A response to David Moffett.

The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is "an absolute disgrace" and the Springboks should be kicked out of the Tri-Nations, says David Moffett, one of the chief architects of SANZAR.

[David Moffett] is a loud-mouth who gave us some “absolutely disgraceful” rugby tournaments and should be kicked, says Hadyn Green, one of the chief architects of The Dropkicks.

Moffett, the former head of New Zealand and Wales rugby unions, told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper New Zealand and Australia had to cut South Africa from the next television deal, and instead play more trans-Tasman matches. He claimed that it’s because “the players are just getting killed by all the travel”. But in his column for The Press he reveals his true reason.

“We are led to believe that all three SANZAR countries had agreed to field their strongest teams, and in fact NZ and Australia had sent their best available players to South Africa and filled the stadia and coffers of SARU.

What was the response of our supposed partner? They waited until after the second test and selected a B team.

Selfishness seems to be the order of the day in the professional rugby era and perhaps now is the time for Australia and NZ to play that game."

Wow, so instead of realising that there’s a problem brewing in international test rugby and sitting down with our closest neighbours to discuss what’s to be done, we should instead cut all ties with them. Yeah, let’s get them before they get us!

Instead, and I might just be crazy here, perhaps SANZAR should get together and exert some pressure on the IRB. Let’s see them turn a decent profit without the three southern giants. Moreover we should be embracing Argentina right now. The Argies are #6 at the moment giving us four southern hemisphere teams in the top 6. SAANZAR? SANZAAR? SAAAAR? (if New Zealand becomes Aotearoa)

I mean there is even the possibility that if we don’t throw a tantrum we could figure out a revenue sharing deal within SANZAR.

Finally, Moffett said the Super 14 tournament should be disbanded and replaced by a Super 10 competition with five New Zealand teams and five Australian teams. He told the Morning Herald that when expansion was required, national teams from the Pacific Islands (based in Australia and New Zealand) should be included.

If that doesn’t convince you that Moffett is high I don’t know what will. “When expansion is required”?! Pacific Island teams based in Aussie and New Zealand? The Super 14 needs a whalloping big kick in the bollocks but not like that.

Recent discussions have circulated on a global season. This would, most likely, require the Super 14 to change to being a winter tournament over lapping the Air NZ Cup with the international season being starting in late February.

South Africa has been quite nice to us recently I don’t see kicking them out of SANZAR as being a solution to anything. So please David, you’ve had your chance, now be quiet.