KEY POINTS:
It wouldn't be right to bemoan the rotten state of the Air New Zealand Cup and then berate the NZRU for doing something about it.
Yet, and this is a prickly one, it feels as if the NZRU have a plan that, potentially, will damage the game longer
term than doing nothing.
They have perhaps been guilty of thinking short-term when they need a longer-term perspective.
Southern Hemisphere rugby is on the brink of massive change. By 2010 the Super 14 will comprise more countries in a much longer competition.
Provincial rugby will then be relegated to third-tier, to serve as a development tool for Super Rugby.
Who wins and how many rounds will be determined not so much by what is best for broadcasters and fans, but what is best for the players. A development-focused competition won't necessarily be to find which province is the strongest, it will be purely to unearth talent for the next level of the game.
Players cannot be conjured and suddenly ready to play for the All Blacks. It must also be acknowledged that significant numbers of elite players leave New Zealand every season.
Clearly the balance sheets of several provinces have to be returned to a more stable footing. The NZRU would also like to cut their provincial expenditure.
But the provincial competition is forever destined to be an investment grade. The NZRU will still have to pump in big numbers at that level if they want the success of the All Blacks to continue.
And that is why there is an uneasiness about axing Tasman and Northland. It is Northland where the concern is greatest - Tasman have issues to resolve.
If the whole point of the provincial game is to provide players for Super Rugby, then it just can't make sense for Northland to be without such a vehicle.
How many future stars could be lost by axing Northland, a region with a long history of producing great All Blacks?
The population and players are there. If the union is not doing enough to bring them through, the NZRU need to help. There are great rugby thinkers across the nation - second some to Northland.
If the union has financial failings, then send administrators to put things back on track. These problems can be fixed.
The biggest challenge during the next decade will be sustaining the production of world-class players. That is the foundation of the All Black legacy and it is the strength of the All Blacks that financially underpins New Zealand rugby.
Developing players costs money. Provincial rugby will always run at a loss but that is where new heroes will be built.
The question for the NZRU is what carries the longer-term benefits. Cutting Northland will reduce the running costs of the provincial competition in 2009.
Will it, though, look such a smart move in five years if the All Blacks can't sustain their winning record because they no longer have the depth or talent of old?
