In my opinion the Super rugby from a South African point of view was never on since who ever started with the franchises bull. South Africa always had a strong provincial preference. It is all about identity. It took a long time for South Africans to identify with these teams.

They should go back to the essence of what the Super competition was all about. Every year they play in the respective home competitions for a place in the Super competition and the Super competition should not interfere with the local competition. It should work like the Champions league. Also it should be made world wide. The Champions league format works well. First do Group Stages and then knock out stages (first leg and second legs). The Final is then played at a neutral venue. The Top 3 teams (as decided by the local comp's) of every country then get a place in the Super competition.

The above way will bring more money in AND develop the game in all parts of the world.

The sad saffas have to travel for 5 weeks? An easy solution to this is to get jobs in an office rather than be a pro rugby player, get paid heaps and see the world. The poor things.

Bring in Japan and the USA to a Pacific competition - there's a lot more money there than in SA!

Stand your ground South Africa! The Currie Cup is way more important to the future of Super 14 rugby. Do away with the super 14 if need be. We all pretty much agree the tournament lacks heart.

The best way forward is to take lessons from European football. The domestic competition takes preference (e.g. English Premier League). Based on a teams ranking, you then progress to Champions League, etc. So Currie Cup/NPC first and then Super 9 (not 14 +). I'd rather see a few great teams than the watered down versions seen today.

I find your analysis of the 'tribalism' etc about the SA rugby public ignorant, naive and uninformed. Where did you get this stuff? From a 1970s apartheid textbook? The Currie Cup has been played since the late 1800s and it is something that cannot disappear from the SA rugby scene. Maybe walking away from a Super competition that strucutually favours Aus and NZ is the way to go...sadly all the bosses want it more rugby which is not the right decision. Less is more.

The Currie Cup has been contested since the mid 1880s, which is a full generation before our sacred Ranfurly Shield and about a century before our NPC -- a relative johnny-come-lately. The Currie Cup has GENUINE history. And it consistently attracts huge walk-in crowds week after week which would turn most NZ test venues absolutely green with envy. There's no way the South Africans will, or should, be expected to turn their back on something so grand.

more is not always better

Use the NH way with the bottom 2 teams from super going back to npc/cc. That would spice up the local comps. Aussie can suck eggs cause they dont have a comp(they need one for this to work i guess). No new teams, too many now.

League is killing super14 in the television ratings and without television there is no rugby. Time to think out of the box or tradition won't mean anything....

The Currie Cup means alot to South Africans, just as the NPC should for NZ. You cant buy tradition. Currie Cup matches specially ones between the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks, bring in crowds of 40 000 to 50 000. That is why SA will not do away with it. I have a passion for NZ rugby, with its tradition and rugby style. I still rate the All Blacks as the best rugby side over the past 100 years, with SA second. What saddens me is that NPC rugby is going down hill and with that crowd attendance. I would look at strenght versus strenght concept to bolster the NPC. I can already see a decline in NZ rugby, the cracks are already there. In SA we have introduced the strenght versus strengh concept at school level already, with the best schools in SA playing against each other every year. We have also introduced a varsity comp. We also have the less Vodacom cup going on while super 14 is on. A weakened NPC will result in the end of NZ rugby dominance of world rugby. NZ is a proud and traditional rugby national, dont let it go down. World rugby needs a strong All Black team. It starts from school level to National side. To muck around with the levels below All Blacks is to tread on dangerous ground and at your own peril. As far as the super 14 is concerned I feel that NZ, Aussies and SA need each other. The Currie Cup and NPC should not be devalued. I am more inclined to have fewer teams participate in super rugby. Max of three per country and then bring in japan, one island team from NZ and one from Aussie. Form the super 12. The three top teams from the Currie Cup and NPA with other teams participating in Super 12. Less travelling and less games. Players get more rest and quality improves. We also assist in helping rugby in Japan and the Islands

Pro-rugby has its inherent problems and money being the root of all evil is to blame. There is no way there can be more than one competition in NZ and Aus that pays players., therefore a variant of S14 is the only way to pay the way for feeder competitions.

Q. How does the dwindling base of NPC warrant paid players? A. It doesn't, can't, won't., end of story.

The sooner we all wake up and realise to put the past amateur days behind us and move forward in a professional manner the better of we will be.

South Africa have a huge bargaining chip with their avid TV audience but the quality product (SA teams) is poor. Cutting back a side and using a relegation system would solve most problems., 12 teams is about the right mix or go harder and pare it down to 3 teams per nation... lets not beat about the bush, culling will produce a far better product if relegation is applied within all countries.

Or we could go the conference option and play our own domestic competitions, selecting our 2 top sides per nation and then playing each other.... Oh wait... that ALMOST resembles a TriNations.

It appears South Africa want not just the eating of the cake but the whole cake shop. They have negotiated a deal for CCup which has empty stands until the end of the competition... hmmm does that look a good deal? Now they also want more $$$s from S14/15 or another crap SA team (wait for it in the Australian conference)... how insane is this? Greed knows no bounds. O'Neill may be pushy but Tews knows it is far smarter sticking with his foe across the ditch than swimming with the politico suckholes of South Africa.

Why would NZ and Aus assist in undermining years of planning to undervalue their baby (Super Rugby)... don't get me started on the birth of the WCup.