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Written by Site Admin
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Tuesday, 13 March 2007 |
Ten is looming as the most likely number of teams when the Manawatu club competition is trimmed from the current 12 for next year.
That's the recommendation Manawatu Rugby Union staff will put before a meeting of club representatives tomorrow night.
The Manawatu Standard understands it will involved a full round-robin before a split into a top six, and there will be promotion- relegation.
There had been a push, notably by Manawatu Turbos coach Dave Rennie, to cut the competition to eight teams to toughen it up so it could provide battle-hardened players for the rep sides.
However, after union emissaries visited every club in Manawatu - including the four which do not have senior teams - it's obvious chopping four senior first clubs would not have been politically palatable.
In the 1990s, former Manawatu deputy chairman and All Black manager Mike Banks also unsuccessfully pushed an eight-team competition.
Community rugby manager Chris Ricketts said that after talking to clubs tomorrow there could be changes. But they can only comment, not vote, so don't bank on alterations to the proposal.
"We have talked to all the clubs and 10 is the right move," said Ricketts.
"The majority of the clubs were in favour of reducing the competition."
However, the count was tight, 8-6 and all six against were senior first clubs. It all needs to be sorted before club rugby starts on Saturday, March 31.
"If there is to be a change as I have recommended, clubs have got to know what they are playing for at the start of the season," said Ricketts.
If promotion-relegation is approved, it means clubs won't be summarily dismissed.
"In every competition there is normally a promotion-relegation mechanism. We haven't had it because there hasn't been a challenger."
Ten senior first clubs supported promotion-relegation, most preferring playoffs, and two were opposed - Feilding and Te Kawau.
Most clubs said a senior first team should have two back-up sides, one a youth team.
There haven't been 10 teams since round one in 1997 when Kia Toa was temporarily relegated to senior second. The competition for the last decade has alternated between 11 and 12 teams. Not since 1990 has there been a rigid 10-team format. Six senior clubs preferred to stick with 12 teams. They were: Feilding, Freyberg, Linton Army, Oroua, High School Old Boys and Te Kawau.
Favouring 10 teams were Bush, College Old Boys, Feilding Old Boys, Kia Toa and Massey University with one non-senior first club (Bunnythorpe).
Only Marist and one non-senior club (Bulls) preferred eight.
The most strident opponents to change were Feilding, Te Kawau and Oroua while Varsity was against "one-year wonders" or "bought teams" playing in senior first.
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