Second tier doubts point to a reprieve

 Northland Rugby Union Chairman Andrew Golightly is more confident than ever that the Taniwha will remain in the top-flight of national provincial rugby next year, with doubts about a second tier competition continuing to gather pace.
The New Zealand Rugby Union's failure to announce concrete plans about the proposed six-team competition - that was supposed to feature four teams culled from Air New Zealand Cup and two promoted from the Heartland competition - means that more questions are being raised with answers not forthcoming.
"There is a growing momentum that the decision could be deferred until at least 2011 and that's what we've always hoped for," Golightly said yesterday.
The lack of concise information about the competition has reportedly hampered the  collective bargaining process between the NZRU and the the New Zealand Rugby Players Association.
Questions have again been raised about how two non-professional unions, most likely to be Meads Cup winner Wanganui and runners-up Mid Canterbury, can improve in  time to match it with four professional teams and provide "meaningful" competition - something the NZRU has maintained should happen.
 Television coverage for the competition may also be a sticking point with the players association, with players wanting to stay and play for their provinces but unsure whether they will be able to attract attention from Super-14 franchises.
The doubts and confusion are all good news for Taniwha fans, who want  the status quo of a 14 team top flight to remain - at least for another year. Northland have been a favourite for demotion since they were targeted for the drop in another abortive attempt last year.
"We've always wanted and seen 2010 as a big year for us, based on what we had been told and given that we will then be in the new events centre which will provide ... better facilities for our fans and our sponsors," Golightly said.
The completed facility should also draw better  crowds - as will a winning team - a much more feasible proposition for the current crop of players, who will have an extra year to gel together.
"They will be able to build on their efforts this year and have more continuity going into 2010," the NRU boss said.
 Another pointer to a change in sentiment at the national level is the spare time found in the playing window for 2010 season after the non expansion of the Super-14 schedule.
The NRU board will meet next on November 24,  to plan strategy before the December 11 NZRU Board meeting where the final decision will be made about next year's competitions.
"There will be a number of matters for the board to consider and hopefully by then further information may have come out about what a second-tier competition might look like," he said.
"We'll  be following it with interest in terms of which direction it will take and the details of the financial modelling will start to be released soon and the stakeholders will have to make a decision whether the new competition will put New Zealand rugby in a better place." Golightly added.