While it won’t be the same as having our own South African teams go head-to-head, having Australia kick off their domestic Super Rugby competition will surely be a welcomed addition to our weekends.
Super Rugby AU will kick off this morning with the Reds against the Waratahs, while the Brumbies and the Rebels will face off in the all-Aussie competition tomorrow.
Across the ditch, the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition is going into its fourth round already and until now there has been no shortage of eye-catching moments and results.
Whether or not the Australians will manage to deliver the same kind of performances remains to be seen, but hey, regardless of how they go, it’s rugby nonetheless, and I doubt anybody would complain about having some more action to fill out their weekend schedule.
Another thing that should make the eyes even more keen is of course the law variations aimed at making the game a more enjoyable spectacle.
We’ve seen a few in Super Rugby Aotearoa, with the Kiwis having implemented 10 minutes of “golden point” extra time in the event of a scoreboard deadlock after 80 minutes, and allowing a player sent from the field with a red card to be replaced after 20 minutes. The sent-off player can’t take any further part in the game but the contest can be restored to 15 against 15 after 20 minutes.
While there aren’t any clear answers as to when exactly rugby will be allowed to resume on the South African front, the Aussie sides seem set on making their first weekend back on the competitive pitch a memorable one.
Importantly, they can’t exactly afford to not impress in the shortened Super Rugby competition. Australian rugby has no doubt seen better days, they’ve been struggling for years, and if the sporting code is to survive Down Under, they need to deliver something worthy of a lifeline.
So, will the Aussies match the Kiwis in terms of entertainment value and quality when they run out? You can’t say, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
But whatever happens, nobody will turn up their nose at a bit of extra rugby.
Super Rugby
Australia fixtures:
Today (11.05am*): Reds vs Waratahs
Tomorrow (11.15am*): Brumbies vs Rebels
(*South African time)
