Do we Really want the Puma's in Tri-Nations?

[Wazimba2K]

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

I have heard it all. It will improve the game. First of all, the only news we have is that they are joining the Tri-Nations. Are we supposed to assume they will be joining the Super 14 too? Tri-Nations is a tournament for Super 14 teams; Something will give here. The Super 14 time table will become longer meaning the Tri-Nations will be pushed further out during the highlight of the Summer sun and humidity. Fatigue may be an issue.

In my opinion, they are a good team, but I would have preferred a Super 20 instead. My reasons are not fully baked on this one.

Green and Gold rugby video highlights did a feature on " what happened to Aussie kick chasing." It was a great article but I felt the writer was out of touch with modern day rugby and the ever changing rules. Rucks and mauls are more involving than back then. Turnovers and counter-rucking is more pre-dominant now.

I think we should either increase the number for match day 22 to 25 and each team would have enough juice to give an entertaining 80 minutes of rugby or reduce the time for the game to 70 minutes, gauge the results and then to 60 if the depending on the result.

This would prevent the addition of new foreign teams in an effort to make the game more entertaining!

:yay :yay :yay

 

[matty_k]

I'm pretty sure it is to improve the game in South America than for the other nations. That is my understanding of it.
Argentina really wants to set up a professional competition to entice their players to stay.
I think I read somewhere that they are only semi-professional in their own country and that the majority of their national rep team plays in France.

 

[louie]

yes we do. will make the game better. should have a combine island team and a japan team too.

 

[RugbyFuture]

It would diversify the competition for us, the kiwis and saffas, whilst improving the game in south america and giving the pumas a greater chance to stay in the top four. they've started centrally contracting players in the junior ranks but still have a number playing in europe. They could possibly set up 5 pro teams to add to the super 15, and because of the new super 15 conferance style website it wouldnt effect much other than possibly extending the finals series to a 8 team end, thats just two extra teams. i've theorised this before and considering the situation it could be quite easy to do, other than resistance from the clubs in argentina.
http://sphotos.AK (Andrew Kellaway).fbcdn.net/hphotos-AK (Andrew Kellaway)-ash1/hs462.ash1/25399_399493529364_569224364_5029542_6508934_n.jpg

 

[James Buchanan]

Another Wazimba2k classic... :

 

[Pfitzy]

My reasons are not fully baked on this one.

Only half baked? Gee there's a surprise.

 

[liquor box]

I think that it is a good idea, the only problem I see is that they could well be a possibly weaker (politically correct I know!) side, or just plain crap and outclassed.

If this is the case to start with then I think the draw needs to ensure that Aus, SA and NZ all get an equal draw where you dont get a chance to rest top players between hard matches, so in other words you play 2 hard games before you play an easy game.

Having said this I hope Argentina are competitie from the get go, I think they will be to start but who knows?


As for S14 implications they should be able to enter in it as an Americas conference, as long as the conference is north/south then travelling is not so bad as the time zones dont move so much. This is why a SA team in Australia mad no sense and the reason why Japan should have joined the Australian conference. (Dont remind SA that Europe makes more sense)

I would love an Argentina (2) Canada (1) USA(1) Uraguay (1) conference. It will allow SANZAR to recruit voting power to take over the IRB, Another African Conference would be good too, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya etc to provide more votes.

Then a playoff system with the winners of each conference would be good.

 

[Pfitzy]

Why don't we just go back to the original rebel bid for rugby professionalism?

 

[DPK]

Wazza is permanently baked. High as a fucking kite.

Did we do an IP Address check?

 

[Reddy!]

Hell yeh, playing NZ and SA 4 times a year gets boring. When was the last time we played the Argies...? I can only think of the 2003 WC but we must have played them at some stage in the mean time.

 

[Pfitzy]

No that was actually the last time I think Reddy.

 

[en_force_er]

It would diversify the competition for us, the kiwis and saffas, whilst improving the game in south america and giving the pumas a greater chance to stay in the top four. they've started centrally contracting players in the junior ranks but still have a number playing in europe. They could possibly set up 5 pro teams to add to the super 15, and because of the new super 15 conferance style website it wouldnt effect much other than possibly extending the finals series to a 8 team end, thats just two extra teams. i've theorised this before and considering the situation it could be quite easy to do, other than resistance from the clubs in argentina.
http://sphotos.AK (Andrew Kellaway).fbcdn.net/hphotos-AK (Andrew Kellaway)-ash1/hs462.ash1/25399_399493529364_569224364_5029542_6508934_n.jpg

Is there a readable version of this image? I'd be very interested in it.

I think it would be a big push to get Argentina to go from semi-pro to having 5 professional teams. Not to mention the Super 14 is a provincial tournament and not a club tournament like Europe. Perhaps they'd best create a 10 team club tournament and play those teams in the Heineken cup?

