All Blacks legend Sir John Kirwan believes that Super Rugby is putting them, as well as the Wallabies, at a disadvantage when transitioning to Test level.
Despite the southern hemisphere dominance at the Rugby World Cup, with nine of the 10 tournaments being won by the Rugby Championship’s big three, the north are certainly having more success in between.
And Kirwan puts it down to Super Rugby, which he believes is not good enough preparation for the top level in comparison to the big competitions in Europe.
The ex-All Blacks star also reckons that they are being outdone in a key technical aspect of the game which is more hotly contest in the international game.
‘I think they’re different sports
“I think the biggest concern for us is northern hemisphere rucks versus southern hemisphere rucks. I think the competency of ruck, and this could be the case in the Lions series as well, the northern hemisphere rucking is way different,” he said on the Rivals podcast.
“The French were really competent in that space.
“Is Super Rugby as close to Test match rugby as it used to be? My answer is no. I think northern hemisphere semi-finals and finals are closer to Test rugby.
“I think they’re different sports. I love Super Rugby, it’s open and flowing, but is it preparing us for those critical moments in Test rugby? My answer is no.”
Kirwan’s comments came before the All Blacks’ dominant 43-17 victory over France, with Scott Robertson’s men improving from their narrow four-point success a week earlier.
However, it is difficult to give a true assessment of where New Zealand are at considering the severely understrength squad the French have sent to the southern hemisphere.
Matfield’s view
The former All Black was joined on the show by Springboks legend Victor Matfield, who agreed with Kirwan’s general sentiment but believes that it has been a long-term problem for the south.
“I don’t think it’s just this year, I think it’s always been like that. I remember back in 2004, we played Super Rugby, we (the Bulls) did well,” Matfield said.
“We went into the Rugby Championship, or the Tri-Nations as it was back then, and we won the Tri-Nations that year.
“Then we went up to the UK and the wet weather, and we got smashed at the breakdown. Jake (then-Springboks head coach Jake White) said it was like men against boys, or boys against men, and we’re not physical enough.
“You can’t have only two guys at the breakdown. You need to put more numbers in, you need to be there much earlier, so you need to put a much bigger focus on the breakdown. It can’t be like in Super Rugby.”