I've been home in New Zealand since December 22. How lucky we are. I live in Auckland and this city has developed over the last decade into a gem of the Pacific and a must-visit destination wherever you live in the world. 

Its combination of Pakeha, Polynesian, Maori and now Asian communities gives the place a buzz which is both international and strongly local at the same time. 

Its combination of hills, beaches, ocean and tropical vegetation add up to a sense of freedom and well-being rarely experienced in the more urbanised worlds of the US, Europe and Asia where I spend a lot of my working life. The variety of offerings available in Auckland is terrific; and hanging around the Viaduct in the summer sunshine has been real joy. Indoor / outdoor living and dining is what makes Auckland special.

I have been having our house rebuilt and renovated and have been talking a lot to rugby fans who have been helping as carpenters, plumbers, joiners, builders and so on. They've been brought together by sharing in the memorabilia I've collected over the years from international sport and there's been a lot of talk about the future particularly for Pacific Islands rugby.
   

For rugby to continue to grow globally we need to expand not limit market penetration. We must therefore take a longer term view and help Samoa, Tonga, Fiji to become true sustainable world powers in the game.

The International Rugby Board, Australia and 
New Zealand in particular need to address this issue in 2004 and ideally use it as part of the TV SANZAR negotiation. There is an opportunity for us all to help the Islanders or equally to sink them.

For 40 minutes the Samoans outplayed England in the World Cup. If they'd have had their full team available, who knows. It could have been the shock result of the tournament. I was at the Fiji / Scotland game at Sydney Football Stadium and there was no doubt that Fiji deserved to knock Scotland out and reach the quarter-finals.
   

The IRB needs to take a sensible view on player eligibility and re-registration. The law that says that once a player has played for one country he cannot turn out for another is too draconian in this age of global markets. 

It is inconceivable to think of this socially being implemented in a commercial sense. It is restraint of trade. Discarded All Blacks should be allowed to play for Samoa, Tonga or Fiji. 

This would help everyone. It would make the Islanders more competitive, increase playing ability everywhere, increase international competition and create the future in the Islands by giving the Islanders their own heroes to follow. The infrastructure and groundwork has already been laid in these Islands; the commitment to rugby is there, it is the key way ahead for an Islander to gain money, respect and recognition.

However I do not believe the Islanders can survive through hand-outs from the IRB. This is not sustainable. To me it appears that these Islands are facing a crisis and there are three options. One, continuing the present form and slowly erode support and the standard of rugby. Two, revert to amateur status and follow the inevitable loss of sponsors and all players to other unions or to League. 
Or three, implement a revolutionary turn-around strategy which will be sustainable.
    

I met recently with the CEO of the Tongan Rugby Union who I believe has a realistic and sensible grasp of the issues. Obviously Tonga believes in option three. Achieving this though requires fundamental change in the international regulations in relation to eligibility as mentioned above, to revenue sharing and to the level of grants. It also depends upon a new competition strategy, financial security, changes of governance in the local unions and a new strategy that delivers results.

To my mind a critical component in this is competition strategy. Working on  a four-year World Cup cycle is not sustainable. We have to find a way to bring the Islands into an expanded Super 12. If the Australians and Africans get their way to expand, then I believe New Zealand should use its influence to add a Pacific Islanders team.

Think of the stars that could make up this team. Think of the sponsorship opportunity once it played in Super 12. Think of the revenue sharing the Islands would benefit from.

I also believe Australia and New Zealand should commit to playing regular test matches in the Islands with full strength sides against the Pacific Islander Barbarians and then against one of the Islands.

And finally I'd like to see a Pacific Tri-Nations tournament run professionally by a newly appointed Pacific Islanders Board with perhaps New Zealand Maori joining as a fourth side.
       

Time is ebbing away and I'd like to see this Pacific Islanders Tri-Nations Board in place in July 2004 with representatives from New Zealand, Australia and the IRB taking places on the Board. There should be an independent Chairman and a group of ex-players should be appointed as ambassadors to try and rev up support at every level.

I believe a full strength Pacific Islanders team would have great commercial appeal in the Northern Hemisphere and on television and if it were funded from a revenue sharing perspective by the IRB and by SANZAR it could keep all the players in the Islands; add this to a change in eligibility and I believe there is a future.

Each of the Island teams of course should be given full representation at the IRB Board level and should be mentored by New Zealand and Australia. These unions should provide coaching and administration help wherever appropriate. And they should not be crying poor. The monies from sponsorship, media and so on are enough to invest in the future of the game in our neighbours.

The Pacific Islanders side is not a new idea. It's been talked about before. People say that Fijians, Samoans and Tongans would never play together. In the new professional era I believe this is nonsense. Plus as David Ben Gurion said when he was asked why Israel was so hostile, "the absence of alternatives focuses the mind". 

I don't believe the Islands have too many viable alternatives.
   

With the right coach, the right administration and the right ex-players setting the standards, then I believe the team would play together. And what a team it would be. 

Imagine even with the current eligibility issues what that team might look like. Imagine if some of the eligibility rules were changed what the team would look like. It would be viable, successful, competitive, entertaining and highly popular. I think it would have a chance of becoming a merchandising dream and could become everyone's second favourite team globally. In the Northern Hemisphere this side would fill Twickenham.

It's time to stop talking and start acting. The IRB, NZRU and ARU should work with the Islands and get a Pacific Islanders team set up and into an expanded Super 12 next season.

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