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I'm a little sceptical about the viability of an Asian Grand League given the distances, but HK and South Korea entering the Japanese league system could work. The HK union make a lot of money from the sevens so could probably fund a professional 15's team. Even if Japan is not an immediate...

Do you think Korea have any chance of beating Hong Kong in the 2027 world cup qualifiers? I've heard Asia will have a direct qualifying spot, which is understandable, but you'd hope Asian rugby can develop a few more competitive teams. Hong Kong were well beaten by Portugal and the USA in the...

It probably makes more sense to compromise the side in any position other than 10. Unfortunately, as you mention, all our potential goal kickers are 10's, other than Lonergan, who hasn't kicked much lately, and is in probably the next position you'd least like to compromise. I think I'm on to...

I agree with this, but it actually makes me think 10 is not the ideal position for a goal kicker. 10 is the most important and influential position in general play so it makes more sense to pick the 10 that's best in general play. Maybe we need to think about coaching more wingers and blind side...

75 vs 85 is the same difference as 65 vs 75. How many kick attempts in an average game, less than 10? If it was 10 the expected value of that extra 10% success rate is 2-3 points. I think it's at least arguable that you just pick the best 10 in general play and then work out the goal kicking...

Does anyone know (or know where to find) goal kicking stats? It'd be interesting to know the career (and say last 2 year) goal kicking % for each of the potential 10's. I feel like Gordon has decent talent when it comes to kicking, and that he actually makes an acceptable amount of kicks from...

If NZ and SA are intent on going off and doing their own thing every 4 years it will force RA to at least be a little creative. In those years we could hold a state of origin match/series or do something with Japan (or both) to fill the gap. It probably makes sense to hitch our wagon to Japan...

Hard work + a big chunk of money, or even just a very cheap loan would be better though! I was being a little tongue in cheek, but I do actually think it'd be a good way for a very wealthy person who loves the game to use their money. I believe RA's intention with the 2027 world cup windfall is...

Is Twiggy the only billionaire in Australia with an interest in rugby? According to Forbes there's 141 in the country, and I'd assume hundreds more in the '50-99% of the way there' category. There's got to be at least a few that are lifelong, passionate rugby people. But if there are, why do...

The best players in Super Rugby Americas will progress to professional teams in Europe and elsewhere, so why not also to professional teams in Australia and NZ? Decisions about number of teams or the players on those teams shouldn't just come down to what's best for the Wallabies, we want...

It's ridiculous, especially as it's clear a reincarnated Jaguares would be significantly weaker than the old team (they're not going to change their eligibility requirements back to what it was). I think a better solution would be to provide a pathway for more South American players to play in...

My comment was in response to the NRL's financial result, and the NRL itself makes very little from pokies (possibly 0 before their recent purchases?). 20 years ago rugby was seen as a genuine threat to the NRL, but we've been left for dead because we never created anything to challenge them.

The Japanese season doesn't clash with test rugby so less of an issue picking players based there. I think Super Rugby could be a great competition with open eligibility and a slightly longer season, but without that it's very limiting for Australian rugby. To compete with NZ we have to accept...

What happened to the Sydney Swans when GWS was added? Or Sydney FC with Western Sydney Wanderers. They didn't have to change their names or identity just because a new team came along laying claim to a chunk of their region. I think the 5 Super Rugby clubs/brands should be the core of any...

It's not that difficult to imagine a 10 team domestic competition. 3 in Sydney (North Sydney, South East and West), 2 in Brisbane (North and South), 1 Newcastle/Hunter, 1 Canberra, 1 Melbourne, 1 Perth. 10th either Fiji or a separate Gold Coast team. If it's an 18 week competition plus finals...

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is that the NRL itself didn't own many assets until quite recently. They've built up a war chest in a relatively short period of time because the league itself now has so much scale. Even in rugby, France has become the clear global powerhouse of the...

The easiest option would be to create a higher level of parity between the existing teams in Super Rugby by opening up the player eligibility (i.e. NZ players in Australian teams and still eligible for the All Blacks, and vice versa). If NZ Rugby won't agree to this then I think RA should walk...

Hmm seems like the NRL have found a competition model that works in this country. Maybe we should try do something more like that.

That would be great, I'd love it if Australia A played half a dozen matches each year. If the goal for World Rugby is to build the number of competitive teams, I'd think Africa would have a lot of potential. They'd be able to do a lot more with every $ there. You'd think it would be pretty...

Yeah that seems to be a pretty good model for getting teams up to a solid tier 2 level. It'd be interesting to see if the 6 nations unions become a little more open to expansion if a few more of these sides consistently get to say Georgia's level of the last 10 years or so (i.e. clearly at a...