Inga Tuigamala: Strong leaders needed to haul rugby out of the mire

Opinion

The Sanzar crisis is a major testing ground for the credentials of our top rugby administrators.

Rugby is at a serious crossroads and by my reckoning, is simply in survival mode at the moment. It needs people with a vision and the ability to revamp the way it is run or else I fear the game many of us have treasured is in major trouble.

The current Sanzar impasse is indicative of the problems. South Africa is sticking to its guns, wanting an even earlier start to the Super 14 seasons. Australia and New Zealand want a later start, and there are other issues of dispute.

It's high time that the NZRU was much more assertive on the international stage.

While I disagree with South Africa's position on the Super 14 season, I do kind of admire them for standing up for themselves.

I would like Australia and New Zealand to remain tied in with South Africa for the domestic and international competitions, because without them we would lose a lot of flavour.

But what worries me most is that not only is Sanzar unable to sort out the current problems, but that they may only be tinkering with the game anyway.

What rugby needs is a major overhaul to put the sparkle back into the great old game because, from where I sit, interest in it is waning.

The players can only do so much but what we need to find are rugby formats that put the excitement back into rugby.

In this I think rugby could take a leaf out of league's book. Rugby cannot afford to be too proud in this.

A number of my rugby friends have turned to league and while I'm not too sure what the Warriors are doing, I'm told the atmosphere is great at Mt Smart Stadium and people flock there early on match days.

The finals format also gives the NRL a gripping end to the season. A series of cut-throat matches around the end of the season provides great football, and at a level that rugby struggles to match. Just look at the journey of excitement, a sort of unfolding story, the Warriors gave New Zealanders last year.

League has also shown the way, for a long time, through the Australian State of Origin series. There is a passion and an atmosphere around those games, built on the pride people have about where they are born and bred.

Maybe our rugby administrators need to go to the people, the fans, to find out what the game needs. And they should do that in a true spirit of trying to find answers.

How to make the game more entertaining and give people value for money should be the basis of their search.

I'm sure that the World Cup will be a wonderful success in this country in 2011. It is a beautiful showcase for the game and support will swing in behind it.

But if the NZRU believes that the World Cup will cure the ills, then they should think again. The problems go deeper than that.

My own belief is that the Tri-Nations competitions do not need expanding through the introduction of new teams. Increasing the teams would only be a variation on a tired theme.

What rugby needs now are sweeping new formats to reinvigorate the game, including a look at how it is covered by television and the media and whether it has become too costly for people to attend.

It's not only people such as myself, in the privileged position of being able to write a column, who believe changes are needed. The malaise extends way beyond that, to the taxi driver, the person cleaning the community toilets, people in chambers of law and the corridors of power.

As I said from the outset, the current Sanzar standoff should be regarded as a major test of whether our administrators are up to the job. The jury is still out.