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Jim Tucker
May 18, 2009 12:00am
THE Queensland Reds revival will be easier under the mooted Super 15 model for 2011 with finals places set to be guaranteed for the top two Australian finishers.
Exact details are still to be revealed but part of the trade-off in getting a fifth Australian side is believed to be a guarantee to the South Africans that two of their teams advance.
That blueprint would inadvertently aid sides on these shores as well because when the dust settled yesterday on the semi-final make-up for Super 14, no Australian side had made it.
For the fifth-placed NSW Waratahs, it was coming up short by one paltry try when they did everything to deserve it - a 9-4 win-loss ledger and an unprecedented three-win sweep of their South African tour.
The Waratahs finished just four points adrift of Canterbury Crusaders on for-and-against points differential when both ended on 41 competition points.
Not being more urgent about four-try bonus points in their seven home games in Sydney came back to haunt them.
Under the likely 2011 format of three five-team conferences in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, the top two sides in each would advance.
"That's how conferencing works. You might get a wildcard game if a third NZ side earned more points than the second Australian side," Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper said.
The Super 15 ideas balloon is up and away.
"I can see a marquee overseas player in each team in what is already the toughest competition in the world," Cooper said.
It is the perfect avenue for Argentinian players in Super rugby as a forerunner to the Pumas playing in the Tri-Nations.
Western Force coach John Mitchell went further in forecasting an open market for players between Australia, NZ and South Africa.
"I think we are reaching the mindset of playing anywhere in the three countries and still being able to be selected to play Tests for your country," Mitchell said.
"For example, you could have a South African playing Super 15 for an Australian team and returning to South Africa to join the Springboks and his Currie Cup side.
"There would obviously be levels of capping (on imports) but it's the next step and lends towards privatisation in the funding of teams."
Any way you dice it, the Reds need to overturn their 0-3 failure against Australian opponents in 2009 to make any finals format.
Reds coach Phil Mooney saw the heart for it in Saturday night's plucky 37-28 loss to the Hurricanes at Suncorp Stadium.
Down 24-7, it could have turned ugly like the 50-26 landslide against Waikato Chiefs. Instead, there was four-try effort to the death.
"Even when they've copped a lot of flak they've shown plenty of spirit," Mooney said.
"Coming 13th out of 14 is obviously not a pass mark but what's coming is pretty exciting."
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/
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