Please, think a bit

At the beginning of the Super 14 season we were shocked to see so many New Zealand players, specially All Blacks players, hit by injuries every once and again. Form was generally poor by kiwi sides and in round two, the only win by a kiwi side was against another kiwi side. Meanwhile, the South African franchises were all happy to see both Bulls and Sharks in command.

Three months later, kiwi players have tended to recover from injuries and gained some form and little by little kiwi sides have popped up to the Super 14 table, and now it seems it is the South Africans who are getting numerous injuries. The Springboks coach, Peter de Villiers has just asked what the prospects of playing in the all-important Lions series are for a number of injuries.

And in the meantime, nonsense talk about the Super 15 has been going on. They all want more games and more money and there are two silly ways to get it: the South African way which would require to start even earlier, say, in January, and the Australasian way which would require to extend the Super 14 until July and even play international tests at the same time that the Super 14 is being played.

So, do you guys realise that will only increase the number of injuries? How many games per season you want your players to play? Please, think a bit.

Is ARU being serious?

It is now thrice that I have heard the same story: ARU wants the Super 14 to be longer, include a franchise in Japan and fill it with japanese and aussies.


Do they want Larkham back in Super Rugby? Do they want an easy retire for Mortlock and Giteau? What are the reasons for pointing at Japan and overlooking Argentina?

Oh, now I know.

Let's give some facts:

1. The Super 14 competitions is played besides national championships which happen to be very strong in New Zealand and South Africa but have misserably ran out of public in Australia.
2. The present Super 14 contract expires in 2010 and a new one is to be signed. Two of the three SANZAR unions (NZ, OZ) are hoping for bigger revenue whereas there has been certain gossip about the third side (SA) to quit playing super rugby to join northern hemisphere's competitions.
3. Argentina has been asking for a long time to be included in one of the two 'nations' tournament.
4. The Islanders had two teams in the first super rugby competitions.
5. Japan has got money and pays well. (Ask Larkham, Flavell or Mortlock).

So, basically Australia is saying: "I don't have a domestic competition. I want more money, I want a franchise in Japan which I will feed with australian players. What NZ and SA should do is forget their useless domestic competitions and join my plan".

Is ARU right? Should SA and NZ focus more on how to increase revenues at the risk of losing their strong competitions? Is Japan the direction that this opening should take? What about the Argentinians and the Islanders?

Meanwhile in NZ...
And also...

Mad World

Some things simply can't be understood.

Today we get to know that the IRB has said that Argentina will not join the Tri-Nations before 2012.

At the same time on the opposite side of the world, we know that the ARU is in talks with Japan to include a japanese Super franchise into the Super 14 Super-South Super-Rugby. Super.

What's going on? I mean, it's wonderful to draw the attention of japanese rugby to play in the Super 14. It would be a boost, I daresay. But, what is this thing about Argentina? I know that argentinian players play in the northern hemisphere and I can understand that only with their first team Argentina is going to be cleared to play in the Tri-Nations but...

Don't IRB thinking heads realise that by delaying Argentina to play in a major competition they are destroying any chances for argentinian rugby to stay on top? Argentinian rugby is perhaps the best thing that has happened to rugby worldwide. Many will tell you how special the rise of Argentina has been, the way they have built their rugby culture. But they need support. They are pledging to get into a big competition to keep improving, the only thing you could listen from argentinian players during their RWC success was: "don't leave us aside".

The funniest thing is that the IRB have tried to blame the UAR for the delay... IRB, what are you playing at?

Well, about the Japanese in the Super 14, I want to quote John O'Neill (ARU chief executive) words about a team based in Tokyo: "It would perhaps be half japanese, with Japan best players, and the other half foreign, predominately Australian".

(What?)