South African teams are happy post-divorce but has Super Rugby lost its bite?

F or 26 years club rugby in the southern hemisphere had a distinctive flavour profile. There have been some interesting garnishes, with produce from Japan, Argentina and, more recently, the Pacific Islands enriching the plate. But from the dawn of the professional age in 1996 until the Covid-enforced hiatus in 2020, the three main ingredients have come from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

But now Super Rugby has “lost a bit of spice”, at least according to John Plumtree, the now Durban-based Sharks coach and former All Blacks assistant.

“It’s not the same flavour; the physicality is down,” said Plumtree, who also led the Hurricanes in Hobart. “You still get the odd good game and derby game, but unfortunately the Australians, apart from the Brumbies, haven’t really lived up to being competition for the top sides in New Zealand. The Springboks and South African sides are certainly missed.”

It’s been two years since the South African franchises – the Stormers, Bulls, Lions and Sharks – ditched their compatriots across the Indian Ocean to join the United Rugby Championship which includes teams from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Italy. The Stormers will defend their title next weekend against Munster in Cape Town. And though no South African outfit progressed beyond the quarter-finals in the European Champions Cup in their inaugural season, there were enough positives to give hope that one could soon lift the continent’s most glittering prize.

Clearly the South Africans are coping just fine since the divorce. And, if we’re honest, their previous relationship had its issues. Super Rugby had become bloated beyond recognition by 2019 with a confusing conference system turning fans away. Then there was the travel which