- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
As members of egg chasing’s biggest sports organisation the IRB, the ARU find themselves in a unique position of having ample opponents to choose from for the international calendar.
They are to be applauded for bringing back three Test series, including their three Test winter against the Welsh in 2012 and continuing that with a three Test series against France this year.
Following an almighty Ashes series and a heavy defeat in the final Lions tour match in 2013, England would have been my choice this year, but hey, I will take a series against the unpredictable Tri-colours.
By eliminating the boring and meaningless winter internationals of years pre-2012, the ARU find themselves in the unlikely position of bringing the validity of the Rugby Championship into question, as well as the third Bledisloe match.
Six fixtures against three opponents home and away, with the first two against the almighty and unstoppable All Blacks. Talk about a series ended before it’s even started!
I just can’t stand to watch the Wallabies lose to the All Blacks three times a year and turn out twice each against the Springboks and Pumas – it is repetitive, stale and not even Argentina’s long-overdue addition to the Tri-Nations teams in 2012 has me fulfilled.
Rather than watch the procession that is the Rugby Championship in its current state, I propose the competition includes Fiji, Samoa and Tonga for a seven team round robin league called the – ahem – Seven Nations (call it what you will, I don’t care).
This seven nation format would fully complement a meaningful three Test series against a different European nation every year.
The tradition of pitting your best against that of a Euro counterpart in three Tests is brilliant and a marketing dream. A seven nation event would ensure each Test is meaningful.
The number of opponents would ensure less repetition. Less repetition against other nations would support the annual three Test Bledisloe series. Furthermore the various standards of the nations would add intrigue and subplots to weekly rounds.
Congratulations to the ARU for getting the winter series right. Stick with it it will pay off.
Now it’s time to convince the other Rugby Championship nations to take the bold step of improving the league by diluting the competition with three very competitive neighbours.
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.