With the Super Rugby season upon us, expectations are high and arrangements are already in place. Obviously this includes finishing off shopping expeditions for the perfect apparel, preparing for this year’s grueling season, and devising plots to miss meetings in order to watch the Friday morning games.

Unfortunately the Super Rugby season is known to take causalities, and these poor victims are most often our beloved better halves.

So this Super Rugby season, we have compiled a list of guidelines to help the ladies in our lives endure and overcome this chaotic time.

• It’s a known fact that after 90 minutes, there will be a loser and a winner. In the event that your partner is on the losing side, under no circumstances are you to utter these words, “It’s just a game baby”. We understand you're trying to be supportive but please don’t say it. SPORT, RUGBY IN PARTICULAR IS NOT JUST A GAME.
• During the week you may send your partner to do (silly) errands, fix things around the house, but NEVER on a Friday or Saturday (yes the whole day on Saturdays). After all we let you drag us on shoe shopping expeditions (ladies we don’t enjoy it, we only do it to keep the peace).
• In the event of victory, he and his mates will celebrate. This means, he might partake in some particular, cold beverage.  And the game will be dissected from the first whistle to the last, please understand this is an important post game ritual and it must be performed.
• There is a good chance your house will be filled with five or ten men who will invade your space, if this bothers you, then now is a good time to go shopping or have a girls night out, at his expense of course (this has a 90% success rate).
• Some games will be watched on the telly and some have to be watched live. The games watched live require war paint and weird attire. The quirky comments are not welcomed (yes he knows he looks like an over grown bull but he likes it).
• At times he will be considerate by letting you have the house all to yourself and watch the game at a sports bar. Please don’t be angry when he calls you to pick him, drinking and driving is not cool!
• When doing groceries for the month, it will be very much appreciated that the bulk of the items purchased are meat and the afore-mentioned cold beverages. It is afterall tradition to have a braai before or after the game.
• In case you happen to follow the rules, if he says the ref cost us the game, HE IS RIGHT. Agree! (a rugby fanatic is never wrong... Remember the World Cup, 2011, remember the Bryce Lawrence debacle). 

Feel free to put these guidelines in motion during the first game of the South African conference between the Sharks and Blue Bulls on SS1/SSHD at 17:45

Better yet ladies, learn to love the game that's not just a game, as much as you love your man, and tune in for all the action.