A past president of the Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Football Union says changes must be made to the format of the senior first division club competition from 2012 onwards.
Keith Hannam is convinced reducing the number of teams playing in the premier grade from the current 10 to, say, six makes good sense. "We have to ask ourselves if we have 250 players of senior quality and the answer is no," he said, noting on at least five occasions during the 2011 season he had watched referees resort to golden oldie no-push scrums because of teams lacking the required strength in their front rows.
"Six teams would cut the number of senior players to 150 and that's about where we should be."
Hannam is of the view the 2012 season should be used as a grading year, at the end of which the top six teams should be given division one status the following season. The bottom four would be in a senior seconds grade along with two teams currently playing at senior reserves level, possibly Tuhirangi and Pioneer seconds.
Reflecting on who would drive this change, Hannam said the make-up of the council of clubs meant delegates were sometimes inclined to put the interests of their clubs first. Therefore it would have to be the WBRFU board that had the "courage and the drive" to take the lead. "I don't think the board should sit on the sidelines and leave the council of clubs to run club rugby, they have to take control themselves."
