Super Rugby Pacific, the White Ferns and the ANZ Premiership are all in action this weekend as Newstalk ZB's Kate Wells and Elliott Smith preview what's to come. Video / NZ Herald / Photosport
Newstalk ZB lead rugby commentator Elliott Smith analyses the latest from the world of rugby.
An observation...
Italy coach Kieran Crowley's comments around the arrogance of New Zealand rugby fans caused a stir. His line in particular around New Zealanders not knowing three quarters of the French players is right.But is it arrogance, ignorance or just apathy?
Our timezone makes it unappealing for anyone but diehard rugby heads to get up and watch. I'd suggest there were more eyeballs on the French games in Paris given their 9am bacon-and-eggs kick-off time here, but that would still be small fry numbers.
A point I've always found it hard to get across to Northern Hemisphere rugby scribes and fans I've spoken to is it's hard enough to convince people to watch Super Rugby games across the Tasman in a decent timezone, let alone Six Nations games in the middle of the night.
Most Super Rugby fans didn't get up for South African games involving their own teams either. I'd lean towards apathy rather than arrogance. New Zealand rugby fans tend to be fans of convenience.
France's Antoine Dupont celebrates with the trophy during a victory lap after the Six Nations rugby union international match between France and England. Photo / AP
An explanation...
On the French team, Antoine Dupont and Romaine Ntamack are getting better by the game – which is frankly frightening. They appear to have an instinctive nature for what the other is doing, harnessed by spending so much together at domestic level for Toulouse.
It's much like Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith. While never winning a title together at the Hurricanes, they became one of the great pairings because of their time on the park together through the year.
We could look back at Dupont and Ntamack as one of rugby's great partnerships when they eventually call time. There's several other ingredients that are sending France to new heights but the 9-10 axis is lifting them into a different stratosphere.
France's Antoine Dupont raises the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after the Six Nations rugby union international match between France and England. Photo / AP
A prediction...
Under the lung-busting roof in Dunedin against the Highlanders tomorrow afternoon is one way to make your starting debut for the season for Beauden Barrett, especially coming off a prolonged head knock and a bout of Covid, but it seems a game custom-made for him to stamp his mark on and kickstart his season.
The Blues will also have a point to prove under the roof, given their inexplicable defeat to the Hurricanes on the same piece of grass in round two.
Beauden Barrett during a Blues training session at Alexandra Park. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Another observation…
Crowds returning for Super Rugby from tomorrow can only be a good thing for a competition stunted for momentum by Covid. They're also a lifeline for the franchises.
Michael Collins, the boss of the Chiefs, was positively cock-a-hoop about the prospect of unchaining the gates when I spoke to him after the news came in, and with two games in three weeks against the Crusaders and Blues they've arrived at the right time for him. Let's hope the days of crowdless rugby is now behind us.
A question....
Not so much my question, but World Rugby's question(s). The global body has taken the Who Wants to be A Millionaire approach - asking the audience – as it decides whether it wants to keep or bin the global law trials used over the past year, including the 50:22, goal-line dropout and others.
An online survey is on the World Rugby website as it prepares to decide in May whether to keep them. The fact they are asking for public feedback suggests they're not sold on them.
As I've mentioned in previous weeks, I'm not huge on the 50:22 but I'm not sure it's worth getting rid of yet. I would certainly bin the goal-line dropout, it might have increased ball in play a bit but has it enhanced the game? Doubtful.
