Editorial: Rugby must think outside the Boks

Opinion

So steeped in history is the rivalry between the All Blacks and the Springboks that the inclusion of South African teams in the original Super rugby competition was a huge attraction. Thirteen years on, however, much of the lustre has gone. It is worth pondering whether it would be a huge disappointment if South Africa were to split from the Sanzar alliance and go its own way.

The question is relevant because New Zealand rugby administrators are in the republic to talk about the competition format that will underpin a new broadcasting deal with News Corp from the Super season after next. As is customarily the case, the Sanzar partners are at odds. Various formats have been proposed, all with sticking points for either New Zealand, South Africa or Australia. South Africa's wish to supply the team in an expanded Super 15 competition is a problem. So, even more so, seems to be its demand for that series to start in January.

Australia and New Zealand want the start of the proposed 22-week competition pushed back to late February or early March, but that would extend Super rugby into August, requiring South Africa to tamper with its Currie Cup provincial competition. It is adamant that it will not do this.

On one level, it is easy to be sympathetic with South Africa's plight. The Currie Cup is popular and lucrative. It enjoys the sort of profile and standing once associated with this country's National Provincial Championship. It is ludicrous, however, to be playing rugby in January because of the heat, players' need for a reasonable summer break and the diminished public interest. On this issue, the room for the sort of compromise that has become part and parcel of Sanzar's existence should be extremely limited. Even the financial clout that South Africa brings to the table - it contributes 65 per cent of broadcasting money - should carry it only so far.

If the South Africans do not get their own way, they have threatened to form a new tournament with Scotland, Ireland, the United States and Argentina. In fact, it makes some sense for them to be competing against British and European teams. The time zones are fairly much the same, and travel would be no more of an obstacle than in the Super competition. The financial side would also stack up. Equally, it would make sense for New Zealand to take the reins in a new series that included teams from Australia, Japan, the South Pacific and perhaps the US. If the financial rewards were not so large, there would be several compensations.

Most importantly, a fresh wind would blow through the game in this country. Even some of rugby's most ardent fans have become bored with a stale diet of Super matches followed by the accompanying Tri Nations championship. The mystique once associated with South Africa has disappeared. This will come back only if competition becomes less frequent, both at the Super and international level. Thus, there is a case also for abandoning the Tri series.

This would have the added benefit of freeing up the playing calendar, thereby allowing a greater emphasis on the NPC and the revival of extended tours by the All Blacks. Their game against Munster last year offered a reminder of the great tours of yesteryear both to the British Isles and South Africa.

As Andy Marinos, the acting chief executive of the South African Rugby Union, has noted, the Sanzar partners have very different backyards and very different competition structures. This is a recipe for friction and unsatisfactory compromise. Perhaps it is surprising the Super format has survived this long. Certainly, it has now lost its glitter. Organised correctly, an Asia-Pacific competition would enrich New Zealand rugby.