This is a sad day for NZ rugby. This team will end up with a huge proportion of Kiwis that will be poached by Australia, and eventually it will lead to even more Kiwis playing for Australia and wearing the dreadful custard coloured jersey instead of Black.

John O'Neill knows what he's doing here. He's basically buying a team of imports so that in a few years time he can claim those players to be eligible to represent Australia - it's as simple as that. You fell for it, NZRU. You stuffed it up in 2003 for the World Cup co-hosting rights when you jumped into bed with this weasel and he stabbed you in the back then as he will do in the near future. BIG mistake! You idiots are so naive. You are killing your heartland & selling off your "wares" to the not-so-highest bidder. You have cheapened what it is to be firstly a Kiwi and secondly a Kiwi rugby player. SHAME on you. SHAME on your arrogance.

As a resident of Melbourne I'm stoked that we're finally getting some decent rugby here and can't wait to sign up- for the supports club at least. Yes I know that the strength of Aussie rugby is no good at the moment (and as an All Black supporter I am not that bothered!) however at least those of us in the AFL heartland will finally have a real sport to watch live. There is actually a fairly large rugby supporting contingent here in the city and I would even wager a small sum that there would be more support for rugby than league here as there are a significant number of expat poms, private school aussies and the usual contingent of kiwi's living here who follow the game intently.

As for the Canturbury vs Force games the reason the crowds went down is mainly due to Olympic Park - it's absolutely rubbish for watching rugby at! Bear in mind that a brand new 30,000 seat stadium, purpose built for rugby and soccer is about to open across the road from the MCG. This will provide a far superior environment to watch games at. As an aside for those idiots in Auckland who rallied against a new stadium in favour of an upgraded Eden Park, you really need to come here and see what world class facilities in the middle of a city can do!

We are missing the point here. What i think & agree with is forget about Australia,South Africa & Co lets just concentrate on whats best for New Zealand,short term & long term.

We definately need to be worrying about our own national competition,but we also need the super 12,14 or 15 & Tri-nations for finanical reasons. I agree it needs a revamp,but no All Blacks turning out for there province??? that is going against New Zealand ethics,history & traditions. That is what made us proud & strong KIWIS....we were taught from a young age to be proud of our school,college,club,district,country etc etc...I might of missed something....but has that changed????

I purpose & support a shorter super rugby & national competition(18-26 games combined)with a 4 nations-Nz,Saf,Aus & argentina tournament played once each like the six nations format,thus also allowing for a more interesting end year tour with midweek matchs & a full strength national side when playing other countries.Not only does it keep the pride & honour in the national jersey,but also it keeps the game fresh,lets face it who wants to watch us playing Australia,South Africa in Super rugby & tri-nations tournament all the time,when theres other countries out there that play rugby too.This is suppose to be a world game.Its only a matter of time when the public turn off & watch other sports,then where are the future All Blacks gonna come from?????????

Bring back the Super 12. Delete three teams. It was better with only twelve teams and a shorter rugby season.

Super Rugby is Super Rubbish.

The only reason it's watched in New Zealand is because it's rugby - It's not even well supported. The sooner NZ and South Africa get back to their provincial roots the better.

Just die Super Rugby, and soon.

When aussie had 2 teams (NSW/Queensland) in the S10, they were very competitive and arguably dominant. Along came S12, 3 teams with the occasional Brumbies victory and occasional competitive Queensland/NSW side. Since S14, a further dilution of talent has meant that Australia has provided just 2 of last 16 semi finalists, and no finalist.

RESULT? Australia gets awarded another team. Ridiculous. Sure Melbourne is a great sporting city but even the are going to be hard pressed to support a side which is going to be a cellar dweller, and no doubt play a very boring style, typical of Australian teams. Your comments welcome.

The ARU has no money for this venture, no Australian players and a serious declining TV and game audience. In a competition that is too long, too demanding for players and over exposes and exhausts the interests of its supporters. Here they are increasing the number of teams and now they are chasing around for players. Bazaar! The lure of NZ players to Melbourne could be catastrophic for NZ. Mr Tew would say that has always been the case. No it has not, the conditions now in Australia, have never existed before. From a NZ point of view this 5th Australian Franchise is a huge loser. The whole Super concept should be completely revised. They are throwing money at an unsustainable competition which exhausts supporters for the enjoyment of the NPC Australians don’t care this Super15 is there NPC. The economics around this are very slippery indeed, the definition of debt and its links to NZ rugby. Mr Tew needs to think about what is in NZ’s long term interests, focusing the NZ rugby public on, and building a sustainable NPC should be Mr Tew’s clear focus. This franchise is going to cause NZ on going contentious problems until peak oil kills it off.

Why can't they change the rules to allow anyone from any of the Super 15 franchise areas to play for a franchise yet allow that player to represent their country(i.e. Nonu playing for Melbourne but still able to play for N.Z).It is a professional sport and the players represent a franchise not a province.Make a salary cap and even the competition up a bit.I'm Hurricanes thru and thru but would still support them if they had Giteau,Habana and co. on the books.Get with the times and promote exciting,competitive Rugby and bring fans back bigtime.

There are more than enough expats here in melbourne to pull 15k+ to the games. And it is highly likely they will be called the Rebels. This was the team name for Melbourne in the now defunct national competition. I would personally go for Melbourne Imports.

The real reason rugby is supposedly "dying" in Australia is because there isn't enough of it played here, particularly local derbies. Aussies are not all that interested in the Reds v Lions, but they will come out in droves to see Reds v Waratahs. Adding a fifth Aussie team will help foster that natioanl rivalry. And I am surprised by the Crusaders ditching their pre season game in Melbourne due to low crowds. I was at Olympic Stadium (the Storm's old ground) a couple of years ago and the place was packed to the rafters.