The grim reaper is stalking rugby ... again

April 18, 2026 — 9:30am

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Last year, the chair of a struggling Super Rugby club told this masthead: “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.”

The line referenced his ultimately doomed attempt to get an early release for a player who wanted to move from a stronger club, but it could also apply to Super Rugby as a whole.

Everyone wants Super Rugby to thrive, or at least claims to, but no one is prepared to make the necessary sacrifices. (The player in question remains on the bench this weekend for the club that refused to release him, stuck behind a Test player.)

The irony of this stubbornness is that resistance to real change could kill Super Rugby completely. The Grim Reaper has everyone in his sights, not just Moana Pasifika, whose demise was effectively confirmed earlier this week.

In fact, as the Super Rugby heavies prepare to gather in Christchurch next weekend for Super Round, they would be well advised to dismiss the delusion........

© The Sydney Morning Herald