WEBVTT - Jack Mesley: Super Rugby CEO says 'law innovation' has boosted the game's popularity

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to a podcast from News Talk SEDB. Follow

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<v Speaker 1>this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>It's also Super Rugby Finale. We can the season reaches

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<v Speaker 2>its crescendo tomorrow, the Crusaders and the Chiefs playing out

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<v Speaker 2>the final in christ Church. The Chiefs by the way

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<v Speaker 2>with the wood on the Crusader so far with two

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<v Speaker 2>victories this season. Overall, Super Rugby has seen a significant

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<v Speaker 2>lift in interest this year. TV numbers are up. Nearly

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<v Speaker 2>half the games decided by seven points or less. It's

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<v Speaker 2>been good football. So Jack Mesley is the Super Rugby

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<v Speaker 2>Pacific CEO and joins us this morning. Cob ond to

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<v Speaker 2>you Jack, Morning Andrew, how are you very good? Really

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<v Speaker 2>looking forward to the game? I look forward also to

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<v Speaker 2>the semifinals and the whole lucky loser thing, which, to

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<v Speaker 2>be fair confused me. But the point is Super Rugby

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<v Speaker 2>is back with its mojo. So what changed.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, we've had a real focus on making sure that

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<v Speaker 3>our product on the field is as good as can be.

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<v Speaker 3>So we've had quite a bit of lower innovation over

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<v Speaker 3>the last couple of years and have worked really closely

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<v Speaker 3>with the match officials to really speed the game up

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<v Speaker 3>that's been a real improvement, and then the results this

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<v Speaker 3>year has been really really great in terms of how

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<v Speaker 3>much jeopardy we've had in the competition, with close gains

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<v Speaker 3>and unexpected results and teams that maybe hadn't done that

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<v Speaker 3>well last year doing really well, which I think generated

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<v Speaker 3>a lot of interest. And around that, you know, we've

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<v Speaker 3>added a lot of things for fans to engage with,

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<v Speaker 3>like fantasy rugby and things like that. So yeah, it's

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<v Speaker 3>been a great year and it all comes to a

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<v Speaker 3>head tomorrow night in a great Grand Final, and you.

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<v Speaker 2>Have to also thank Morana Pacifica and also the Fiji

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<v Speaker 2>and Drew for adding a whole lot of excitement and

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<v Speaker 2>also wins to it. Of course, we also saw the

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<v Speaker 2>removal of the Melbourne Rebels, so were those changes good?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, absolutely, I think you know, the Australian teams were

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<v Speaker 3>definitely stronger with that, with that additional depth of talent

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<v Speaker 3>with the Rebels players going to the other four franchises.

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<v Speaker 3>So yeah, we saw some improvements across the board from

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<v Speaker 3>the Australian teams and you know, Mowana Pacifica had their

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<v Speaker 3>best year yet on the field with much better results

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<v Speaker 3>just missing out on the finals. So yeah, I think

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<v Speaker 3>all of those things have made for the really compelling

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<v Speaker 3>competition this year. And you know, even our team that

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<v Speaker 3>finished last, the Highlanders, we had the between first and eleventh.

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<v Speaker 3>The number of points is the lowest since two thousand

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<v Speaker 3>and four in the competition. So you know, the Highlanders

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<v Speaker 3>just were so unlucky on so many occasions. And that

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<v Speaker 3>closeness of Cobb's been a real key thinking.

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<v Speaker 2>About MAINA PACIFICA as well. They proved that North Harbor

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<v Speaker 2>Stadium cam worked. They had great crowds there, but the

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<v Speaker 2>crowd numbers generally they're a bit low. I was watching

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<v Speaker 2>the Chiefs of this as the Blues, of course, that

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<v Speaker 2>amazing game which the Blues won, and I was surprised

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<v Speaker 2>not to see at least close to us sellout. TV

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<v Speaker 2>numbers are up, the crowds are still lagging.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean the crowds are up year on year.

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<v Speaker 3>We're up six percent year on year with a fewer

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<v Speaker 3>number of games than last year. But yeah, some of

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<v Speaker 3>those finals, early finals didn't sell out. We would have

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<v Speaker 3>liked to have sold those out. The finals are difficult

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<v Speaker 3>to sell out because you know you only have a

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<v Speaker 3>couple of days to know the result, get planned and

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<v Speaker 3>get up for sale. But you know, it's a key

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<v Speaker 3>focus of ours to increase the crowds. We're working very

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<v Speaker 3>closely with all of the clubs on that, and yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>I think we'll continue to work hard to get more

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<v Speaker 3>more bumps on seats.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, the crowds are very important. Of course, broadcasting rights

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<v Speaker 2>help pay for a lot of everything, but at the

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<v Speaker 2>same time, crowds as where you make your margin. And

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<v Speaker 2>I see the Crusaders complaining about the fact that they're

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<v Speaker 2>fifteen thousand sent to temporary stadium which is gone next year.

