Wynne Gray: Super series stutter start stupidity

Damian McKenzie's performance at first-five for the Chiefs will be closely followed by fans. Photo / Photosport

Revving up a rugby series in the middle of summer is no snack for those who market the code.

That task is always going to be a hard sell to customers outside the traditional consumer groups of footy fans or sports enthusiasts who are hard-wired for any sort of contest.

But it is odd that this weekend's flag drop on a 15-team series gets under way with only four sides in action, especially when Super Rugby is looking to regain some credibility after two years of confusion and falling interest.

That staggered schedule is to accommodate South Africa's mid-year test programme but it is a tatty look for what is touted as a premier competition while teams in the New Zealand and Australia sections train or travel and pretend to be part of the tournament.

Sorting out a new draw is not easy with teams from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Japan and Argentina but the lack of any transtasman contests until the seventh week is strange and it feels odd that the Sunwolves are part of the Australian conference.

The Aussies are desperate to salvage some results and reputation after last season when New Zealand teams beat them in all 26 encounters and having the Sunwolves, at the longest odds for any success by some margin, is unlikely to change that.

Will there be an asterisk in the Rugby Almanac alongside any results between New Zealand sides and the Sunwolves or will the authors accept them as a quasi-Ocker team and how will the Australian media deal with their status?

Dissolution of the Force and merging some coaching staff and players with the Rebels will provide one of the pressure points across the Ditch before they test their calibre against the Hurricanes on March 30 in the opening transtasman skirmish.

A change to the finals format offers a better reward for teams who play strongly all tournament with three conference winners and the best wildcard side hosting quarter-finals against the next four teams with the most competition points.

Injuries to key players will hurt some teams and there will be further interruptions for New Zealand sides with leading players being called up to All Blacks camps in preparation for the visit from France in the middle of the tournament.

That provoked some criticism from Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd and a blunt response from Steve Hansen hinting at some unease around the arrangements.

Enthusiasts, fanatics and newly-buffed footy fans will skate past those issues and concentrate their focus on special backline stars Reiko Ioane and Jordie Barrett, the return of locking star Brodie Retallick, questions about whether Julian Savea can still cut it and how Damian McKenzie scrubs up at first-five as the Chiefs start a new era after losing many stalwarts.