Super 14 - This Weeks Preview

John O'Neil is one of the best CEO's going around in modern day sport. His work with rugby then Soccer Australia and now again with rugby has been first rate. Even the very best get things wrong on occasion and John O'Neil's plan to have the Super 14 competition move from a 16 week competition to a 26 week competition to combat the NRL and AFL is certainly a fine example of a temporary brain explosion.

This is one of the most ludicrous suggestions I have ever had the unfortunate pleasure of having to contemplate. I would have thought that for a game desperately trying to keep its head above water, this would have been the very last thing on the agenda. Apart from the rules and the stuffy tweed jacket wearing administrators, the biggest problem with rugby is that they keep devaluing the game by having ring-ins represent country or state or province.

Every time an international or Super 14 team runs onto the field the very best 15 available players should be there. The only time this seems paramount is the World Cup which makes a mockery of all other rugby outside the World Cup. So last year we had Super 14 teams not playing their best sides because it was a World Cup year. How can administrators expect the sporting public to embrace a competition that claims to be the best of the best when it is clearly not about that at all?

What is even worse is test matches between Southern and Northern Hemisphere teams. They have been transferred into a farcical joke where the touring sides play B grade outfits and let them run out wearing their countries colours. Maybe Rugby could learn something from Cricket in regards to keeping a quality product. The reason why test cricket so highly regarded is the honour of playing for your country. The thought of resting players for test cricket would be an abomination. Why then, if your best players need to be rested from Super 14 and international duties already, why would you want these same players playing another 10 games a year?

On the Super 14 front this week I only have a few selections. The Western Force and the Wellington Hurricanes are both coming off very disappointing home losses and both should amend this week when they host home games against the Bulls and the Sharks respectively.

The other great match up of the weekend is the Waratah's and Blues. The Waratahs have sacked their coach for next year with the front runner for job being the Blues coach. Sounds like an episode of Coronation St. I think the Blues will bring too much power for the Waratah's in what looms as a crucial match for both franchises. Good luck and good punting.

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