OPINION: Super Round in Christchurch is the shot of adrenaline Super Rugby has been searching for out of the product, with the flashy on-field play matched by what happened off it.
The concept had initially been tried in Melbourne, but the move to the South Island of New Zealand to the brand-new stadium showed what was missing.
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It brought energy and life to Super Rugby regular season games that has been rarely seen, taking over the city for the long weekend.
Even Christchurch officials were left blown away by the traction and success of the concept, with every day sold out, and over 70,000 fans backing into One NZ Stadium.
The city is built for a concept like this, with every pub and club within walking, if not stumbling, distance of the $600 million stadium.
‘The Church’ was packed with patrons for three days straight, a fitting name for one of the city’s main pubs as congregations of Rugby fans from all walks of life descended on the town.
Friday was a sea of red and black but the weekend brought different pockets of fans who had made the trip to watch their team.
There was a strong contingent of Australians who made the trip over, with close to 1,000 Queensland fans watching the Reds go down in Super Point to the Blues in the match of the round.
Meanwhile, Kiwis from across the country made the trip, with the Hurricanes and Chiefs well represented along with the Pasifika teams as always.
The variety of support was reflected in the live site, a constant flow of players signing autographs and fans playing ‘spot the legend’ as greats of the game engaged with the concept and punters alike.
Christchurch had forecast the event would bring in $6 million in revenue, but conceded this number would be much higher, given the demand and expenditure.
What was once a pipe dream to coincide with the stadium launch has suddenly become a must heading forward.
"Some of those conversations are already live ... as the weekend went on the conversation moved from 'how good's this' to 'how are we going to manage things like that in the future'," Super Rugby Pacific boss Jack Mesley said.
Christchurch is the perfect city to host it heading forward but there’s plenty of competition from other cities looking for their own economic and social boost.
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph pushed for the concept to move to Dunedin, joking it’d be even easier to get around and better weather, even though fans were treated to three perfect days. Fiji will always be floated but it’s too soon for ‘Bula Round.’
The new One NZ Stadium is akin to a love child of Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium and Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, with former Waratah Al Baxter among the design team.
There can be lessons out of what Dunedin does well, stadium organisers should like to adopt a ‘Zoo’ like set-up at the open end of the Christchurch ground that would be akin to a ‘South Stand’ at the Hong Kong Sevens.
Along with this, discussions will need to start around whether to keep it across the ANZAC Day weekend, which falls on a Sunday next year.
Mesley confirmed the dates are flexible, especially as rumours of a Bledisloe Test continue to swirl after the success of the Wallaroos-Black Ferns match on the Sunshine Coast, drawing one of the Wallaroos’ biggest ever crowds despite horrific weather in the region.
But what is for sure is Super Round has to be here to stay, a perfect energy boost to one of the most electric competitions in the world.
"I'm Mr Positive about our competition and there's a lot of good news stories in Super Rugby Pacific," Mesley added. "Those people that might read some of the press that don't believe me, hopefully they walk away with as much optimism as I have in the quality of our product.
"We need to get our product in front of more people, more often."
