Super Rugby Aupiki 2023
-
The semi-final matchups have been confirmed (to be played at North Harbour Stadium on Sunday).
3.15pm: Matatū v Blues
6.05pm: Chiefs Manawa v Hurricanes PouaI think it would have been better to have a home and away round-robin and no final. That would give all teams an extra game and equal home/away games.
-
@Stargazer - there should be a fifth franchise. If not the Highlanders, base one in the Hawkes Bay. Or better still, six franchises - one in Otago and one in the Hawkes Bay. I reckon it’s affordable because they don’t need big huge grounds for Aupiki. The smaller intimate grounds are suitable. Like Napier’s McLean Park.
-
@Bovidae - Indeed. North Harbour Stadium is a terrible venue for crowds. Maybe they’re thinking it’s far enough north for Northlanders to travel down but still in Auckland to attract Aucklanders out and maybe even get people travelling up from Waikato.
As an aside, the best place for the Blues home ground is somewhere like Waitakere stadium.
-
@Auckman said in Super Rugby Aupiki 2023:
@Stargazer - there should be a fifth franchise. If not the Highlanders, base one in the Hawkes Bay. Or better still, six franchises - one in Otago and one in the Hawkes Bay. I reckon it’s affordable because they don’t need big huge grounds for Aupiki. The smaller intimate grounds are suitable. Like Napier’s McLean Park.
For starters there are few players around that have “missed out” on the selections for four teams.
That means that NZR would have to seriously up the $ for players and attract in league, oz and overseas players to make the numbers.
That money is better spent toward getting this comp more games. -
I will add that NZR are looking for this to be sustainable and have assessed that they need to pump a lot into the tiers below this comp to get a ready production line of players. That means helping out clubs and provinces with support in coaching programmes etc.
We have discussed before about another SI team (mainly because I was pissy about Matatu being so Cantab dominant across the organisation).
Even I agree that an Otago team isn't feasible without a load of imports. Maybe it will be with growth in Southland but at the moment the Otago FPC setup seems a long way off the Aupiki level as seen by the number of players that have made squads. They have 2 (?) in Matatu including an Oz import. One injured that played SRA last year and one that moved to another region for development.
HB also not overly strong and a handful of players made squads -
@Crucial I agree with you. There's not enough talent of a sufficient level for 5 franchises, but having seen some really good players miss out on a spot, the scouting and selection process needs to improve. Seeing someone like Amelia Pasikala going to Oz to play league (and now probably being lost to the Tui, because how many come back?), that's something that shouldn't have happened. I can think of at least 4 current Hawke's Bay players who were really unlucky to miss out (two of them were eventually training with the Poua, but no game time). No doubt, there will be more in other franchise areas. I have a strong suspicion, that (some) Championship teams aren't looked at, eventhough there could be individual players in those teams that are more than good enough.
-
@Stargazer said in Super Rugby Aupiki 2023:
@Crucial I agree with you. There's not enough talent of a sufficient level for 5 franchises, but having seen some really good players miss out on a spot, the scouting and selection process needs to improve. Seeing someone like Amelia Pasikala going to Oz to play league (and now probably being lost to the Tui, because how many come back?), that's something that shouldn't have happened. I can think of at least 4 current Hawke's Bay players who were really unlucky to miss out (two of them were eventually training with the Poua, but no game time). No doubt, there will be more in other franchise areas. I have a strong suspicion, that (some) Championship teams aren't looked at, eventhough there could be individual players in those teams that are more than good enough.
Fair call and I put that down to the comp and coaches bedding in over a short period. As SRA becomes a regular gig for coaches as well then we may see less players drop through the cracks.
You only have to look at the squads to realise that given the short pre comp training programmes, coaches have deferred to players that they know. Manawa are a good example where the coach has relied heavily on players from previous coaching gigs (school, FPC, Japan) because they have a connection already and those players know the coaches style.
I think the same is the case in other franchises too. I can see players at Matatu that are there because they play for Canterbury more than being the best in the motu.
Poua probably also have a number of 'connected' players that have kept others at bay.
It is very much the nature of emerging pro teams that the selection paths aren't complete but until there are enough 'leftovers' to make a decent 5th squad then some will always miss out. -
@Crucial - Hopefully a tournament sponsor can be found for next year. NZ Rugby are, among other possibilities, seeking to partner with Australia’s Super Rugby W for next year. A fifth SR team from NZ cannot be any worse than the SRW teams in Australia. If they’re trying to get the SRW teams to join Aupiki, they can set up a fifth SRA team.
-
@Auckman said in Super Rugby Aupiki 2023:
@Crucial - Hopefully a tournament sponsor can be found for next year. NZ Rugby are, among other possibilities, seeking to partner with Australia’s Super Rugby W for next year. A fifth SR team from NZ cannot be any worse than the SRW teams in Australia. If they’re trying to get the SRW teams to join Aupiki, they can set up a fifth SRA team.
So it seems the much vaunted Silver Lake expertise has not yet managed to secure one yet.
-
@Higgins said in Super Rugby Aupiki 2023:
@Auckman said in Super Rugby Aupiki 2023:
@Crucial - Hopefully a tournament sponsor can be found for next year. NZ Rugby are, among other possibilities, seeking to partner with Australia’s Super Rugby W for next year. A fifth SR team from NZ cannot be any worse than the SRW teams in Australia. If they’re trying to get the SRW teams to join Aupiki, they can set up a fifth SRA team.
So it seems the much vaunted Silver Lake expertise has not yet managed to secure one yet.
Who the fuck would want to sponsor such as pointlessly short tournament? Make it at least home and away
-
Not sure why Willison was kicking but Tubic on one leg (I take it there was something wrong with her foot) should’ve kicked the last kick.
Still, a great gutsy win from Matatu. Sheer belief and determination. They lifted tremendously as the game wore on & the Chiefs started making uncharacteristic mistakes.
-
-
@Stargazer said in Super Rugby Aupiki 2023:
Just for my own nerdy interest, is there someone who has access to the "NZRU Elite XV Competition Regulations Handbook"? This handbook contains the competition rules for Super Rugby Aupiki and are, unfortunately, not published on NZR's website.
I see the 2022 one is published but not the 2023.
The agreement for Aupiki around training/ pre-season/ player payments etc for 2023 haven't been published on the RPA site either but I can confirm that payment wise it is pro-rata pretty much the same as 2022 (obviously increased due to more weeks/games)
-
-
@Stargazer said in Super Rugby Aupiki 2023:
@Crucial Can you please post the link of the one you have found, because I can't find it. I can only find the Competitions Regulations Handbook for 2022, but that doesn't contain the Aupiki regulations.
I’m just on my phone but a dig around on the NZRPA site should help you.
