Eddie Jones, the seasoned rugby strategist, has voiced a strong opinion on the current state of Super Rugby, asserting that it has lost its former glory as a trendsetting club competition. This decline, he argues, has had a tangible impact on the performance of the once-dominant All Blacks.
For many years, the southern hemisphere’s premier club competition was the crucible of innovation in rugby union. It was where new tactics were forged, and these advancements would invariably filter up to influence the international game. However, according to Jones, this is no longer the case. The competition’s standing has diminished, and consequently, its influence on World Rugby has waned.
The All Blacks, in particular, enjoyed a period of unparalleled dominance between 2011 and 2015. Their authority on the Test stage was almost unquestioned. Yet, in more recent times, their grip has loosened. They’ve suffered historic defeats to teams like Ireland and Argentina, and have at times found themselves outmanoeuvred by formidable opponents such as France and South Africa.
Super Rugby’s Fading Influence on the Global Stage
Jones posits that subtle shifts, or ‘nuances’, within the game can fundamentally alter the power balance between nations. He highlights the Springboks as a prime example, suggesting they are currently adept at leveraging the prevailing laws and trends to their advantage.
New Zealand and Australia have been vocal proponents of speeding up the game, introducing new law modifications. These changes are explicitly designed to “further reduce stoppages, inspire positive play, and simplify the officiating of the game.” While Super Rugby has a historical reputation for trialling new laws, Jones contends that the competition’s ability to shape the global game has significantly diminished.
“That’s the other thing that’s changed for New Zealand Rugby; Super Rugby was the greatest influence of World Rugby for a long period of time; whatever happened in Super Rugby basically set the trend for the game,” Jones remarked during a recent podcast discussion.
He elaborated, “Unfortunately, Super Rugby has dropped in terms of status. We all know South Africa has left, and now it’s a competition that doesn’t have as much influence around the world. The changes the Super Rugby people have made are absolutely outstanding. They’ve shown a lot of courage, they’ve got a clear direction of how they want the game, but it doesn’t tend to influence World Rugby as much as it used to.”
Where the All Blacks Are Showing Vulnerability
A significant evolution in the international game has been the increasing importance of the bench. The Springboks famously popularised the concept of the ‘Bomb Squad’ during their triumphant 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign. This strategic approach, involving a bench packed with powerful forwards, has been emulated by other top nations like France and England.
This strategy ensures that teams can maintain a high level of physicality and power in the latter stages of matches, mitigating the effects of fatigue. Jones believes this is an area where New Zealand, historically known for their ability to thrive in attritional contests, may now be falling short.
Furthermore, Super Rugby’s upcoming trials, which aim to limit the involvement of Television Match Officials (TMOs), are viewed positively by Jones. He perceives the fourth official’s extensive involvement in the game as detrimental to the natural fatigue factor that can influence match outcomes.
“We’ve seen the game from being a partly fatigue game; it was never a fatigue game like rugby league, but now we’re averaging with Japan, we’ll average approximately 33 work periods that are 45 seconds or under, and then we’ll only have 16 or 17 that are 45 seconds above,” Jones explained.
He continued, “To add to that, the rest periods are at least twice the work periods. So, it’s a massive truncated power game now. We’ve seen that, particularly with South Africa, they basically put on a new team for the last 40 minutes, and they can play with more power than they had in the first half.”
Jones expressed his concern about the direction the game is heading, stating, “That part of the game I think’s changed a lot and and I don’t see it going away from that in the in the not too distant future because of the influence of the TMO. We saw that game on the weekend that England-Wales game, mate, I almost had to turn it off. Like when I’m hearing the TMO telling the referee what to do every period of play, like it just becomes tedious. It’s tedious to watch. And this is someone who loves the game. When it becomes tedious to watch, it’s bloody hard work, mate. Imagine if you’re a bloke who’s just come back from work. You want to have a bit of entertainment and you sit down and you watch rugby and all you’re hearing is, ‘You miss that head? Check that head. Check that head. I think he hit his head. No, he definitely hit his head. Check that. Check that.’”
