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It's been moved to a standalone thread. Feel free to continue discussion there.

I love that idea. I'd add in that each side has to use one player from their counterpart as a sub. So we can bring James Tedesco on with 10 to go, and the Kangaroos can use Taniela Tupou in a similar fashion.

There's a distinction between the union and the players themselves though. Justin Harrison is the main architect of all this, and his willingness to destroy the game to get his players ahead is baffling.

I am really tiring of RUPA's behaviour through this saga. Petulant demands, leaking to media, threatening strike action, it just leaves a really sour taste in my mouth. In a game dominated by self-interest, RUPA as always is right at the front of the queue.

I struggle with the idea of blaming coaches when a player like Mason fails to fire. There's an implication that anyone could become a Wallaby star with the right support, and the impetus is on coaches to extract the ability out of the player. I don't think that is the case. Mason failed to...

Flog teams lose money, but the difference is in the NRL/AFL the good teams subsidise the shit ones. You can wear the pain because you know it will all even out. But with rugby it's not as easy. You can't rely on a local GF to fill your pockets, or assume there will be a mix of success rates...

And the fact that France are hosting in 2023, too. Four straight NH Cups might see the SANZAAR nations break away completely.

The very same insider said to me 'Harris should never come to the Reds as it will drag his game into the mud playing alongside a two-bit plodder like Wilson.' What fascinating insight.

Buzz off Reg. I heard Harris was described by many insiders as 'a thousand times better than Wilson' and 'guaranteed to be one of our greatest ever Wallabies, certainly greater than Harry Wilson who won't amount to anything'. He will lead us to glory, probably not this season but definitely...

I was under the impression the USA were more likely to get 2031 rather than 2027. This bid might be a longer play for them to snag that, and give themselves more time to ramp up.

OK let's maybe put a full stop on that discussion and get back to rugby.

Geerob's latest on the future of Super, and the likelihood of a TT comp in 2021: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/why-super-rugby-2021-will-be-trans-tasman-20200619-p5546c.html

Hasn't the news taken a far more positive tone in the last month or so?!? We're discussing future comps, World Cups, actual rugby, and other general positive plans for the future. No longer do we have journos digging through the books from years past, airing the views of disgruntled...

This analysis is just straight wrong. The greatest period of Wallaby success arguably in our history, the 1998-2003 era, was underpinned entirely by Super Rugby and the success of our three teams. Likewise the rise in popularity of the game, which went alongside the rise of those Wallaby teams...

But this is the assumption that underpins this whole local idea that I am so unsure about. IMO there is a good chance the stadiums won't fill. The subscriptions won't sell. And so the Wallabies get worse, so they get paid less and less and inevitably go offshore. And so we go back to the...

We're all making assumptions. Everyone has made up their mind. We're on page 806 and for some reason we are back talking about how we'd split up Sydney in a national comp (think we did that one on pages 312,387,439,505,616,698 and 727-39). This site is built on baseless assumptions, wild...

Have you seen that reported anywhere? I read an article last week (on SMH from memory) that stated the Force might be more likely to end up in an NZ comp than the Eastern teams. Just unsure of where they sit in this. .

I worry a domestic comp sends us so far backwards we end up in the sea before we can think about moving forwards.

Have you seen the Tahs defence, Reg? On a needs based analysis, I think it's a very logical decision!

I can't see how this would work in reality. How is a team supposed to train and play to a professional standard if 30% of the squad are working 9-5? So the pro guys can train, but they can't do full squad opposed work outside of certain times. The reserve hooker is at work so we can't do...