Tri-Nations rugby gets under way again this weekend and it is set to be a cracker down in Cape Town. New Zealand have got Richie back and will be looking to carry on where they left off in Auckland and SA have had a bit of a rest and then a good ‘warm-up’ back into action against a typical robust Puma team.

Australia however do look like they are on to something in that they look really sharp on specific set moves and although they were tired in Auckland, they still managed to take out some positives in that they still have a seriously strong squad (no major injuries affecting their overall lineup) and their players seem to compliment each other’s style off the moves they have. Also, they have Robbie Deans – I am sure the AB’s are wishing they had him now!

Having had the Pumas in SA this last fort-night, many debates were around the format of a future Super 14 and future Tri-Nations competition. Not-with-standing the usual bashful and quite stupid suggestion out of the NZ provinces of a Super 14 excluding SA teams, I believe that linking in the Pumas would be sustainable. The idea of having teams out of the Pacific Islands in both the Super 14 and Tri-Nations begs the following response:

- Do the teams for the S14 (and obviously Tri-Nations) out of the Island have sufficient infrastructure for stadiums and accommodation etc. – of that I do not know the answer as I have never actually looked at the option seriously.

A competition structure for the S14 should be simply to add in teams from both Argentina and the Pacific Islands and extend the competition timeline to fit more along the lines of a Heineken Cup format. Instead of running from February to May, the competition should be provincial and run though until the end of Southern Hemisphere winter and be inter-linked with the local competitions and even the 5-Nations (Tri-Nations idea to follow). They manage quite well in Europe to handle events like 6-Nations, Heineken Cup, Domestic competitions etc. all within their cold winter – so it should be possible down south and the added benefit would be that the top provinces would be up against each other from 5 different countries – much like the old Super 10 in the early 1990s.

The Tri-Nations needs to become a 5-Nation event. NZ, Aus, SA, Pumas and Pacific Islands. Each year, the tournament needs to be rotated to be hosted by a different (on an annual roster) country so that all 5 of the competing teams are present in the same land (to avoid the ‘travel’ issues we South Africans often claim). This would also allow for the old fashioned type tours where each of the 5 teams spends a good few weeks in the host country and can play the provincial teams and invitational teams (a good way to keep the provinces in the host country busy and fresh while the have a break from the S14 suggested) and then the NortheRN Hemisphere teams that tour down South in June / July each year with under-strength sides can play provincial and invitational teams and bring back old fashioned touring as well.

So typically –
5-Nations
- NZ host SA, Aus, Pumas and Pac Is. Over some 8 weeks in NZ for the Southern Hemisphere 5-Nations
- Typical Saturday would see All of the above at one stadium playing on same day (massive revenue and options)
- All the guest teams bring larger squads and they play mid-week matches against NZ provinces
- Next year the tournament moves to be hosted by say SA, then to Aus, then to Arg, then to Pac Isl. etc.

Super 14
- Top provincial teams from each country qualify for the tournament each year
- 4 from NZ
- 4 from SA
- 3 from Oz
- 2 from Arg
- 1 from Pac Isl.

Played on the same format as Heineken Cup with breaks in event while 5-Nations is on etc.

This is a rough outline and idea but I honestly believe this format would not only spice up the Southern Hemisphere rugby scene but it would also allow for players want to stay back home instead of moving north. It would allow for great development of the provincial structures and masses and the revenue off hosting tournaments (5-Nations) every 5 years for each country would be massive.

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