That’s a test match champ
… not the same thing …
a better example would be the Waratahs playing a trial game on the central coast in January
but cute you hold trials games in such reverence
So just to confirm there’s 3-4 trials (some internal some external holiday games) followed by another 6 trials (as you put it) in which only one association take seriously for 5 of those games whist the other association doesn’t take seriously or include their best players… then 30 minutes after the next game of rugby the GPS and CAS rep teams are announced? How unfortunate for those gun players that aren’t playing firsts during that time… and those directors of rugby that still have no clue what their best side could possibly look like… yet the other association teams who work on the exact same calendar (hence why they aligned athletics) play their strongest teams, know who they are, want to win and have peaked
It’s must be the only rugby association in the world that has 10 meaningless games prior to 5 games that have relevance with a rep program done and dusted after the first relevant game.
All sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? So maybe the reality is both associations prepare their players in the same way with strong pre season programs before a ball has even been kicked and an established pecking order of players who have come up through the As programs and have rep pedigree.
they’ve all beaten each other on multiple occasions over the years… you can only win or lose the games you play… you can’t win imaginary games that don’t exist… everyone wants to be an undefeated rugby team.
even if there was a playoff game at the end of the season there would be excuses from the losing side due to injury or “they took the foot off the gas because they won the comp that matters” etc.
there’s no difference between preparation, availability or desire in either association … the only difference is the result and you can flip a coin on any given Saturday… that’s what makes it good