Rugby is finally back.

Super Rugby Aotearoa is here and what can you look forward too?

If you’re an avid rugby fan like I am, you will almost certainly be looking forward to the game returning with some of the best franchise teams in the world. All the sides have their fair share of All-Black stars and you can be certain that they’ll be at their very best. I think there will be a few rusty patches in the first few weeks back, but afterwards this is going to be some of the most lively and free flowing games that you’ll ever see.

The rule changes.

The competition will try implementing new rules to try and speed up the game and make it more fun to watch for the spectators.

They will implement a golden point rule that will sort out the draw situation (no one likes to draw a game). When the scores are tied at full time the teams will play an additional 10 minutes and the first team to score a point will win the match. If the scores remain equal both teams will receive 2 log points. This will eliminate the draw factor, but I believe this might take some of the spectacular last minute tries out of the game, because teams will now much rather take the easy 3 than go for the win with a try. This will make the late stages of a game boring, because if a team is down by three and get a penalty in the oppositions half they will now go for the boring option knowing that they will get extra time where they can easily get another penalty.

They also implemented a new rule that says when a player gets a red card the team can replace that player after 20 minutes. I believe this is good for the game because having 15 against 14 makes the game very one sided and like we saw a few years back when the Lions got a red card in the early stages of the final against the Crusaders, the game wasn’t as good to watch ( unless you’re a Crusaders fan). This will be a much better solution and it will keep all games competitive.

Exciting news:

Dan Carter is back! I know most of the crusaders fans aren’t going to be happy to see him join the blues, but for rugby lovers just the thought of the great and probably best ever 10 linking up with the best attacking player in the world (Barrett) gives them goose bumps. I know it’s been said a lot these the last few weeks, so I won’t dwell on it but this will be one of the big things to look forward to.

If you are from the southern hemisphere and watch Super rugby at all, you know that a New Zealand derby is always a highly anticipated game to watch. This competition gives you the ability to see those derby’s every weekend.

The fact that crowds will be allowed to watch the game live and in person makes it even more exciting as this is going to be one of only a few sporting events where crowds will be allowed at the moment. I believe the stadiums are going to be quite full, and that it’s going to create a great atmosphere for the players to play in.

What I Expect

I believe that the two best teams are going to be the Crusaders and The Blues. The Chiefs are going to challenge the Blues, but those are my top two pics for the competition. That being said, it is still rugby and all the teams have tremendous talent; this is going to be a great competition.