There are 125 games. On and on they go amid a backdrop of executive celebration at such voluminous content. It's this conviction that success is defined by the number of games played, by the number of territories that buy broadcast rights, by the random places where teams can be based, that is preventing Super Rugby from having enduring value.
So much rugby has been played and yet so little of it can be remembered. Rarely did any performance elevate itself above the white noise - the Highlanders against the Sharks (twice), Crusaders and . . . well, that was probably it.
Malakai Fekitoa threatened to be sensational before he cooled off in the final weeks but, other than him, who captured the imagination? Where were the heroes? Where were the moments of genius? Where were the flashes of inspiration?
The finalists deserved to make it as far as they did but neither will leave an indelible mark in history. Neither hit the ground running in February and took their game on from there.
The Crusaders, for much of the first seven weeks, were fairly dire. Their attack game pedestrian, lateral and unimaginative. When the Waratahs came to Eden Park in May, they were astonishingly bad - and that is being kind in comparison with their own coach's assessment. They lost four games qualifying - the Crusaders five - and they both reached the final not because they dominated and excelled but because they clung on for longer than anyone else.
It would be harsh but not over the top to suggest they were the best of a mediocre bunch. There were 15 teams and yet who didn't know by the midway point there were only five - the Crusaders, Chiefs, Waratahs, Sharks and Brumbies - capable of winning it? The Lions, Cheetahs, Force, Rebels and Reds simply made up the numbers.
Neither team made it to the final on the back of invention and innovation. They made it there because they handled the inevitable injury toll better than others and used their experienced core to make good decisions at critical times.
Much of the rugby blurred into one forgettable morass. Somehow, though, the definition of what makes a good competition has changed since Super Rugby's inception in 1996. In those early years, it was a competition that could be won by only the best and bravest. It was a tournament with nowhere to hide - lose two on the trot and a campaign would hang in the balance.
The winners had to offer a point of difference. Competition bred innovation and emerging talent felt the need to make a statement fast.
Back then, the intensity and quality of the rugby was the means by which the competition was measured. Get that right and the commercial growth would be a natural by-product. The philosophy was that people would watch because it was compelling not simply because it was perennially on.
Now, with Super Rugby on the verge of expanding into Asia and Argentina, the words intense and compelling are never likely to be applicable. Quantity is all that matters - as if rugby has become the by-product of sponsorship and broadcast deals.
The new team in Asia - be it Japan or Singapore - is never going to get remotely close to winning Super Rugby. They will probably drag down the standards. They will be just another hopeful but decidedly average newcomer pleading for patience as they lose heavily week after week.
They will be just one more venue to be endured, one more dud whose biggest impact will be in blunting the edge of the better players who have to travel to play there.
Content is not always king. Good content is.
Most Valuable Players
Sam Whitelock
Crusaders
The Crusaders lineout ran at an impressive 89 per cent efficiency and Whitelock won 50 himself. He also took 10 lineout steals (2nd) and made 139 tackles, only two less than openside flanker Matt Todd.
Malakai Fekitoa
Highlanders
He beat 65 defenders. That's an incredible return. The next best was Julian Savea with 51. He also made 20 clean line breaks to be the fourth-most prolific in that category. That ability to use his footwork and strength to find space was critical in helping the Highlanders be more direct.
Ben Smith
Highlanders
Led the competition for metres gained (1265). Some of those metres are the equivalent of empty calories - eaten up retrieving kicks and then returning them - but not that many in Smith's case. He also made 14 line breaks (16th) and beat 47 defenders (5th). If it looked like he was everywhere, it was because he was.
Nemani Nadolo
Crusaders
It was apparent the Crusaders began to flow better once they got Nemani Nadolo fit and integrated. The big Fijian wing led the competition for clean line breaks (26), was third on the defenders beaten list with 50 and ate up 1047m.
