Robin Brooke: Even-stevens adds spice to NPC

COMMENT

Every four years, Otago have a great chance to win the NPC when the stars are missing from the competition.

Ease up, you southerners, before you bombard me with emails, letters or phone calls - my tongue is planted firmly in my cheek. No offence please, just joshing, especially after all the drama we had in 1991.

It was not a great day for Auckland as we lost the NPC match at Dunedin and I got an early shower after an incident when I tripped over David Latta.

But the state of the NPC is creating all sorts of discussion as it does every World Cup year, especially with the NZRFU competitions review also being undertaken.

Naturally, spectators like to see the name players going round, but this year there seems to be a nucleus of people applauding the evenness of the series.

The TAB must be going round the twist trying to frame a decent market. How they sort out the odds I am not quite sure. The NPC is exciting because of the close and uncertain results but the downside is the absence of the All Blacks.

There is no question standards have slipped but the frequency of the upsets balances that.

Who would have picked Harbour to tip over Wellington last week or Bay of Plenty to do the same to Taranaki?

With 30 All Blacks out of the series (or most of the games anyway) it is an opportunity for another 30 players to gain that NPC experience and the chance for more players to show they should be chosen in the Super 12.

You may feel uneasy about the NPC, but ask yourself what is the most important rugby event this year? Is the primary target victory in the World Cup?

The answer has to be yes, and if the All Blacks coaches, staff and training people believe the best preparation for the tournament is to have their squad in training camps rather than the NPC, then we have to accept that rationale.

In any other season the All Blacks should be involved in the NPC.

But there need to be modifications. There should be a salary cap so the 30 All Blacks are spread throughout the competition and are not concentrated in a few sides.

That would only replicate the Super 12.

Coming from a bloke who wanted only Auckland to stockpile their talent, that is a change of heart. But I am a spectator now, not a member of the blue and white squad.

The evenness of the NPC has to be good for the longevity of the competition and that can still happen with the All Blacks as long as they are dispersed throughout the 10 teams.

Canterbury have been able to soak up these World Cup seasons because the province also doubles as a Super 12 franchise. The top players are all paid for by the NZRFU, so the province is then able to finance and support a second or third XV and build their resources.

I cannot let this week go by without commenting on England. They are sensational and have reached a level of play where they have never been before.

We will discover where they rate only at the World Cup but at the moment you could not ignore them as tournament favourites. It is up to the All Blacks or someone else to knock them off.

Tests involving England at the World Cup will be fascinating, as will the two tests the All Blacks are scheduled to host against them next year.

As for the Lions in 2005 - the prospects are fascinating.