Back in the day Super Rugby was a joy to watch, the 12/14/15 teams mostly ensuring that every week saw quality against quality in an easy to understand format.

Well if you haven’t already met the Super Rugby format for 2016 let me introduce you to a right old mess, perhaps best summed up by this picture that did the rounds a few weeks back:

Organisers have essentially sold the soul of the tournament to rake in extra revenue and former Aussie winger David Campese isn’t at all pleased:

“It’s ridiculous. They’re trying to create something that’s not really viable,” Campese [said].

“Realistically it’s just going to be an absolute nightmare. There doesn’t seem to be any thought going into the players’ welfare about the travelling. No one seems to know. It’s an absolute mess.”…

“Money’s great, but on the other hand if you want to (increase the) competition why not bring in the Pacific Islands as well? Why have you got to go to Japan?

“It’s a total mess and I think something major is going to happen to make them change their mind.”

With the addition of the Kings, South Africa is also the only nation in the competition to boast six teams – something Campese is not all too happy with.

“In South Africa you’ve got six teams – two of them are basically club teams. It’s a disaster.”

That it is. Prepare to go all cross-eyed when we map out the format…

Here’s a run through of how it all works using the Sharks as an example:

What a bloody crock of shite, it’s no wonder new captain Pat Lambie alluded to the players’ disillusionment in a recent interview:

“It’s an interesting one… I think this year everyone might be trying to find their feet a little bit with how travel arrangements and things have changed,” the 50-Test Springbok said…

“I think if you ask a lot of players that have had a few Super Rugby seasons under their belt, if they could have it their way they would want to play every team once,” said Lambie.

Ever the diplomat Pat, but if we’re pissed off I can only imagine most players are fuming.

As a rugby fan in this country you have to wonder if this will only speed up the exodus of players headed over to Europe. There’s the pound and the euro sure, but when you begin to see your rugby board selling you down the river for monetary gain that may be the final straw.

[sources:sport24,sport24,youtube]