KEY POINTS:
Sanzar's Perth showdown has confirmed what most already knew - that Super rugby will get bigger and hopefully better - but also served to increase the intrigue around the June international window.
A revamped Super 14 (or 15, 16 or 18, depending on what the case may be) starting later and ending much later would put the squeeze on the June in-bound tests that have generally been dispiriting exercises in mediocrity, with Northern Hemisphere countries routinely sending substandard squads.
To accommodate an expanded Super rugby landscape there are effectively three options.
The first is to play through the June window in much the same way as the NRL continues while the State of Origin is played.
That could mean midweek matches and split rounds, a questionable proposition given the increased emphasis on player welfare.
The second is to suspend the Super 14 for three weeks, a massive momentum killer and a seemingly untenable outcome.
The third and most controversial outcome would be to move, or eradicate, the June window.
Certainly there seems to be an appetite to prioritise Super rugby over the June internationals that goes beyond mere brinkmanship. Sanzar chief executive Jonathan Stones said as much at the conclusion of the Perth summit when asked if Super rugby would be regarded as more important than the June tests.
"I don't want to say categorically that there is where we are right now," Stones said, "but it is something that we have to take cognisance of. There have been efforts made post-Woking to ensure that the sides that come south in the June window are the best sides available. We haven't seen manifestation of that yet."
Rob Nichol, who attended the summit in his roles as head of the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association and IRPA [International Rugby Players' Association], summarised the players' attitude towards the June internationals.
"We want to see the best versus the best in test rugby," Nichol said. "From the players' perspective if it's not the best versus the best, why bother playing it?"
Nichol said Southern Hemisphere rugby was staring down its biggest challenge but he was left impressed by the three Sanzar countries' motivation for change and improvement.
"Southern Hemisphere rugby is facing big issues but at the same time everybody recognises it is a massive opportunity to create something compelling and to solve the problems with the international calendar.
"There is a recognition that the other option [to retain the status quo] is no option at all."
He said there were three pillars to base any revamped competition on: it must be commercially successful, which could be construed to mean it must be able to afford players the same financial inducements as the Northern Hemisphere; it must be well managed in terms of the physical demands on the players and the attractiveness of the rugby; and it must have something to make players proud to be part of it - in other words they have to love the concept.
"There is a nervousness that the hype, the money and the flavour of the Northern Hemisphere competitions is eroding the ability of Super rugby to be able to claim to be the No 1 competition below test rugby in the world.
"There is a general acknowledgment that Southern Hemisphere rugby is not where it should be."
With waning crowds and perceived apathy over rugby in general, New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew was asked whether an extra round of playoffs would only exacerbate the feeling there was too much rugby.
He responded by saying that research had indicated that interest built up in the final rounds of the Super 14 and fans believed it "finished too quickly" once it got to the playoffs.
The six-team finals series, which will mean an extra round of playoffs, is likely to be a precursor to more radical changes to Super rugby, including players crossing borders to represent franchises, rather than the largely regional approach.
An extra team would almost certainly be added in 2010, with logic suggesting that Melbourne would host the franchise. While it is an expensive place to run a professional sports team and a highly competitive market to boot, it is routinely labelled the sports capital of the Southern Hemisphere and the perfect place to expand rugby's reach.
Following the 2011 World Cup it is envisaged that the competition would expand to 18 teams with the likes of Tokyo, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Suva, Apia and Buenos Aires bidding to host franchises.
