Is a 'three years off, one year on culture' invading Australian rugby?

You talk about "we" as in Wallabies, you are an All Blacks supporter, are you not? Your idea of local product is flawed, surely.

I would like NZ and Aus to form its own 14 team league played over a home and away season with no finals at all. 3 points for a win, 1 each for a draw, 1 for 4 try bonus point, no losing bonus. 12 tests each year. 1 against SA, 3 against Aus, 1 against Arg, 1 against 1 of Tonga, Samoa, Japan, USA, Canada, Fiji (who will be invited into the RC that year). 3 against European nations touring pacific in June (3 different teams) and 3 against European nations in Nov ( 3 different teams). Wont happen, prolly cant happen. But its what I would like.

Nobody on the Roar is alright with it Nick.

Great comment/article, Nic. Merci! (And I agree; we need more, not less).

Nick is French

We need a s24. 2 conferences with 12 teams. Bring in pacific teams and the US. Teams play 11 games each plus finals. The ARU needs a club rugby programme plus about 7 tests domestically and then end of years tests up north.

Make Super Rugby longer???? Seriously? I can understand why a Wallabies supporter would like to shorten the test rugby season to fewer games (therefore fewer loses) to play more Super Rugby but this All Black supporter likes a 12-13 Test season!

Incredibly astute observation. I haven't read all the comments so I don't know if they were mentioned by former Rebels Hugh Pyle and Paul Alo-Emile- both on the fringe as youngsters have gone overseas, most likely to return 3 years hence to press for 2019. In some ways it makes sense for PAE to go to France and learn the dark arts of front row scrummaging. He'll be a better THP for it.

It matters when the ranking position serves an agenda and supports a reporters narrative. Big jumps and drops are discussed with no issue on their potential impact to RWC seedings though.

Bill Pulver doesn't have any Wallaby back ground. He played schoolboy rugby. I'd imagine if anything, with an Aus schoolboys son, he's own interest would be in the lower levels and pathways so that Angus Pulver can develop in Australian rugby.

How is having a super rugby competition lasting 9 months a year supposed to get fans interested it is already too long

Great article Nick and congrats to being promoted by the Roar Back-room Boyz (sounds like a boy band). I guess the proof of the pudding in what you say is the only times of late that Australia has won the RC have been in RWC years. To many of our "friends", the WB scored the booby prize while the AB chased gold (and won, damn them LoL). And its true, now all the English and WB talk of is "building to the next RWC". Personally I would rather be at the Olympic stadium every year cheering on as God's gift to rugby, the NSW Tahs, win yet another SR competition, then front up in August/Sept to cheer the WB to another Bledisloe/RC double. I don't want much, do I? I remember the 1st RWC, the joys of seeing Australia belt England and Ireland in the rounds. I was even there at Concord Oval (15,000 and full ground) when the French spanked the WB in the semi-final. One other thing I remember about that RWC was it would never have happened except the ARU and NZRU fervently pushed the idea. Once the IRB saw a buck in it, it's now grown Gozilla-like. On the flip side, I see a greater public and media awareness of rugby in Australia after our showing in the RWC. If this renewed interest gets more rectums on seats at SR and internationals, then great, I'll even cop losing the RWC final. This will be followed by a tour of the Great Enemy in June. Nothing sparks the Aussie media more than a match against the English, so one is hopeful of a very successful (profits-wise) tour.

Hi TWAS, I remember the howls of laughter from some and despair and ready to jump off Sydney/Brisbane bridge when the WB dropped to 5th or 6th in IRB rankings after the 2014 EOYT. So yes it matters to some folks. As you say also, the rankings play a role in the draw for the next RWC so one could consider every international is important.

Nick, It's a great subject and well raised as it's so topical. The RWC is a huge deal and will go on from strength to strength. But what is needed is for Roarers to put their minds together to decide what needs to be done to making existing competitions and internationals more and more relevant in the three years between RWC years. Or, to say it in a different way, to come up with something that would make the likes of the David Pocock's of the world to think twice or even more times because the loss to him in prestige (or money if that's what it takes) for taking off a year or two between RWC's is just too great. It's not just David by the way, Jerome Kaino of the ABs did it by going to Japan and there apparently will be a lot more. A focus is needed on creating a real meaning for the three inbetween years. Go Roarers Go.

Excellent topic nos. Well though thought piece also. thanks. I would also like a longer domestic comp. http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/02/14/australian-rugby-going-shute/ Just like Currie Up which now overlaps with a good part of SR: That is why SA revenues are good. And also the reason why they are increasing the overlap. This will also start to create similar structures as NH. More games. More player experience..

Good Artists Copy. Great Artists Steal.

NOS, A problem the code has in Australia is that essentially all of the power-brokers within the code here are completely Wallaby centric. You would struggle to name anybody from the ARU that is not deeply involved or reliant on a Wallaby background. This is reflected in every decision the ARU makes is directly aimed to benefit one team the Wallabies. Even Super rugby was purely designed to pay for a level of professional players to supply the Wallabies. Even the expansion franchises were primarily aimed at increasing Wallaby depth What i mean is that the rugby chiefs here have never really pursued growth a a domestic level with any real enthusiasm.You only have to look at Western Sydney, the biggest growth market in Australia, and where is rugby. Compare that to the AFL over the last 25 years. The biggest tragedy to this whole top down approach is that the ARU have never really pursued the biggest market available to it, its own backyard.

Good comment Sam... I haven't made up my mind, one way or the other, but I do tend to agree with what you say.

TWAS... that's a first for me as 'we' agree, not so much on state lines, but more so the bigger picture of nation interest. Not taking the preverbial here... but I mean it. Rankings do matter... should matter, and the sooner the world of Rugby embraces that the better the off years...between RWC will seem. That is unless you're a kiwi... and like you're number 1 anyhow so all good there eh?

Fair enough Sam. We will see what kind of crowds and ratings we get during this year's SR season. For the first time we have a comp with teams from the top 4 nations at the last rwc plus one from a country that excelled. If the rwc truly enhances SR here in Oceania we should break all records (crowds, tv audiences etc). My 2 cents is that Nz, oz and SA have become too 'RWC dependants' and many of their supporters have become rwc dependant too. Something all other nations especially in the NH can't afford as people wouldn't watch the products offered between Rwc as their NT aren't successful on the world stage. (And that's valid in all sports hence the same model, long strong domestic season, shorter, sporadic international one). thats imo the main difference between the NH model and fan base and the SH ones. Much more risky for the SH should the NT not perform at a Rwc.