Rugby revamp another case of tail wagging the dog

OPINION:  I guess we will have to take a "suck it and see" attitude to the split national provincial rugby championships proposed for 2011, writes Nathan Burdon in this week's Straight Up.

On the face of it, it seems to be a competition based on keeping the various parties happy rather than creating an exciting tournament.

Our national game continues to lack real leadership at the top, an inability to make difficult decisions.

The best competitions are those with a simple, easy-to-understand format.

Now we have 14 teams spread over two divisions of seven – a "premiership" and a "championship" or, if you want to be less politically correct, a first and second division.

Then, for some reason, teams from these two levels will play some games against each other.

By the time we reach kickoff in a couple of years it will probably make a bit more sense, but my first reaction was a bit of a shrug of the shoulders. Apparently much of this has been driven by the players, another case of the tail wagging the dog.

Unfortunately, we now seem destined to be locked into a pattern of trying to modify what began as a flawed model created by the unholy rush into professionalism.

One positive move has seen the direct contracting of players to the Super 14 franchises.

This has consequences that are pretty far reaching.

It obviously opens the pathway towards some private interest in our five franchises, but it might also give more options to the fans.

Say, for example, your favourite rugby player is Jamie Mackintosh and Whopper gets contracted to the Blues.

Does your allegiance then lie with a franchise you are linked to geographically (but not necessarily emotionally), or the Blues?

There has already been a lot said about Otago's decision to sign Australian coach Phil Mooney, but here's my contribution.

I had concerns about the pressure that would have gone on David Latta as an inexperienced coach to try to lift Otago out of the doldrums.

It's taken Simon Culhane and David Henderson the best part of five years to get to the point they have reached and I'm not sure if Otago has that sort of time. They need a quicker fix.

Whether Phil Mooney can provide that is another question entirely.

However, it seems Otago officialdom has done something it can't afford to do by causing even more division among the public by seemingly getting offside with well-respected former players like Latta and John Leslie.

» Nathan Burdon has been the Southland Times sports editor since 2003 and has won numerous journalism awards, including provincial sports writer of the year.

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