KEY POINTS:
The Super 14 intrusions last year by the All Black selectors were unnecessary. No matter which way you diced that Cotton Wool Club project, it was difficult to see the benefits.
It downgraded the integrity of the series, it hurt the franchises, gave those All Blacks an artificial sense of security without playing enough rugby and left them vulnerable to the sort of training injuries athletes, rather than rugby players, sustain.
Rebel Sport was indignant its Super 14 sponsorship had been tarnished and extracted assurances from the New Zealand Rugby Union there would be no repeats.
Then the NZRU sent out letters to Super 14 managers and players this week, with italic and underlined emphasis that the initial All Black squad would be announced on the Monday BEFORE the Super 14 final. That would mean all sorts of issues for a coach preparing for a final.
The gloss is usually taken off the final when the All Blacks are chosen the next day. There is only a week between the final and the All Blacks' first test this season, but the Super 14 should be allowed to run its course without any All Black interference.
It is hard to believe that Graham Henry, when he was coach of the Blues, would have accepted his preparation for the finals being compromised by the All Black panel.
Quizzed on the idea, NZRU boss Steve Tew said no decision had been made. It was a surprising response given the official correspondence. Then he altered his stance to say it was highly unlikely, a policy-on-the-run reaction which acknowledged that the proposal existed.
Tew may have been upset that the NZRU plan was unveiled or he could have been oblivious to the scheme, although that seems unlikely after the kerfuffles last year.
Rebel Sport boss Rod Duke was remarkably charitable in his assessment of the 2008 strategy. He felt the paperwork was a bit sloppy and might have escaped the close attention of the top brass. He also thought it acceptable that those All Blacks not involved in the final would be revealed before the competition decider.
The problems caused by a congested calendar are apparent. The All Blacks' schedule has encroached even further into the season while the Rugby Union talks about embracing the provincial series. They are discordant concepts but who knows what sloppy explanation might emerge from the Wellington gabfest. It had all the appearance of a rugby rally rather than a solutions convention.