I agree that there best way in is to create an Americas conference though. The priority 'rugby provinces' to give teams would be Buenos Aires and Tucumán (which if I'm not mistaken is the only Argie province that Rugby is more popular than soccer). Other 'rugby provinces' that could be viable would be Rosario (I'm not sure if rugby is big there) and Cuyo (never heard of them but apparently they are handy are at their Rugby).

NOTE: A RUGGER PROVINCE IN NOT NECESSARILY A LITERAL PROVINCE.

Other places in the Americas that could maybe support teams for the conference are Denver (rugby is building up steam there through their yearly hosting of the Churchill cup and their local American Super League team. They also have a nice purpose built, but small, rugby stadium) and maybe British Columbia (the region in Canada where rugby is most popular). Maybe the Southern Kings would be interested in playing is an Americas conference? It's no worse than playing out of Australia and they did seem pretty desperate to get the team up.

Just a few ideas. I don't know if they'd work.

Most (not all) of my info on the Argie provincial comp I got off wiki. It seems reliable. Here's the link if you are interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campeonato_Argentino
The purpose built Denver stadium is called Infinity Park:
http://www.infinityparkatglendale.com/

 

[RugbyFuture]

the words really are just the contact details for the various clubs of the union, i based the whole on the fact they would shift their traditionally amateur system to a 10 team top competition (expanded from 8) and the secondary comp to 15. then you would have the regions on top become the pro tier which participates in super rugby. the regions are based on actual regions of argentina (greater than provinces) but also slightly adjusted to try and give each regional team a base club to help, so tucuman, buenos aires another has cuyo and another rosario, within their catchment areas. the patagonia region would need development. basically it sorta runs of a premise of both the south african system (where they have caretaker franchises over regions which dont neccessarily have a long term look at always being part of that franchise, but still covering the whole country) and the australian system (theclubs under the states).

i wrote an article at the roar http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/12/04/create-a-super-rugby-conference-in-argentina/

the most important thing is the current clubs being within catchment areas, and the country being broken down into places where people can understand who to go for.

 

[Jury]

I'd love them in and some of the Island teams too. Expand it please. The Tri-Ns can be a bloody snore fest sometimes.

 

[Scarfman]

Wazza. Did you know that we have a special category (called "Special") for posters who start a lot of strange threads? You have all the rights of a normal member, except that you can't start threads. Just mentioning it.

In answer to your question: yes, yes we do.

 

[DPK]

Wazza. Did you know that we have a special category (called "Special") for posters who start a lot of strange threads? You have all the rights of a normal member, except that you can't start threads. Just mentioning it.

In answer to your question: yes, yes we do.

Given my threads are usually lemons, I could jump in that category... :'(

 

[en_force_er]

I'd love them in and some of the Island teams too. Expand it please. The Tri-Ns can be a bloody snore fest sometimes.

It would really be terrific and I think Fiji and maybe Samoa/Japan could certainly rationalise spots in an international Southern Hemisphere tournament. They'd be the Italys of our tournaments but it would give them more chances to compete at a high level as a country.

The main issue with this is the reason so many Argies and Islanders play in the Northern Hemisphere for such good money, it is because they can play the windows the locals can't (i.e 6 nations and Autumn tours). This makes them invaluable for large portions of the season. If you ship those blokes down here for the 3Ns less of them will get hired. This means it will be worse for their game overall.

Only Japan could really be seamlessly fitted into the Tri-nations tourney (or whatever number of nations it becomes). I'm surprised this hasn't been explored. There any many SA, NZ and Aussie expats in Japan that would attend the games and it would help the quality of Japan, they really could potentially be a tier 1 nation. Obviously they would get beaten but the future would be bright.

Alternatively the Fijian Warriors could be given a Super Rugby spot (competing out of Suva), this would mean they could easily play the Tri-nations if 50% or more of there squad in competing local (it would impact NH rugby less). However, with the addition of the conference system this option has been effectively shut out.

There will have to be a huge reworking of SH rugby to realistically have any Islands or Argentina competing in a regular tournament against us. Japan on the other hand would have to pick up there game 10-fold, they however control their own tournament and could fit in easily timetable-wise.

Sorry guys, just a bit of a rant.

 

[JJJ]

I can't say I ever get sick of watching 3N matches, but a bit more variety would be good. Good for the spectators and good for the players. I think they have a great player base (or so I was told), so they should develop well with more frequent exposure to top-flight rugby. They'll never be all they can be though until they get a few teams in our domestic comp. 8)

Rugby has a lot of room to grow there. Soccer will always be king, but all the little fat kids of South America are crying out for liberation! They need a sport which rewards their gluttony/eating disorders/big bones/gland conditions/genetic destiny. We all know what that sport is.

 

[Scarfman]

I care about the Bled, but don't give much of a fuck abaout the 3N. I reckon Argentina is the best thing to happen to our rugby since the Super 6.

 

[Pfitzy]

Farken ay Scarfman. Maybe its just the Rum talking, but the Pumas are the shizzle when it comes to forward play, and it can only help the SH completely dominate World Rugby in the fashion to which we have become accustomed.