It’s flawed, isn’t it?  

The Super Rugby Pacific finals playoff system is simple I’ll give you that, but it doesn’t do justice to the dominant teams.  

It keeps energy in the comp right up until the regular season ends, which is wonderful. The drama of Fakatava’s last minute baton-handing try to whip victory from under the noses of the Reds last weekend was tremendous. There is a pulse in Super Rugby Pacific which may well have been extinguished under a more abrupt finals system, one that doesn’t reward mediocrity by allowing teams to slide into contention after stinking up the comp all season. 

So, it provides meaning for games that may well have been an exercise in injury avoidance and broadcast box checking, but does this system reward success? Does this system give the hard grafting, season dominant any chocolates for consistent results? 

Short answer, no.  

Long answer. Absolutely not, it’s a handout to teams that don’t deserve the opportunity for glory after a poor comp in the trenches. 

For example, should the Highlanders finish 8^th, they’ll have a chance on the back of 80 minutes of football to send the Chiefs down the u-bend. That gives very little to the year's dominant team. It makes a mockery of the effort required to finish as high up the ladder as possible. 

So yes, the comp has relevance deep into round play with this format, but it smacks of every team getting a certificate of participation.  

The finals system needs a reboot. The balance needs to be corrected so teams that climb their way to the top throughout the year get compensated, have reason to succeed, not just have a home advantage.  

That’s not right.  

That’ll do.  

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