Super Rugby? I’d rather watch European game, says Mitchell

Former All Blacks coach John Mitchell has bemoaned the demise of Super Rugby and has called on organisers to take a leaf out of Europe’s book and bring some excitement back into the competition.
Mitchell coached Super Rugby teams from all three of the founding countries – New Zealand (Chiefs), Australia (Western Force) and South Africa (Lions) – but admits he finds the current 18-team, conference model a turn-off and prefers northern hemisphere club rugby.
“I really enjoy northern hemisphere rugby. I’ll choose that over most Super Rugby games any day. Premiership and PRO12 teams look to move the ball, and while some of the French teams do that more than others, I choose to watch those games to learn something,” Mitchell, the US Eagles head coach told TRP from his home in Durban.
“Clearly I do that with the better Super sides but I just find it a very diluted competition that doesn’t have enough rivalries; the player base in Australia and South Africa is spread too thinly.
“When I was at the Chiefs I had to go through a performance review and one of the points was the style of rugby we were producing. They wanted to create a difference for Super Rugby over all other rugby, and I think they’ve gone away from that.
“While the game speed is still probably faster than the North, I think the standard of player in the competition is not as strong as it was. That’s to do with the number of teams but also the fact that the European market is also as strong as it’s ever been.”
Should SANZAAR, the competition’s governing body, decide against making drastic cuts, Mitchell says the structure needs re-working.
“You’ve got two SA (South African) conferences that alternatively play New Zealand or Australian teams every second year, and to me that’s a strange concept. It is almost gives certain teams a false sense of security before they come up against the New Zealand conference and the finals.
“I think Super 12 was the ultimate, although I can understand the international spread that they are trying to create.
“But if they are going to keep all these teams then it must become a Heineken Cup-type format where teams are drawn into pools and play each other on a home and away basis before going through to a knockout phase.
“Super Rugby needs more rivalries and fans need to get excited about going to new places as well as feeling that their team is part of the community.”
JON NEWCOMBE