Fijian Drua fans during the round 15 Super Rugby Pacific match between the Fijian Drua and the Chiefs at Churchill Park in Lautoka, Fiji. Photo / Getty
Fijian Drua fans during the round 15 Super Rugby Pacific match between the Fijian Drua and the Chiefs at Churchill Park in Lautoka, Fiji. Photo / Getty
OPINION
Super Rugby has been given the shot in the arm it needed, and ironically, it's come from the two teams who finished in the bottom two spots on the table.
For years, we've been asking for something new from Super Rugby. Something to revitalise, reinvigorate and refresh it. Andthis year, we got it from Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua.
An absolutely magnificent crowd turned up in Lautoka on Saturday, and the Drua rewarded them by running the Chiefs – the side who finished third on the table, remember – pretty darn close. The length-of-the-field try finished by Kalaveti Ravouvou was as thrilling an attacking move as you'll see anywhere on the planet.
Later that evening, it was impossible not to have your heart warmed by the smiles on the faces of Sir Michael Jones and Sir Bryan Williams – two of the driving forces behind the formation and development of Moana Pasifika – after their side got up to beat the Brumbies in their final game of the season.
The Fijian Drua played just twice at home this season. Photo / Getty
What stood out most was just how much it meant to the players, their families, and their communities. These rugby-mad nations have been crying out for seats at the sport's top table for years. Now they've got them, they should never have to give them up.
The trick now is to capitalise on this momentum. The Fijian Drua must play all their home games in Fiji from next season. Moana Pasifika must play at least some of their home games in Samoa and Tonga, where the crowds would rival what we saw in Lautoka last weekend and Suva earlier in the year.
Travel isn't an issue; Auckland to Samoa is a 3hr 40m flight, while Tonga and Fiji are even closer. It's a little longer from Australia to the Pacific Islands but still much, much shorter than getting to South Africa.
We've now landed on the perfect Super Rugby format. Twelve teams – five each from New Zealand and Australia and two from the Pacific Islands – who all play each other in a full round robin. Follow that with quarter-finals, semis and a final and you've got a well-balanced, 14-week competition, or slightly longer when you throw in a bye or two.
That's three fewer regular season games than the current format, which should mean less resting of All Blacks players because their workload won't be as high. The travel isn't too arduous, we'd have a good mix of local derbies and trans-Tasman contests, and two exciting new teams to watch and enjoy.
Make it happen.
The main question which kept going through my head as I watched the games unfold in Lautoka and at Mount Smart Stadium last weekend was why has it taken so long?
