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Rugby’s big question is why are the South African administrators so difficult to deal with?
The latest, SARU are demanding six teams in Super Rugby when the current format and television deal runs out at the end of 2015.
That has prompted CEOs Bill Pulver (ARU) and Steve Tew (New Zealand Rugby Union) to look at an alternative, the Australasian Conference, and let the South Africans do the best they can with Argentina in another Conference,
The big loser will be South Africa, but that’s their fault through sheer greed.
But the Australasian Conference concept has legs, with three major additions – Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga,
So there would be the Brumbies, Reds, Waratahs, Rebels, Force, Chiefs, Crusaders, Blues, Hurricanes, Highlanders, and the Islanders playing as national sides.
It’s high time the IRB, ARU, and New Zealand Rugby Union paid more attention to the Pacific Islanders, and not just give them lip service.
The IRB should step in by funding the Islanders, sending many of their best players back home from Europe, and the UK, because Fijian, Samoan, and Tongan rugby are as poor as church mice.
That’s why their best players have headed overseas to make a living.
There’s the first big plus in an Australasian Conference – vastly improving their rugby, which is very much part of the IRB Charter. Throwing money at them will never improve them, only tough and regular competition will do that.
The second major plus is the significant drop in overall travel as compared to the current format; and thirdly, Super games between Australian and New Zealand sides attract more television viewers than against South African sides.
So my suggested 13-team Australasian Conference from 2016 would play less games than the current format of 16, with 12.
They would play every other side once – six at home, six away – with much less wear and tear on all players.
If the IRB shifted the international window from June to July, the Australasian Conference and whatever South Africa organised for itself would be over and the semis and final between the two Conferences decided before the internationals.
Super Rugby decided, then home internationals for Australia and New Zealand decided, then the Rugby Championship decided, and finish the year with the usual northern hemisphere tours.
Clear cut, no hangovers, better rugby.