Next week should only be about the Super Rugby Pacific final.
We got it.
The Super Rugby final will be played between the Blues and Crusaders on Saturday 18 June, at Eden Park in Auckland. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
No offence to the Chiefs or Brumbies, who both lost their semifinals in rather different circumstances, but the Super Rugby Pacific needed a final at Eden Park and it needed to be between the Blues and Crusaders. It had been foretold since the early rounds; once it became clear that the two powerhouses would probably avoid each other in the playoffs till the big dance, they just needed to make sure they got there.
Both the Blues and Crusaders did it the hard way. A lot has been made of the Crusaders' feat of 200-odd tackles on Friday night, but they also got there off the back of a Chiefs side that threw the ball away when they should have scored tries, and kicked for touch when they should have taken penalty shots at goal.
Then, last night at Eden Park, the Brumbies staged a second half revival that needed just one last visit to the 22 to pull off an improbable victory, after the Blues had looked to be cruising to the final. Their coach, Dan McKellar, was livid post-match about a few key decisions, and in particular a penalty that wasn't given when Luke Reimer looked to have nabbed the Blues for holding on. It was a refreshingly honest spray from the outgoing McKellar, who now moves into the Wallabies assistant role, and only half-jokingly wondered out loud if he was going to be fined for his comments as he left the press conference room.
That's a story in itself, but really the narrative now shifts to the showdown next Saturday night. There's a series of interesting plot lines: the coaching clash between former team mates Scott Robertson and Leon MacDonald, the fact that it's a replay of the best game of the year so far, the Crusaders sweating on a judicial hearing for Pablo Matera and the growing belief that they are a cynical, if not outright dirty team. Then there's the fact that every effort should be made to make sure Eden Park will be full.
Which is why it's such a drag that the All Blacks have to lumber their way into a week that isn't really about them.
The first squad of the year is named on Monday, meaning that attention will be taken away from the final when it needs it the most - remember, this year has seen a reboot of Super Rugby, shaved down to everyone's favourite number of teams and finally a proper time-zone friendly viewer product. They even brought in Pacific Island teams (well one and a half, anyway).
The strength of Super Rugby Pacific, though, will be its showpiece.
Look at what the glory days of the competition's previous incarnations managed to bring in for finals: 64,000 at Sydney's Olympic Park in 2014, back-to-back 38,000 crowds at Sky Stadium in 2015 and 2016, then 60,000 at Ellis Park in 2017.
Then came four years of having finals at OrangeTheory Stadium in Christchurch, a situation that can be best described as no one's fault, but that nonetheless did nothing for Super Rugby's image. Having a final at a park that was only ever meant to be a temporary measure is bad enough, having three more made it feel like a sad joke.
Yes, the All Blacks have to go into camp next week in order to prepare for the series against Ireland. But really, how many surprises are they going to spring? Even the uncapped players potentially getting the call-up have been sign-posted for months now, so unless Ian Foster is going to do something really left-field, this will be a pretty run of the mill media opportunity.
It just seems so foolish for NZ Rugby to spend all this time, 18 weeks to be precise, on a competition only to have its time in the sun cannibalised by an All Black team that doesn't even play for another three weeks.
Have the All Black camp this week and then name the team next Sunday, or something like that.
It just shouldn't be happening when the cameras and journalists should be playing their role in promoting the Super Rugby Pacific final, because it's going to be a cracker.
