Super rugby pacific returns to Sky Sports Friday morning, raising the curtain during a season of the southern hemisphere during which the tour of the British and Irish Lions in Australia is looming.
A brand new Zealand confrontation is launching things while the Crusaders welcome Hurricanes on Friday at 6 a.m. Sports Sports Mixfollowed by the star of Australia, Joseph Suaalii Sports Sports Mix at 8:30 am.
The collapse of Melbourne rebels means that only 11 teams will participate in the 2025 Super Rugby tournament in a campaign that will offer some changes: a six -team finals, a fantastic league and a player of the year between the organizers of ‘initiatives are implementing.
“We are fighting for the attention of the fans,” said super rugby general manager Jack Mesley. “To do this, you make sure that your product is as convincing as possible and then make sure to tell this story in a really convincing way.
“Our goal is to make sure that our product in the field is as good as possible and that our fans hear all the stories that enter and around this and are engaged by them.”
Lions series in Australia on Sky Sports weave
One of the stories that will go through this Super Rugby season will be the efforts of Wallabies’ head coach Joe Schmidt to assemble an Australian team capable of taking and beat the lions of Andy Farrell.
Not only that, Australia welcomed the next rugby world cup in 2027 and has an urgent need for positivity for rugby in the country.
Rugby Australia is also looking for a head coach to replace Schmidt when he moves in October, with news that kiwi will only remain for the short term.
In New Zealand, Scott Robertson will intend to constitute a team capable of producing better results than its first season in charge last year when the All Blacks lost four tests.
The form and quality of the four clubs in New Zealand – the reigning champions, the blues, the chefs, the hurricanes and the crusaders – will make an intriguing observation.
Suaalii the next star of the super rugby and the great hope of Australia?
Only a few weeks after the passage of the LNR of the Rugby League, the Suaalii Center delivered a display of the man of the match to help Australia in a spectacular victory of 42-37 on England in a Twickenham Packed in November.
The 21 -year -old played a central role in the end of the three defeats in Australia and saw them register their first victory over England on British soil since the 2015 World Cup, with Schmidt leading applause for Talent “ bizarre ”.
“He certainly has a rugby pedigree, although he played a few years in a professional rugby league, which made him a truly professional young man,” said Schmidt. “He is incredibly diligent around his preparation, and this diligence I think that is bearing fruit in the way he happens.
“There is a bit of an aerial monster, but at the same time, it was also a good learning experience for Joseph. I know that there were doubts expressed to that it was selected and the risk. I think that People would now see the opportunity to involve a young man like that.
On Friday, Suaalii will make his super rugby debut for the Waratahs. Sky Sports At 8:30 am, and he is sure to be a rugby club star this season in the head of the little material of a huge Lions series for the Wallabies.
Suaalii is the name of the lips of most people at the moment.
Extension of super rugby? A player project?
One of the super rugby expansion options would be to reintroduce a team from Japan, a prospect privileged by all blacks in half the Beauden Barrett fly.
“I would love to see the Japanese being part of the competition,” he said. “I have the impression that we have to develop competition and in this regard, it would be great.
“From a player’s point of view, we have lost South Africa. We have to grasp another country and fill these spots so that it creates better competition.”
The South African clubs joined Super Rugby in 1996 and faced the Australian and New Zealand clubs until the 2020 season was abandoned due to the Pandemic COVID-19.
The four main SA clubs joined URC in Europe to play against clubs from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy in 2021.
Barrett’s teammate by Barrett de Barrett Will Jordan thinks that a draft system would be an additional incitement, allowing players in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and the Pacific to move away from their country of origin but to stay in competition.
“I think the things around the project, it obviously creates a huge amount of excitement and equity through competition, right?” Jordan said.
“You see it a lot in American sports and that adds a lot of excitement.”
Super rugby pacific round 1 live on Sky Sports
Friday February 14
Crusaders vs Hurricanes, Sky Sports Mix (06:00)
Waratahs vs Highlanders, Sky Sports Mix (08:30)
Saturday February 15
Fijian Drua vs Brumbies, Sky Sports + (03:30)
Blues vs chiefs, sky sports + (06:00)
Force vs Moana, Sky Sports + (08:30)
British and Irish Lions in Australia Sky Sports
Sky Sports will exclusively show the tour of the British and Irish lions in 2025 in Australia, with the three tests against the Wallabies and six warm -up matches to show exclusively live.