NZ against Tri-Nations expansion plan

By CHRIS RATTUE

New Zealand has knocked back calls from Australia and South Africa to blend Northern Hemisphere teams into the Tri-Nations series.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive David Rutherford said if Sanzar's priority was to expand the competition, it should include teams from this region.

Australian Rugby Union chief John O'Neill has suggested including Six Nations sides England and France.

O'Neill backed a call from former South African coach Nick Mallet, who said the addition of England and France would relieve some of the repetitiveness of the Tri-Nations.

But English coach Clive Woodward has given the idea a cool reception, and Rutherford gave it the thumbs down yesterday.

"We haven't got an agenda from John O'Neill ... but including England and France would be boring and it would also detract from the rugby World Cup, which we don't want to do," Rutherford said.

"Rugby needs more countries playing the game ...

"I don't agree that this is a good idea for the game.

"We would rather involve teams from our area, such as Argentina and the Pacific Island countries, rather than traditionally strong teams from Europe."

Rutherford also gave O'Neill's proposal to increase the Super 12 to 20 teams little chance of success in the near future, although "anything is possible in the long term."

O'Neill suggested including Argentina, Japan, the United States, Canada and a combined Pacific Islands team in an expanded deal.

The Sanzar partners talk on February 16, but Rutherford said the expanded competition was not on the agenda as far as he knew.

"There is a lot of water to go under the bridge before then, and we have to sort out the international window first. There is no way that South Africa and New Zealand will allow anything that detracts from the Currie Cup and the NPC, although there are ways you could expand the competition without doing that.

"A 20-team competition would have to involve pools, but there certainly are issues with pool systems," Rutherford said.

"The Brumbies are a good example of what can happen [starting a team in a non-traditional area], but something like a Super 20 is a long, long way away, in my opinion."

Rutherford said other issues had to be considered, such as the amount of travel and the ability to create competitive teams in places such as Japan.

Woodward opposes including England and France in the Tri-Nations if it affects the Six Nations.

"In my opinion the Six Nations is better than the Tri-Nations," he said.

"The Southern Hemisphere is jealous of what we have and I would hate to see the Six Nations disrupted.

"All the Northern Hemisphere teams are improving and I can't believe for one minute it will happen. It is just John O'Neill talking, shooting from the hip."

A major part of O'Neill's motivation is to put more rugby on Australian television, to compete with rugby league and Rules.

Meanwhile, Rutherford said the international rules conference in Argentina last week gave strong support for New Zealand's bid to change the immediate lose-it-or-use-it rule at mauls.

New Zealand and South Africa want to allow teams in possession to be static at the maul for up to five seconds before having to move the ball or trying to drive forward again.

That should force forwards to remain more committed to the maul, and reduce the packed, flat defences, Rutherford said.

That is one of a number of proposals that will go to the IRB meeting in London next month.

The union is reviewing an IRB tape on a number of proposed rule interpretations, and Rutherford said there could be some confusion during the early weeks of the Super 12, which begins on February 23.

One interpretation change this year will mean players can compete for the ball lying behind rucks, instead of the situation that has developed where halfbacks have been protected as they look around for options, even though the ball is technically clear of the ruck.

The IRB is pushing for greater referee consistency throughout the world, which the NZRFU supports.

Most interest will centre on how referees rule on obstruction involving decoy runners, and the IRB also wants scrum feeds to be straight.