Ex-Wallaby predicts ‘ridiculous’ Super Rugby system will be binned as James Horwill floats alternative
Former Wallabies have hit out at the format of Super Rugby Pacific, which includes the ‘lucky loser’ concept.
The system that was introduced this year sees the top six teams after the regular season progress to a Qualifying Final, with the highest-ranked losing team still proceeding to the semi-finals.
This year, it was the top-ranked Chiefs who benefited from the concept after they fell to a late defeat to the Blues in their Super Rugby Pacific Qualifying Final but progressed to a semi-final, maintaining home-ground advantage despite dropping to the second seeding.
Lucky loser backlash
The Chiefs will now host the Brumbies in the semi-final while the Blues head to Christchurch to tackle the Crusaders.
The new format was announced ahead of the 2025 season but has garnered real backlash recently.
Former Wallabies back Morgan Turinui and ex-captain James Horwill discussed the concept on the latest episode of Between Two Posts with show host Sean Maloney, who believes that the outcry at this point in the season is ‘ridiculous’ as it was unveiled before the first ball was kicked in February.
The respected commentator said that it doesn’t sit right for him that the top-ranked team still gets home-ground advantage after losing their first ‘knockout game’ and believes that the lucky loser should be dropped to the bottom seed.
He also couldn’t fathom why a bigger fuss wasn’t kicked up about the format earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, former lock Horwill suggested a similar system to the French Top 14, where the top-ranked two teams progress straight to the semi-finals, with play-off games then taking place between the teams ranked third to fifth.
“I’m ok with it [the current set-up] in the context of where we are now,” he said.
“My view is that we could do the final system differently, where one and two get a week off and then three plays six and five plays four – straight knockout and then go to a final.”
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Failure to realise the ramifications
As for Turinui, he predicts that 2025 will be the only year that this system will be in place and that the tournament organisers will bin it for next season.
“The big point you [Maloney] made is everyone knew the rules at the start,” he said.
“Has first ever been beaten before, since the days of top eight? So you don’t think it’s going to happen but I reckon it won’t be there next year. It will be changed.”
Asked why the clubs didn’t push back on it, Turinui replied: “I don’t think many analysed it much.”
The major gripe with the format for the trio was the double bonus of progressing to the semi-finals and retaining home-ground advantage despite losing which is the case for the Chiefs this year but may well be a rarity going forward if it were to remain in place.
“It’s something that no one really looked at,” Turinui continued.
“There were a couple of high-ranking execs at Canberra who only worked it out when the Blues won.”
