby Championship top New Zealand local players and All Blacks and international players from all over the globe are in these teams which can have Wallabies playing in these teams too and giving it a New Zealand International flava to the NPC Rugby Championship the teams Northland Taniwha North Harbour Knights Auckland Blues Counties Manuka Steelers Waikato Cheifs King Country Rams Hawkes Bay Magpies Wellington Hurricanes Canterbury Crusaders Otago Highlanders NZRFU or New Zealand Rugby Football Union professionally runs The All Blacks at all the international test level the provinces runs themselves but both 50/50 partners to run and fund and own grassroots rugby in New Zealand these are just ideas

The 20minute red card is a great idea what are you on about