IT’S a long shot but diehard supporters of New Zealand rugby are hoping that four of its five franchises will make the semi-finals of this competition, now in its 21st year.
One, defending champions the Highlanders, made it through 15-9 on a wet and windy evening in Canberra Friday against the Brumbies after surviving relentless pressure from the latter in the last seven minutes.
Of the other three NZ sides in this weekend’s quarter-finals, last year’s runners-up the Hurricanes appear to have the less demanding match, being host to South Africa’s Sharks. However, it must be noted that the Sharks beat the Canes 32-15 at home in May in Round 11.
The toughest weekend awaits seven-time champions the Crusaders who play away to South Africa’s best team this season, the Lions. In their regular season match in Round 6 in Johannesburg, the Crusaders won 43-37.
The situation though is very different this time.
The Lions rested their best players at home last weekend when they travelled to Argentina to play the Jaguares.
If it was intended to be a gamble, it didn’t work and the defeat means that they have sacrificed a home final if they make it that far.
But this weekend they play with a squad that is well and truly rested, especially from the demanding air travel. Travel of course is not the only factor that decides games but it is a factor that can affect the physical condition of players.
The Crusaders only arrived in Johannesburg on Tuesday night and having some team members affected by a virus the week before, when they lost 35-10 at home to the Hurricanes, are not ideal to their preparations. There are injuries too to contend with.
For all their hard work this season the Chiefs, champions two times, should have topped the NZ conference and overall table but the loss to the Highlanders last weekend means playing the Stormers away in the quarter-finals.
Regardless of how the remaining three quarter-finals go, there’s no denying the strength of the New Zealand franchises, with the most number of titles since 1996 held by the Crusaders, although the last time they won the competition was in 2008. Next are the Blues, also of NZ, and South Africa’s the Bulls with three titles each.
In the last five years, two NZ franchises were in the semi-finals in four seasons, the only exception being in 2014. Three of the five titles went to NZ sides, of which two were won by the Chiefs, in 2012 and again the following year.
The Waratahs in 2014 and the Reds in 2011 were the other winners while the Crusaders were twice losing finalists, the Hurricanes, Brumbies and Sharks once each.
The emergence of young players making the NZ Super Rugby franchises have further eased the concerns raised in the country over the move by senior players to play offshore, which means that the production line is still working well.
But not so in Australia, where there are also uncertainties over the coaching positions at the Force and the Reds next season.
While they have six franchises now that the Kings have returned to the competition, it may be a case of limited resources spread too far and too thin in South Africa.
Asian newcomers the Sunwolves of Japan had a tough time playing with consistency and the travelling must have had a big impact on some of the players, as was also the case with fellow debutants the Jaguares.
But a majority of the players in the Argentinian franchise have Test experience against all the strongest teams in the world and the expectation is that the franchise would do better from next season.
As for the hopes of NZ rugby supporters, it will be one step at a time from Saturday afternoon Malaysian time to the early hours of Sunday.