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I'd be interested to see it combined with the numbers from FTA to get a proper gauge.

I'm in no way opposed to building up a domestic comp and have it get a heap of eyeballs. I'm just a realist in terms of what keeps people engaged in rugby here: it appears to be the club game at local level and the Wallabies. If there is a way to bring it all together with the bit in the middle...

Yeah that's fair. Does the BBL rate better than the national side though?

Yep, this is what I keep coming back to. In cricket, the national side is the principal product, it's what people go to watch. The BBL is a nice little side show but ultimately the national team is what we identify with. The Shield and other domestic comps is the pathway to playing in the top...

Yeah it's line ball isn't it and as you say, very much dependent on the preferred game style. I'd pick Charlie if we are aiming to play an up tempo, multi-phase ball in hand kind of game. I'd go with Harry if the intent is to try and do damage closer to the ruck first and offload in contact...

I do like the idea of NSW and QLD country being involved. There have been a lot of players at the top level come from the bush and connecting with country people should be a goal here. As a former country boy myself I think people would love it.

Tend to agree Pfitzy. Have clubs buy into the national club comp and have a pro squad, with effectively their 2nd grade becoming the premier grade comp could be a path forward. Quite where they get the money to do it is another question, unless the money RA and state unions were using to fund...

If there was a way to leverage the existing club system in a way that could scale, be professional enough and commercially viable I'd be totally in favour of it.

Mostly agree, though I don't think LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) is a six. He's a very effective lock, but I don't see him as being athletic enough to play in the back row. Frost is quick enough though.

The difficulty we have is that test footy is the pinnacle of the sport, like it is for cricket, netball and several other sports. I love my club, but I want Australia to win just as much. I don't think we ever get away from that, unless we decide to prioritise the domestic game over...

If that's the case, then the idea of making SRP (Super Rugby Pacific) independent of the unions and have it run from Feb/March to September and including the test window is probably the right way to go.

I'm OK with the tight five, but if it's a mobile pack we want I'd get Cale in there because he's rapid and has a big motor. He would allow that spot tackle in the wider channels and attacking the breakdown I think.

I lived in the US for 3.5 years (in Houston) and there are some pretty wild assumptions made by Australians about how Americans live. There are certainly some backwaters across what is a massive and diverse country, but many of the suburban areas are excellent places to live. Also, outside the...

I'd be pretty surprised if Perth got a team and they made much of an impact. League doesn't have anywhere near the profile of union over here.

Or the semis

I've agitated for some kind of domestic club competition for years, so I'd be in agreement with you there. An improvement in the Wallabies performances and thus crowds, may buy us some time to do something about it.

Out of interest, what were the signs in 2006 that changes were required? I was living overseas for the 2001 to 2007 time period and watched it from afar. It still seemed like a pretty good product back then.

I think in hindsight (maybe even at the time, I'm sure there were plenty of people opposed to it) the move to 18 teams broke the comp.

Come on now, Super Rugby at its peak was the best show in town. And I say it as a member of one of those expansion franchises.

And that's what we need I think - a reset from the EJ (Eddie Jones) chaos. It's probably not sustainable in the long term but it'll do for now to get us back on the right path.