Chapter 1: What are the recent upsets in Super Rugby?
Well, it's great to welcome to the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, Super Rugby CEO, Jack Mesley. And Jack, that was a good weekend of upsets.
Yeah, I'm still getting over what was a very big Saturday and a great weekend all round. Some massive upsets that have thrown the comp into a really interesting place just beyond the halfway stage. Do you watch every game? You just did the whole thing. Well, I try to get to a game every week if I can.
And then, yeah, try to catch up on all five games or however many games we've got in the weekend.
I mean, that has been the best thing, though, about Super Rugby the last few years is that unpredictability of result. And you look at the weekend, and I would say there are three upsets. Most would have thought the Canes would probably win that. You know, now there's, what, 10 teams that are still eligible for that sixth place, maybe fifth.
I think you're right, Jib. And, you know, all of these long-term hoodoos that have existed are getting busted every week, it seems. So, yeah, the Drewa winning for the first time in Canberra was just amazing. You could see what that meant to that team and their fans. The Force getting over the Crusaders at home. You know, each week we seem to have this.
And certainly any team on their day can beat any other team in the comp. And And we love that. We want every fan group, as I keep saying, look forward to the next weekend thinking their team have got a chance. And it certainly seems to be the way at the moment.
Now, Jack, we'll get to the state of the game and what's happened this year as far as the play and the evolution of the game and the innovations and all of that soon. But when you look at what's happening in the media, certainly in New Zealand over the last few days, the comment is all about Moana Pacifica and the future of Moana Pacifica within this competition.
So I thought possibly the best place for us to start with you is maybe just to take a step back because there is a lot of emotion tied to it. And rightfully so, because, you know, there's a lot here as far as jobs and a team and a culture and a lot on the line with this team, a very important team in that way. Where are we at with Moana Pacifica right now?
Yeah, I mean, it's been a big week, right? And I was lucky enough to be at the Waratahs Moana game on Friday night. And I was out there with Debbie Sorensen and got a real feel for, you know, obviously the tough week it's been. And us, like everyone else, our first and the priority is thinking about those individuals that are impacted by the news.
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Chapter 2: What is the current situation with Moana Pacifica?
But yeah, I mean, I, again, I don't want to talk specifics, but there is work that has already been done and that is ongoing looking at all the possibilities. And, you know, we will certainly be,
We're continuing to work that and through all the little lenses that we've always talked about, you know, what makes sense for fans, what generates value that helps sustain this ecosystem that then can help clubs thrive and not have to go through these troubling circumstances that we're talking about.
And does that mean, I suppose, the Super Rugby comp and the fans are going to see more things like we saw here at Eden Park on Friday night? Which, you know, I'm not, I don't know, Drax Project as a band, but I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment. You could tell, like, the crowd wasn't just there for the footy.
In terms of that, I suppose, the presentation of rugby, that's quite an exciting step forward.
Yeah, I think we've seen a real shift probably in the last 18 months. I think, you know, we've been on a journey, which you've been a part of, Jip, since probably 2002 to focus on the improvement of our core product. So what happens between the white stripes every game. Um, in the last sort of 15 months and really coming to the fore this season is what happens in and around that in stadiums.
Um, and the clubs are just doing such great work there to make sure that the experience is more than just about, you know, the great rugby that gets played in super rugby Pacific, that the live experience has something for everyone. And so, um,
Yeah, if you were lucky enough to go out to Eden Park or have been out in the last couple of rounds, you know, there's great stuff for families and kids down one end of the field.
There's the corner, which is all about, you know, entertaining, you know, the younger sort of uni set, if you like, or the teens that want DJs and there's a spa bath and, you know, the light show and the lights and the laser that went on and the performance. Yeah. there's so much more happening in and around our stadiums now.
And yeah, I think, you know, again, just encourage people that haven't been out for a while to a super game to get out because, you know, the product is unbelievable, which you're going to talk about. But everything else going on around it is, is a real, is a real thrill as well.
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Chapter 3: How can fans support their rugby teams effectively?
The game is well set up to choose your style, to play whatever style you want, but do so knowing that we're going to move the game forward. So, you know, if you're going to play that way, just be ready because we're not going to let people sit down and take a break.
What we will do is we'll say to the fans, because we've talked about it, please send us through in the comments section, things that you would like to add, you know, off the field innovations, those kinds of things, send them through. We'll make sure that Jack and NZR and the AIU get these things in front of them, because trust me, I've sent those emails through.
We're unashamedly open, you know, and we want the ideas. I mean, you know, this whole conversation is about making this competition more attractive for fans. Unashamedly, we need to do that to raise more money so that we don't have to go through the circumstances we're going through with Moana Pacifica. So I make no exception for being greedy on the money side.
The way I can do that is to make sure that our product is as good as it can be that attracts people to come and spend their money. So we're all ears. And, you know, there's no bad ideas. We're going to have a look at a whole lot of things going forward and see what we add to our arsenal. And, you know, for me, again, like the core product is unbelievable.
It's just all the other layers that we want to add that give you guys something more to talk about, give your listeners something more to talk about around the water cooler and whether that's, you know, fantasy, whether that's player of the year awards, whether that's whatever these ideas might be, you know, we want to continue to add all of those things into the mix because it just gives more people more opportunity to engage and talk about and get excited about their club, their players and the competition.
What I like in the IPL is that you can see the player who is the top run scorer, the top wicket taker. They wear a piece of something on them, whether it's a hat or whatever it might be. There is no reason why we can't have an armband on, you know, Finian Anofo or, you know, on the top point scorer or the person leading the MVP race right now.
So people can see them and they go, geez, I haven't got the armband on this week. And it costs nothing.
I don't mind it. That's a great idea. I mean, all of these things, like, let's get them out there. Let's see which fans want to take forward and make it happen. You know, there's nothing holding us back on some of these things. As you say, some of these ideas don't cost anything. They're just about us getting everyone aligned and moving forward.
Well, you already know my Ranfully Shield and Super Rugby idea.
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