Opinion - The Crusaders might be happy with their home ground advantage, but it still isn't the best look for Super Rugby, writes Jamie Wall.
Ryan Crotty of the Crusaders in front of empty stands during the Super Rugby semi final against the Sharks at AMI Stadium. Photo: PhotoSport
There's been a pretty strong narrative running in the rugby media lately. It seems the 2018 Super Rugby title is the Crusaders' to lose and any team visiting AMI Stadium should just formally roll over and submit.
The 2017 champions have held home field advantage for the past four weeks. They qualified well clear of the the rest of the pack, meaning that they went into the playoffs knowing that they wouldn't have to face another potential trip back to South Africa for the final. That didn't even bother them last year anyway, when they swept aside the stagefright-prone Lions.
That game was played at the imposing and legendary Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The two finals before that were at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, not the largest ground in the country but undeniably one of international quality. In 2014 Super Rugby had its largest ever grand final crowd, when 61,823 headed to Sydney's Olympic Park to see the Waratahs win their maiden title.
All of those occasions gave the often-maligned Super Rugby format at least a proper setting for its showpiece event. All had big crowds that look good on TV. That's the one thing, that despite doing everything else right this year, the Crusaders haven't managed to achieve.
We're into our eighth season of Christchurch's makeshift replacement for Lancaster Park and the first inevitable final that it will host. Even if they do make the final and presumably sell out AMI Stadium, it's not the place a game like this should be held.
Now, before we go any further, this isn't at all a slight on the Crusaders or Christchurch. It isn't really a slight on anyone, because the decision to build a new stadium is one that clearly isn't at the top of priorities in the long post-earthquake rebuild. The whole issue is fraught with difficulty and division. Plus there's the not-so-insignificant matter that the longer they wait to build a new stadium, the more costly and less justifiable it will be.
All you have to do is look at the drama surrounding the construction of Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin for that. But it's at the only roofed stadium in the country that you'll find evidence of the optical importance of a good surrounding to be playing rugby in.
Photo: Photosport
The Crusaders and Highlanders have played each other twice this year. The first was in March down in Dunedin, where they had a sell out crowd* of 25,000. In front of that sort of wall of noise, the home side got up and handed the Crusaders their second (and last) defeat of the season.
The second time was three weekends ago at AMI, and while there was a decent crowd for the Crusaders' 45-22 revenge performance, the stands weren't full. Fast forward to last weekend and a quarter final against the Sharks, and only about 8500 went through the turnstiles to watch the home side torch the hapless South Africans. Further insult to injury to the home side came in the form of having to pay the Sharks $75,000 for the role of being a glorified training run opponent.
Even if the Crusaders can pack out AMI for the semi tomorrow and potential final in a week's time, it's not going to be the grandest-looking sight. The stands aren't much more than a bunch of scaffolding, the changing rooms are pre-fab structures miles away from the field, and the big screen can't even be erected if the wind is too strong.
If Super Rugby likes to think (admittedly with pretty good reason) that it's the best competition in the sport, then it deserves a better venue for its most important game. Which is why Sanzaar bosses are probably secretly hoping for a Hurricanes win tomorrow night, so the final heads to a much bigger Sydney or Johannesburg crowd again.
*Forsyth Barr Stadium can have a maximum capacity of 30,000 when all stands are in use
