KEY POINTS:
Original Sanzar boss David Moffett wants a drastic overhaul of the Super 14 series and has urged New Zealand administrators to offer strategies that are in the best interests of this country.
He thinks the repeated long-haul travel to South Africa is a turn-off for the players and is pushing for a hybrid Super/NPC transtasman rugby series.
"My view is we should be concentrating on our own backyard and should have an expanded competition with the Australians. Some say it will not generate enough income but my response is that if you provide quality you will get the money.
"As far as I am concerned, one of the biggest problems is the amount of travel in the Super 14 while players can get a massive amount of euro for playing in competitions which are not much more than two hours down the road.
"The NZRU should be sitting down and starting to sort those things out now. The whole Sanzar thing needs a relook," Moffett said, "otherwise that whole [Kerry] Packer and WRC abortive move, it still has legs. I know that people are still discussing it. English clubs are still talking about it."
When Sanzar began in response to the WRC threat in 1995, it was a great concept. However, it was losing its gloss when the contract was rolled over after a decade of competition.
"Similar dangers we faced in 1995 are there again ... The signs are there with the trouble in Europe and it would only take two franchises from the Super 14 to join them - it could be sides from South Africa - and the global picture would explode.
"Somebody in New Zealand needs to be leading the discussions about what is good for the future because of the drop in attendances at matches and television viewership. The current system has run its course. But everything has been geared towards the next World Cup and that is a second-rate tournament. It is an irrelevance and it affects the rest of the game."
The former NZRU and Wales chief executive never felt South Africa was fully committed to the Super series. "When I was in Wales they were always talking to us about wanting to go north and they still want to, because of the same time zone," Moffett said.
"I know that some Super 14 franchises are very worried about the future and wondering what would happen if they tied up deals with the Northern Hemisphere.
"Why are the current crop of administrators not talking about alternatives?"
Moffett was highly critical of the International Rugby Board and thought it should be dismantled and replaced by dynamic business people.
The NZRU was also suffering because it still encouraged an old boys' network. It also faced financial challenges because it got less money in its last deals with News Corp and adidas.