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<v Speaker 2>It's sold out, but they're only going to break even.

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<v Speaker 2>So we really need to get fifteen thousand or more

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<v Speaker 2>to these games. How can we do that, Well, we've.

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<v Speaker 3>Got to build the base, so we've got to bring

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<v Speaker 3>new fans in, and so a lot of our strategies

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<v Speaker 3>around around fantasy and gamification is to bring younger fans

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<v Speaker 3>to the games and start to really ensure that those

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<v Speaker 3>people are coming in and experience what a great product

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<v Speaker 3>we have. We got to do continue to get better

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<v Speaker 3>at our marketing, making sure everyone knows when the games

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<v Speaker 3>are on and those sorts of things, and then the

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<v Speaker 3>clubs are doing a great job about creating an amazing

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<v Speaker 3>experience in stadium, and we're pretty confident that when we

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<v Speaker 3>get more people in, they're going to see what a

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<v Speaker 3>great spectacle it is and what a great matchday of

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<v Speaker 3>the club's put on and come back. So it's all

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<v Speaker 3>of those things that requires a really concerted effort for

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<v Speaker 3>all parties and we're certainly focused on that.

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<v Speaker 2>Having said that, it's a bit disappointing that the cowbills

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<v Speaker 2>are not going to be allowed into the ground by

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<v Speaker 2>the Crusaders because that would have added to the spectacle.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean the Crusaders have made that decision. I

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<v Speaker 3>love the fact that the Chiefs have now built an

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<v Speaker 3>app in which will play cow bells, and so I

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<v Speaker 3>think the Crusaders will probably have more cow bells and

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<v Speaker 3>maybe virtual cowboys and they ever thought imaginable in the

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<v Speaker 3>ground tomorrow night, so I'm sure we'll be hearing lots

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<v Speaker 3>of cow bells regardless.

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<v Speaker 2>I heard I heard some talk that the Crusaders or

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<v Speaker 2>the Canterbury people have invented an app that plays sheep

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<v Speaker 2>noises as well, so you could have the sound of

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<v Speaker 2>cow bells and sheep at this game.

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<v Speaker 3>Fantastic. I mean, I love the banter that's happening between

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<v Speaker 3>the two CEOs, creating some further interest in a big match, and.

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<v Speaker 2>It is a big match. I mean, the Crusaders have

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<v Speaker 2>been coming all season long. They've got better and better

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<v Speaker 2>and better. The Chiefs have been magic right from the

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<v Speaker 2>get go. But now we come down to the game.

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<v Speaker 2>So what do you reckon it's going to happen?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, as you said, I mean the Chiefs have got

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<v Speaker 3>a really good record against the Crusaders, not just this

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<v Speaker 3>year but from the last couple of years. I think

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<v Speaker 3>they've won five of their last seven matches against the

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<v Speaker 3>Crusaders and three of the last five down in christ Church.

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<v Speaker 3>So everyone knows about the you know, the Crusader's dominance

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<v Speaker 3>at home, but I think the Chiefs are the one

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<v Speaker 3>team that probably are not marred by that statistic as

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<v Speaker 3>our other clubs. So yeah, it's going to be a

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<v Speaker 3>cracking match. And the Chiefs the grand final in a row,

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<v Speaker 3>Clayton McMillan's last match for the Chiefs, they've got plenty

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<v Speaker 3>to play for, so yeah, and I think it's it's

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<v Speaker 3>set up to be an absolute cracking match. And the

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<v Speaker 3>conclusion of what's been a really good final series.

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<v Speaker 2>So onwards, onwards and upwards for Super Rubby. The Crusaders

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<v Speaker 2>get to Kaha the new stadium next year. Twenty five

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<v Speaker 2>thousand people are there, not fifteen thousand, and no drafts

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<v Speaker 2>and that's going to be brilliant. So the product's going

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<v Speaker 2>to get better down there. And I'm just like to

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<v Speaker 2>congratulate you and your organization, but most of all the

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<v Speaker 2>players for entertaining us on the field.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, thanks, Ed, You're right. It's the clubs and applies

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<v Speaker 3>to coaching staff that that have put on a great spectacle.

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<v Speaker 3>So we wish them all the best tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 2>Night, good stuff. Jack Measley is a Super Rugby Pacific CEO.

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<v Speaker 1>For more from News Talks at b listen live on

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