Format cheapens championship

The schmozzle over the format of the Wairarapa-Bush senior first division rugby championship, which kicks off tomorrow, was hardly surprising.
With the organisation of the local competitions in the hands of a council of clubs and that council consisting of representatives of the 12 clubs operating in the region, all of whom have one vote, coming to a consensus was always going to be fraught with difficulties
Obviously it would nice to think that once these people get around the table they make decisions based on what is best for rugby as a whole rather than just for their own clubs but human nature dictates that is seldom likely to happen, at least not on a collective basis.
The tortured path which finally led to the current format being accepted is an excellent case in point.
Firstly, a decision was taken to remove all points secured in the Kapene Cup competition, which had been played over the first eight weeks of the season, for the beginning of the main championship.
Not good news for those sides whose hard work had taken them to the top positions on the points table but very much so for those languishing further down the ladder, who were suddenly back on an even keel.
That rule stayed intact when changes to the initial format were proposed but this time there was to be a reward for the leading three Kapene Cup teams, they would be given a four point start in the preliminary round of the main championship for their earlier endeavours.
Unfortunately for the beneficiaries of that proposal Gladstone, Carterton and Marist though it will never see the light of the day.
It was canned when a special meeting of the council of clubs was held this week to decide the championship format for the third and final time and, what's more, Gladstone and Carterton have been "punished" by a draw which has them, along with Puketoi, playing two home games while the other six first division sides have three.
Actually it was intended Marist rather than Puketoi should have just the two home games too but the two had apparently made a prior arrangement to play their next clash at Memorial Park (tomorrow) and that remains in place.
Poor old Gladstone, who just happened to win the Kapene Cup, has, in fact, been battered around like a sinking ship.
Not only do they have to start again from scratch points-wise but they now have away games against arch rivals Marist and Carterton, which is the dead opposite of a previous draw. Also they don't have the luxury of a bye, which is worth four points, the same number as that awarded for a win.
That the format for the main championship will be changed again next year is an absolute given. At least a couple of clubs are known to already be working on systems they believe would be a vast improvement on that currently in vogue which, quite frankly, wouldn't be hard, would it?
The idea that any title race should be contested for as long as possible by as many teams as possible holds no water with me. Introducing quarter-finals, which is the case here this season, is well and good if you have 15 or 16 teams in the competition but we have nine.
Therefore only one misses out, a situation which does nothing but cheapen the championship as a whole. I mean why should any side with, say, only a couple of wins under their belt be given the status of quarter-finalist, that is rubbish with a capital R and makes a mockery of what is meant to be the flagship of our club rugby.
Catering for mediocrity might keep the majority of troops happy but it does nothing positive for the profile of the game, nothing at all.
Senior firsts
Little can be taken for granted in any of the opening series of matches in the senior first division championship tomorrow with the prospects being that all four games will be closely contested.
Carterton are on something of a roll after a slow start to the season but they can expect a torrid game against Pioneer at the Park Sportsground. Dominating the tighter exchanges of the forward battle will be the main thrust of the Carterton tactics while Pioneer won't mind if the game loosens up and their speedy loose forwards and outside backs get the opportunity to display their wares.
Puketoi's upset win over Gladstone last weekend will have made Marist a tad nervous leading into their encounter at Memorial Park & yes, it is starting as usual at the same time as that at the Park Sportsground. Unbelievable! Indications are too that Marist could be without a few of their "guns" and if that is the case then Puketoi's chances of success will improve even further. The country boys will be typically rugged up front and how Marist respond to them there could be the deciding factor.
East Coast will be hoping the home advantage at Whareama will be enough to give them the edge over Eketahuna but they will need to be wary of an Eketahuna team which played much better than their 30-point defeat by Carterton last weekend would suggest. The injury to lock Dan Griffin is a huge blow for them though and will give the Coasters extra confidence in their ability to take control of the set pieces.
Talking of injuries, Gladstone are confronted by a spate of them leading into their match with Greytown at Gladstone. Normally you'd expect the home team to have the edge over a Greytown side which finished at the bottom of the Kapene Cup points table but, quite frankly, a win to the southern visitors is now very much a possibility. A lot will depend on the forward battle, if Greytown break even in the ball-winning departments their backs could make matters very interesting.
East Coast Colts
The East Coast colts are continuing to make a big impact in their Manawatu competition, winning three of their four games and sitting first equal with Freyberg on the points table. Freyberg do though have a game in hand. Current points are: Freyberg 12, East Coast 12, Marist 8, Varsity K 8, Bush 6, Varsity L 5, Oroua 0.
Rep game
The make-up of the Wairarapa-Bush side to play Manawatu in their non-championship match at Palmerston North next Tuesday start time 3.30pm will not be confirmed until after the weekend's club games and little wonder considering the list of injuries and unavailabilities coach Kelvin Tantrum has to contend with.
That Tantrum and his assistant coach Mike Robinson are now looking seriously at introducing "imports" to their team will have come as no surprise after the performances against the Wellington XV and Hawke's Bay XV and there is the possibility they will actually be on hand for the Manawatu game which promises to be every bit as testing an assignment as the previous two.
Just the three "imports" are allowed for the Heartland championship and it's interesting to surmise the areas in which Tantrum will look to boost. Wing, lock and loose forward would be my pick.