I have posted these in the comment section but feel it warrants a dedicated thread for future reference until we get the hang of the S15.
Stay with me here, it may get a little hairy.
CONFERENCE STAGE
Contrary to what we expected, the new Superrugby format will not be played in a domestic conference followed by cross-conference format. The domestic conference and cross-conference formats have been mixed into one extended conference. Each domestic team will still play their counterparts in a home and away format. Mixed in amongst those games will be 8 matches played against 4 teams from each of the other nations.
Due to the extended format each team will now have two bye weekends, as opposed to the previous one weekend, over the 18 week conference stage .
PLAY-OFFS
Another major change is the introduction of THREE SEPERATE LOGS. One for each domestic conference. The winner of each domestic conference will automatically qualify for the play-offs. With the other three teams (giving you a total of 6 teams) being determined by the log points of the remaining teams. The remaining qualifiers could come from one single conference or could come from 3 seperate conferences.
In the example below, the 1st placed team in each domestic conference automatically qualifies for the play-off stage and will be ranked on their individual conference points.
The remaining three teams with the highest log points are then ranked in order and allocated 4th, 5th & 6th positions. It does not matter that they may have scored more points than a team who went through based on winning their conference.
The play-offs are then played as scheduled below.
SOUTH AFRICA
1) Bulls 63
2) Stormers 51
3) Sharks 39
4) Cheetahs 30
5) Lions 11
NEW ZEALAND
1) Hurricanes 54
2) Crusaders 49
3) Blues 48
4) Chiefs 36
5) Highlanders 27
AUSTRALIA
1) Brumbies 50
2) Waratahs 47
3) Reds 37
4) Force 37
5) Rebels 20
PLAY-OFF TABLE:
1)Bulls 63
2)Hurricanes 54
3)Brumbies 50
4)Stormers 51
5)Crusaders 49
6)Blues 48
PLAY-OFF FIXTURES
Wk 1 – Game A – Rank 4 (home) v Rank 5 (away)
Wk 1 – Game B – Rank 3 (home) v Rank 6 (away)
Wk 1 – Rank 1 and Rank 2 have byes.
Wk 2 – Game C – Rank 2 (home) v Winner of match A or B with highest playoff ranking
Wk 2 – Game D – Rank 1 (home) v Winner of match A or B with lower playoff ranking
Wk 3 – FINAL – Higher ranked finalist (home) v Lower ranked finalist
Tweet
Okay now even Ice should be able to understand the format for the Whole S15. 😉
Draw me a picture please 😕
That is the stupidest tournament I have ever seen….
Ok. Thanks for the lesson. Still don’t like it.
It leaves the door wide open for ‘team orders’ as in formula one. One aussie team taking a loss for the progression of another. We gonna end up with 2 aussie teams in the playoffs who dont deserve their places!
I agree that it leaves the door open to some form of fixing, but they could have done it in the old format as well, annd we didn’t really see any of it..
I’m excited for this, I think a change is as good as a holiday..
Oh, and thanx KSA, it helps knowing exactly what’s what.
Are they reverting to the local conference system in 2012 when there is no World Cup? I think that may be the idea..
I know it’s something new and it will threaten Currie Cup’s existence and at the moment it’s very cool to be negative about it but despite all of this I’m quite excited to see what happens next year. 😀
If you want to see the fixtures a bit clearer – I made these 🙂
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/612/super15sa.jpg
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/8797/super15ausnz.jpg
@Frisbee (Comment 9) : This will be useful, thanks!
I don’t think it’s all bad, you just gotta try really hard and you’ll actually see a few positives come out of this format! 🙂
Looks awesome !
I wonder how much bigger the playing squads will need to be ?
…..40 players ?
@Hmmm (Comment 3) : 😕
…I think i’m quite pleased two of our cross conference away matches are the Bulls and Stormers !
….. or am I ?
Punter will have a field day….digesting all that ! 😆
With all these conferences will there be any chance of the teams playing rugby?
@Donald (Comment 15) :
😆 good one
@Donald (Comment 15) : 🙂
The problem that I see in this format is there is an apple/banana comparison in determining the playoff contenders. If we just look at the SA conference, all SA teams play each other home and away, and are all on an even footing. However, sharks don’t play highlanders & reds, Lions don’t play crusaders & rebels, yet the final points in th SA conference are determined using these four games? What if the rebels 1st season is a shocker( like Lions in 2010)? They lose every game, by huge margins? Lions are disadvantaged in not playing them. Same goes for a team like crusaders, what if they have a great season, and win every game they play? Lions would have an advantage over all the other SA sides, because they didn’t get to play them, and sharks are worst hit, because they play crusaders away. While the S14 format had disadvantages in that some teams played the strong sides at home, others away, at least every one played every one.
