This week we will be mostly concerning ourselves with 'meaningful' matches, new revenue streams and the Super Rugby final.
Black and white
Fresh from the inconclusive result of the Lions series, Saturday presents us with a chance to put a nagging question to bed: what is to be the dominant rugby philosophy of the coming seasons? Will it be centred on all-out attack or stringent defence? Rapier swords or bulky shields? Slings of raging fire or buckets of dousing water?
Yes, for the first time in longer than we care to remember, we can't wait for the weekend's Super Rugby offering.
Out of the chaos of the convoluted conferences and bewildering scheduling and unjustifiable play-offs, we have a showpiece final to die for: an intercontinental showdown between David and Goliath, and – shock/horror – an actual sell-out! Organisers must be wetting themselves. SANZAAR boss Andy Marinos might even find the strength to face the press. (Spoiler: he won't.)
Neutrals and romantics will be gunning for the Lions to land their first Super Rugby title and do their rugby-loving nation proud after an extremely testing couple of years.
To say they play risky rugby is somewhat underselling it: they don't seem to have a single fearful bone in their collective body. Nothing exemplifies their preposterously gung-ho approach to the game like their comeback – from 22-3 down – to see off the Hurricanes in the semi-final, reeling off six tries as if they were simply browsing through their playbook.
Whether they can play it so cool in the face of Crusaders (and in front of an actual crowd) is another matter. This will be the New Zealanders' twelfth appearance in a Super Rugby final and they've supped from the cup a record seven times. Seven!
History aside, what impressed about their semi-final win against the Chiefs is that they did so with less than a third of possession and less than a third of territory. It was a victory built on stifling defence and meticulous planning.
The Crusaders are the yin to the Lions' yang – and we say that with more than a nod towards the Orient. Expect Saturday's result to be heavily reference come Japan 2019.
Deep and meaningful
How times change. Not long ago, there was a tangible sense that World Rugby's judicial types had a blindspot when it came to laying down the law. More of a blackspot, actually: it was said that New Zealanders got away with murder.
Things seem very different now.
It is to their immense credit that Kiwis – civilians and black-breasted stars alike – have not baulked too loudly over the refereeing decision that appeared to cost them victory in the divisive third Test against the British & Irish Lions. But they fully deserved an official explanation commensurate with the one received by Scotland following the refereeing decision that appeared to cost them passage to the semi-finals of RWC 2015 – and not least because the two incidents were practical identical. Yet so far, nothing has been forthcoming.
And then (if we can just skirt past the decision to hand Jaco Peyper the whistle for the Super Rugby final in Johannesburg) there's this brouhaha over World Rugby's decision to alter the terms of the suspension picked up by Sonny Bill Williams for his high hit on Anthony Watson in the second Test.
Apparently when they banned him for four matches, they actually meant four "meaningful" matches, not the All Blacks' warm-ups against Counties Manukau and Taranaki. So now, pending an appeal, Williams is set to miss the opening Bledisloe Cup encounter in Sydney on August 19.
Obviously this has set chins a-wagging, not least because the original judicial panel included two former Wallabies.
But there's no hidden conspiracy to this – nor has there ever been with regard to New Zealand's treatment at the hands of the authorities. It's just down to pure shoddiness. It beggars belief that a full judicial process, featuring paid lawyers, ran its entire gamut without anyone having the gumption to consider the details of the suspension.
Now the whole palaver will need to be examined again as the actual definition of a match is debated by more well-remunerated legal types.
If recent history tells us anything it is that rugby is not as flush as it once believed it was. It's time to stop throwing money at lawyers.
Abbreviated crowds
It was no surprise that a team coached by Jimmy Gopperth and featuring the likes of Christian Wade and Dan Robson won the Singha Premiership Rugby 7s at the weekend.
What was a surprise was how few attended the event at Franklin's Gardens and how low it flew under the media radar.
And what's really sad is that this is the event that spelt the end of the Middlesex Sevens – that annual crowd-pleaser graced by a who's who of rugby from Alexander Obolensky and Andy Ripley to Waisale Serevi and JPR Williams, and just about everyone in between.
It's said that the Premiership clubs took their leave having been embarrassed one too many times by the likes of the Barbarians, the British Army, Bradford Bulls and Wigan.
Now, surely, there's enough swagger in the Premiership to merit a return of inclusive competition in the abbreviated game.
After all, if English rugby is really serious about, say, funding the women's game in a sustainable/sensible manner, than surely kicking off the season with two sell-out days at Twickenham is an utter no-brainer.
Loose Pass is compiled by former Planet Rugby editor Andy Jackson
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