A schedule that could result in what would essentially be a meaningless Super Rugby Pacific playoff game in Canberra on Saturday night has been defended as in the “best interests of the competition”.
The decision to have the Brumbies-Hurricanes clash last, however, could result in the farcical situation whereby both teams know they are into the semifinals before a ball is kicked in Canberra, a scenario which The Post rugby writer Aaron Goile noted as “severely compromising” for the integrity of the competition.
Under the new format, the three winners of the qualifying finals will advance to the semifinals, along with the highest-ranked – or ‘lucky’ – loser. The other two losers will be eliminated.
If the Chiefs and Crusaders both win their games at home - and history heavily favours home teams in Super Rugby playoffs - then whoever loses the Brumbies vs Hurricanes game will be in the semifinals, irrespective of the result.
The fifth-placed Reds and the sixth-placed Blues can’t be the ‘lucky loser’ as there will always be a higher-ranked loser than them.
In fact, both the Brumbies and Hurricanes would know they are playing away semifinals as well, so the only thing they would really have to play for is which opponent they would have; the winner would ‘earn’ a trip to Christchurch to face the Crusaders while the loser would play the Chiefs in Hamilton.
As noted in The Post, it could result in a farcical situation whereby the Brumbies and Hurricanes play under-strength teams to save legs for the semifinals next week.
In a statement Super Rugby Pacific says they sought input from all stakeholders in scheduling the qualifying finals fixtures.
They say while the first preference of the Brumbies club was to play on Saturday afternoon, it was ultimately decided to be in the best interests of the competition for the game to be scheduled in the peak television time slot in Australia.
Super Rugby Pacific says this aligns with their competition’s regular broadcast schedule, which their fans are accustomed to, and ensures the fixture is accessible to the largest possible audience across the Pacific.”
The Saturday night slot was preferred over the Friday night slot in Australia because it allows for free-to-air coverage on Nine as well as on Stan Sport, the pay TV rights holders.
The Crusaders host the Reds at 7.05pm Friday, in a replay of last year's final the Chiefs take on the Blues at 7.05pm Saturday while the Brumbies face the Hurricanes at 9.35pm Saturday.
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