The Difference between North and South
With the end of season fast approaching in the northern hemisphere and the Super 15 in full swing down south, one thing has been obvious to all. The vastly different games of rugby that are played between the two hemispheres.
The free flowing brand of rugby that the Super 15 produces is in vast contrast to the turgid mess that we regularly have to endure up north. We in Wales regularly bemoan the lack of open-play ambition with some of the home nations, but as the Welsh regions have shown this season, we are far from without blame on this front. Yes the Scarlets and the Dragons have at times shown the flair and ambition that makes the game exciting, but neither team replicates this on a regular basis, such as happens within the Super 15.
Yes, the Southern Hemisphere has the harder grounds to help promote this exciting brand of rugby, but surely it has to be more than that. New Zealand being the destination in question. For a sizable chunk of their season, they have to play in almost monsoon like conditions, and yet still bring into play their vastly superior skills in order to excite and delight the admission paying faithful. Upon watching the Auckland Blues vs Melbourne Rebels game, this author was struck by how much the crowd was enjoying the festival of open, running rugby being played out in front of them. This, in stark contrast to the half full stadiums the Welsh regions must share with the local football teams, paints a troubling picture.
In these days of belt-tightening and budget cuts, people are going to want value for money in order to part with their hard earned cash on a Friday night. To have to endure the stale brand of rugby that is currently dished out in the Northern Hemisphere could soon prove too much to swallow for your average punter. Of course you have your exceptions to the rule. The recent Leicester Tigers match against Gloucester which ended in a 41 a piece draw being the most obvious NH match, where caution was thrown to the wind and players were allowed to express themselves in the best possible manner. However, this is an all too rare example of end to end rugby in the NH and I fear, that unless we adopt a more Southern Hemisphere approach to the game, we may yet lose more supporters who are tired of the regulation "stick it up your jumper game that they have become accustomed to.
