Super Round wrap

Super Rugby Pacific finally got the event it wanted.

One NZ Stadium. Image: Martin Hunter/ActionPress

First off an apology for the lack of content over the past week. I’m currently in Sri Lanka with the New Zealand Under 85kg team, working as a media advisor. It’s been a fantastic trip so far and I’ll file an update soon.

Super Rugby Pacific finally got the Super Round it wanted - and it only took a city building a billion dollar stadium to achieve that. In all seriousness though, the new One NZ Stadium in Christchurch looked absolutely magnificent, as 10 teams and thousands of fans descended on it for the weekend.

However, it feels like it couldn’t have come a moment sooner, as the narrative around rugby’s popularity has been far more negative than usual lately.

So here’s a rundown of what went down over Super Round, both on and off the field.

Canes train back on track

Thanks to a significant points differential, the Hurricanes are back on top of the table after their 45-12 hammering of the Brumbies. It was an important one for Clark Laidlaw’s side after their loss last weekend to the Chiefs, with all signs pointing now to a rematch of that fixture firming as a potential final.

However, that’s now four losses in a row for the Brumbies, who drop to fifth and need to figure out something fast to avoid sinking any lower. It’s alarming for the team that is a consistent Australian presence in the play-offs, especially with the talent they have on their roster.

Fineanganofo’s plans

Fehi Fineanganofo has no problems finding the try line, adding another four to his tally in the Hurricanes’ win. It would be fascinating to know what sort of conversations he’s having with his agent about the contract he’s signed with Newcastle.

The dumbest try ever?

Meanwhile, we’ll probably never know what Ilaisa Droasese was thinking when he tried to grubber kick the ball out of his own in goal, because he likely doesn’t know himself. The fact that it was a terrible idea wasn’t helped at all by it being a terrible kick, not even making it to the try line for Jared Proffit to dive on. The only saving grace was that it didn’t really matter in the end, with the Chiefs running out 42-22 winners.

Blues take Super Point win

It wouldn’t be Super Round without Super Point, with the Blues pipping the Reds 36-33 in the battle of the teams with the least amount of effort put into their names.

Try of the weekend

While it’s been a tough time for Moana Pasifika, they can at least claim the best try of Super Round. Israel Leota’s leap looked like it came straight out of the AFL, with a clean landing that would scored perfectly with Olympic gymnast judges. Gus Pulu carried on the theme in the second half with some tumbling to score a nice try too, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Highlanders picking up a much-needed 27-17 win.

Crusaders move home

The most emotional part of the weekend was the first game, with the Crusaders finally getting the stadium they’ve had to wait 15 years for. It all went according to script with a 35-20 win over the Waratahs, although it was one that left plenty of room for improvement as the play-offs loom. Rob Penney’s side has had a strangely inconsistent season, but at least they didn’t fluff their lines completely on opening night.

Verdict

Super Round worked because it had the fans and at least one game that came down to the wire, but next year it would likely make sense to move it to Easter weekend or even earlier in the season before the NRL starts so it can have complete clear air.