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One of the learnings from Rugby World Cup 2011 is that rugby has a long way to go if it is to become a truly global sport.
Seeing the French going agonisingly close to knocking off the all-conquering All Blacks should give rugby administrators food for thought.
One of the most interesting things about international sport is that each country – although playing the same game and by the same rules – brings their own national flair (or lack thereof!) to the table.
I, for one, would prefer to watch the Frenchies from time to time, rather than being stuck with the South Africans, year in year out.
There needs to be more meaningful southern hemisphere versus northern hemisphere rugby in between World Cups.
If they are looking for a blue print, they have one in the real world game and other international sports such as cricket.
The rugby world is currently sliced and diced by hemisphere and season. The vast majority of meaningful internationals happen intra-hemisphere in the respective winter – in the form of the Six Nations and the Tri Nations (to which Argentina will be added next year).
Separately, individual nations tour in their off season. However, these tours, which used to be very meaningful, have been devalued due to countries sending virtual B teams, with many of their stars missing.
The worst case of this was when the Poms sent down a team of boys to play the Wallabies – who racked up 76 points to nil in June 1998.
There is also insufficient intermingling of northern and southern hemisphere, provincial teams.
The Super 15 sees the best southern hemisphere provincial teams play each other and likewise the European teams play each other in the Heineken Cup.
But again, there is so much scope for the best from the south to play the best from the north.
I would suggest that rugby looks to some of the other international sports for inspiration.
Let’s first take the internationals. The notion of a team doing a three-month tour of a country or region is really a relic of the old rugby and cricket tours, when teams would get on boats, which would take weeks getting to the other side of the world – and once they were there it was worth staying a while!
A series of one-off ‘Tests’ or short, three-game series, made sense from a utilisation perspective.
However, these tours are now antiquated and should be wound back to allow for annual international competitions.
The model is less important, but you could have a knock-out style competition for the top tier of rugby nations – thereby avoiding the blowouts that the first three weeks of the World cup inevitably produces.
How good would it be if the three Tri Nations teams played a short, two-week knock-out tournament against the Six Nations teams?
Cricket is currently looking at a World Test Championship where the best play the best and the minnows can please themselves.
On the provincial side, rugby needs to look at a Champions League style of competition where, for argument, the top six from the Super 15 play the top six in the Heineken Cup. The Champions League of (soccer) football has set the benchmark in that sport for club football.
The Rugby World Cup is a great spectacle and the quality of rugby from the quarter-finals stage onward, should give world rugby cause for optimism.
However, in this highly globalised environment we live in, rugby administrators need to innovate, to create more quality product in between World Cups.
Seasons should not be an excuse. Other sports have managed to co-ordinate a packed international calendar.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.