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With the new Super 15 competition and franchise looming around the corner, the other Australian teams know another player drain is coming.
Like when the Western Force first came on the scene, Australia saw a great migration to the West, sapping the strength of Australian teams and leaving us at the mercy of the South African and New Zealand teams. We all saw what happened to the Reds.
If Melbourne is awarded a franchise and an exodus occurs again on the same scale, Australian teams are not only going to find themselves out of capability to reach finals, but also without that crowd drawing factor that only a star studded team can bring.
The answer to this dilemma is simple. Bring in the foreigners. Not only would the extra talent be able to quickly fill in the new spaces needed for a successful team, but they would attract interest into the competition.
With Argentina, and maybe eventually the Pacific Islands, set to join the Tri-Nations, this would be an excellent way to drag them back from the northern hemisphere. Many would be excited by the possibility of playing for their home nations and this could be a strong bargaining tactic.
Yes there is already a marquee player system at the moment, but if the ARU could expand on this and allow at least seven or eight foreign players per squad, then we would have a proper competition on our hands.
One of the major reasons Aussie Rules and the NRL are so popular is that they have the best of the best of their code all in the one competition. The attractiveness of international stars could be rugby’s savior if the likes of Johnny Wilkinson or Brian O’Driscoll could be lured to play down under.
While some say that this would impact the game time of potential Wallabies, the reality is that Australia doesn’t have the same depth of players as the other nations and international talent will give current teams that competitive and supportive edge they need so badly at the moment.
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.