Format finally signed off

The format for this season's Wairarapa-Bush senior first division rugby championship has been signed off, at the third attempt.
A meeting of the WBRFU's council of clubs on Tuesday night debated a concept whose introduction last week was prompted by criticisms of the initial proposal made a few weeks earlier.
But the second effort didn't strike the right chord with several of the clubs either and further changes have now been made to satisfy at least the majority of the nine participating teams. No longer, for instance, will the three top finishers in the Kapene Cup competition, which finished just last Saturday, be rewarded for their performances there by being allocated four extra points. Instead Gladstone, Carterton and Marist will start on scratch, just like every other side.
More than that, those same three teams have been allocated just two home games during the six series of matches which will decide the make-up of the quarter-finals which are to be played on July 19. All the other teams will have three home games.
It has also been decided that rather than give two points to the team drawing the bye they will receive four points, the maximum number obtainable in any match.
Council of clubs chairman Fergus Rutherford said the latest format would mean that all nine sides would have the chance to secure the same amount of competition points going into the quarter-finals.
"There was a strong feeling that no one should be disadvantaged in that respect, that everybody should start on a level footing," he said.
Rutherford emphasised there was no guarantee that this season's format would be repeated again in 2009. He said it was basically being trialled and if the majority of clubs wanted to replace it with some other concept that was their prerogative.
"You can tell from the problems we have had this season that coming up with something which suits everyone is very difficult to do, each club has their own ideas," he said.
Rutherford said the overriding message from most clubs was that they wanted a format which kept as many teams as possible in the reckoning for competition honours for as long as possible.
"I know there are some people who don't agree with that but it's the clubs who decide what they want and right now that's how it is," he said.