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Tests to move from winter to spring to entice the best quality teams
Bret Harris | November 21, 2007
THE ARU will consider an innovative proposal to move the traditional window for Test matches from winter to spring to fall into line with an integrated global season.
"The most important thing in the international game is to preserve quality and meaning,'' said ARU deputy Matt Carroll. Picture: Alan Pryke
The idea of aligning the international windows in the northern and southern hemispheres will be discussed at a three-day IRB-sponsored conference in England next week.
At present, Test rugby is played in November in the northern hemisphere and in June/July in the southern hemisphere, excluding the Six Nations and Tri-Nations competitions.
The IRB is thinking about creating a new Test window from September to November in non World Cup years, which will allow tours in both hemispheres at the same time.
One of the benefits of an integrated season would be to ensure international touring teams took away their strongest available squads, which is something that has not happened in recent years. Wales and South Africa both sent second-string sides to Australia this year, while France toured New Zealand with a C-grade team.
"The most important thing in the international game is to preserve quality and meaning," said ARU deputy Matt Carroll, who will attend next week's conference. If you don't have the best teams, the games lose value and meaning.
"We are looking at moving the June/July window, post 2010, to later in the year. In-bound and out-bound tours would occur in the same periods. That's your international season.
"It would give continuity to the season. You would have Super 14, Tests and then rest.
"It would be the same in the northern hemisphere.
"It sounds easy, but it won't be. A lot of thought will have to be put into it.
"You are dealing with 14 or 15 nations rather than just three or six and you have to align everyone's needs, wants and desires.
"You also have to take into account Argentina, the Pacific islands and emerging nations such as Georgia as well as the US, Canada and Japan."
The shifting of the southern hemisphere's international window from winter to spring would also allow SANZAR to expand the Super 14 series, which runs from February to May.
"It would allow us to look at our domestic competitions," Carroll said.
"The expansion of Super 14 would open up greater opportunities for rugby. We could have additional teams or additional rounds. Either way there would be more Super rugby."
Carroll will also seek a response from the IRB to the ARU's request for next year's winter Tests to be played under the new experimental laws.
It is understood the northern hemisphere teams, which have not yet played under the Stellenbosch rules, would prefer to play the Tests in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa under existing laws. "I think no doubt there is concern in the northern hemisphere because none of the nations have played under the (experimental law variations)," Carroll said.
"If the IRB says that's the way it will be, then that's the way it will be.
"But are very keen to have either, or, the new rules. There are 30 changes and some are more critical than others. If we didn't get all of them, that would be OK.
"The key ones are converting penalties into free-kicks, standing five metres back from the scrum and kicking out from the 22.
"They would be easy to introduce and they alone would deliver a better game for the players and spectators."
The ARU will also support the 20-team World Cup format at a the IRB meeting.
Despite talk of reducing the number of teams to 16 to avoid lopsided results Carroll said the developing countries had performed creditably in France and deserved the chance to compete in the game's showpiece event.
"You don't go backwards," Carroll said. "The minnows did quite well at the World Cup.
"You won't grow the game by reducing the number of nations."
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