Rennie regrets loss of South African challenge in Super Rugby

Dave Rennie says he still misses the fierce competition between New Zealand and South African teams in Super Rugby, describing the chance to test his players in demanding conditions as one of the competition’s special features.

The All Blacks head coach was speaking after selecting his side to face the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday night. Beauden Barrett will start for New Zealand in the match.

South African franchises no longer compete in Super Rugby, having moved to the Northern Hemisphere competition structure. Rennie accepts the change is more practical for the teams involved, but believes it has removed an important element of the southern hemisphere tournament.

“I still think it’s a real pity South Africa aren’t part of Super Rugby,” Rennie said.

“It was pretty special, and I understand why,” Rennie said.

“It’s a hell of a lot easier. They’ll go north, fly overnight, wake up there, same time zone. But it was a pretty special part of Super Rugby to come over here and challenge yourself against great sides in tough conditions.”

South African sides now play in Europe, including the United Rugby Championship (URC), and Rennie has used that footage as part of his preparations for the All Blacks’ Greatest Rivalry Tour.

The New Zealand coach spent the past three years working in Japan, but said he had continued to follow rugby from both hemispheres while preparing for this series.

“There’s plenty of opportunity to analyse. We watch a lot of rugby. I’ve spent my last three years in Japan, but watching lots of Super Rugby and a lot of stuff in Europe where obviously the South African sides play,” revealed Rennie.

New Zealand will play the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls before meeting South Africa in the opening Test at Ellis Park on 22 August.

For many members of the All Blacks squad, the tour will provide their first experience of playing in South Africa. Rennie believes the schedule has been designed to give the players time to adjust to the country’s conditions before facing the Bulls in Pretoria, where altitude will add another challenge.

The first two matches will be played at sea level in Cape Town and Durban. The Bulls game will then take place at altitude before New Zealand has a full week to recover ahead of the Test.

“We’re going to experience it firsthand [playing at altitude],” Rennie said.

“Obviously we’re at sea level the first couple of games [then] Bulls at altitude and then a good week to recover from that and play a Test.”

Rennie said the squad would not make altitude the focus of its preparations, pointing out that both teams would have to deal with the physical effects of the conditions.

“We won’t talk much about altitude, to be fair, and we never did when we came over here. Our lungs will be hurting, but so will the opposition’s.”

The Stormers match will therefore begin a sequence of three games intended to prepare New Zealand for the first Test, while also offering the All Blacks an opportunity to measure themselves against South African opposition before the series reaches its most significant stage.