@Greg (Comment 18) : yes, very good point, this doesn’t seem very well thought out
@Greg (Comment 18) : I agree Greg. Looks like a big bloody mess to me.
@Greg (Comment 18) : Exactly what I wanted to know thanx Greg. I just didn`t know how to formulate my question.
But to me the SA team who has to face teams like the Crusers have a huge disadvantage to the SA team who only face the Force and Rebels. . .
@Original Pierre (Comment 21) : And especially if they play the crusaders in week four of the four week tour ❗
@Greg (Comment 22) : Had a quick look at those links. If they are the definate fixtures congrats to you guys! You dodged the Crusers! Hope you make it count.
Bulls don`t have to face the Blues I think so they have a nice let off there as well.
Sharks . . . well we miss two ” bankers” so chances are we won`t have near enough points to qualify for the ” bye ” in the quarter finals LOL!
But I might`ve misunderstood everything! 😯
@Greg (Comment 18) : It will change each year, next year the Sharks might not play the Saders and the Lions will play the Rebels and the year after it changes again. Luck of the draw. 😈
Just had a thought. Maybe the all blacks will rest their stars for the super 15 next year? Then we`re back in the mix!
Just realised, with the Trinations always falling so closely behind the Ugby 15, won’t all the form teams (in the playoffs) be affected by player call-ups?
Thats going to affect things in a pretty major way? I really wish South Africa had pulled out of this…
@Jarson (Comment 24) : Yeah, luck of the draw maybe, but a little too much luck for my liking
@Frisbee (Comment 26) : And when Argentina join in it will be 4 nations, longer, and the national players out of the setup for even longer ❗
@Greg (Comment 28) : So 90 of the top players will be out of the playoffs? Goodness this make for very exciting rugby 🙄
I wish SARU had grown some balls a few years ago.
@Frisbee (Comment 26) : nah, surely they won’t allow that? Super Ugby playoffs simply have to be at full-strength, otherwise what’s the point?
@Frisbee (Comment 29) : Could well be, although I don’t know if the trinations schedule for 2011 is out yet?
@Greg (Comment 31) : Next year is worse because of the World Cup though. I wouldn’t be surprised if SA/NZ/Aus pull their players out half way!
@robdylan (Comment 30) : But 2 weeks to prep for the TriNations? What about the team who isn’t playing that first week?
@Hmmm (Comment 3) : Agree.
@Frisbee (Comment 26) :
@Greg (Comment 28) :
Aw C’mon guys!!!!!!!!! SANZAR would never haul the top players out because of the 3N (or 4N) The current season sees test matches 1 or 2 weeks after the completion of the S14 anyway.
|Those responses (thoughts) of your are a little alarmist.
@Frisbee (Comment 29) :
See my comment above. That will never happen.
@Greg (Comment 31) :
Some time ago
The S15 finishes 9 july,
3N goes from 23 july to 27 aug
and the RWC starts 9 Sept
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 36) : oubaas? You avoiding me?
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 34) : Fair enough. I just wonder what the coaches think of all of this. 2 weeks isn’t really enough time to plan properly. Especially if traveling to Australasia for the first game.
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 36) :
So the RWC starts less than 2 weeks after the Tri Nations?? 👿
@wpw (Comment 39) : you get the feeling somebody with the IQ of a plank came up with that one…
HEY – why are you ignoring me on BBM?
@Greg (Comment 18) :
I disagree a bit….yes obviously there are variables with not everyone playing everyone.
….but that is the case anyway with some games being home and some being away.
…..and of course sides are of differing strenghts, but that has always been the case.
….as a Highlanders supporter i’m quite happy to be playing the Bulls and Stormers away. The last thing you want is tough home games, much rather play weaker sides at home.
….there is just so much to digest, but to me it looks fresh, lets face it the Super 14 needed to do something.
….i can see a conference side soon playing other conference sides in 10 years time….like asia (where the money is) and america.
@klempie (Comment 33) :
Make sure you don’t tune in …..
….see you at the Tri Nations.
…. well maybe not as SA will most likely pull their A Team for the away legs like in 2007.
….so see you at the RWC.
….hmmmm maybe not as you may roll out a reserve side for the Pool games.
…..so see you Eden Park !
hmmmmmmm maybe no we would have been knocked out by then
@robdylan (Comment 40) :
I’m not!! 🙄
@wpw (Comment 43) : That avatar of yours will give me nightmares 😕
@wpw (Comment 43) :
…neither am i ! 😆
@robdylan (Comment 37) :
NO. I’ve had a DAMN busy day
@Pokkel (Comment 44) : Vote for Pedro
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 34) : A little alarmist maybe, and yes, I can’t see the international players being pulled from the S15 to prep for the 3nations. What this does mean, though, is that a player is potentially playing around 30 games in a 36 week period.