Southern Hemisphere rugby needs to jump on the United States before their northern rivals do.
Mighty America seems to be the sport's holy grail right now and who can find the winning formula first will benefit from the riches that come from one of the world's biggest economies.
Fetu'u Vainikolo of Tonga is tackled by Brett Thomson of the USA during the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup.
Photo: Vaughn Ridley
The leaked "Sanzaar 2030 Strategy" paper that has found its way into the hands of the Australian media highlights the United States as a key option if there are further plans for expansion.
Just to see Sanzaar looking ahead is encouraging. They have been accused of being reactionary rather than visionary and its right for them to be looking at ways to improve their competitions and the southern standing in world rugby.
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You can be sure their northern counterparts won't be sitting on their hands. It would arguably be easier to involve the US in a trans-Atlantic conference than in one of Europe's multi-tiered continental championships.
The rugby world is waiting patiently for the sleeping giant that is the United States to awaken.
It might be some time coming but it will happen.
Just as soccer struggled to get a share of the massive sporting market, rugby has to be patient but also proactive.
Major League Soccer is now a major championship, recognised as a viable alternative for young professionals seeking a career pathway and for older stars to see out their twilight years.
Major League Rugby is set to start in 2019 after an earlier nationwide rugby venture was played with mixed success.
The sport's powerbrokers will be hoping the latest version can gain a foothold to start a rugby boom.
The United States has rapidly become a force on the international sevens scene, even winning their own leg of the world series this year in Las Vegas at a well supported tournament. They beat Sanzaar member Argentina in the final with the South Americans slowly but surely showing the benefit of their inclusion in the New Zealand, Australian, South African and Japanese partnership.
Sevens on the rise: Madison Hughes of the USA.
Photo: AAP
With limited opportunities for American Football (gridiron) players once they leave school, the 15-man game can surely gain appeal as a more than worthy alternative for American athletes wanting contact sport.
There's a women's market to plunder too with the US a force alongside Canada in both sevens and 15s.
New Zealand Rugby have been unashamed in their courting of the American scene and their signature sponsorship with American multinational finance and insurance giant AIG is a sign of respect between both organisations and countries.
The All Blacks have staged two successful tests there – against the United Sates and Ireland – and have regularly toured New Zealand Maori.
Others have taken notice.
South Africa are taking the Springboks to play Wales in Washington in June. It's the Boks' first visit since they played the US in Houston in late 2001.
But the English are also getting increasingly active States-side and that should concern anyone in the southern hemisphere who has the grand plans revealed in the comprehensive Sanzaar document.
The English Premiership is planning a game in Chicago in April 2019 in what they hope will become a regular fixture.
England's top rugby championship has already delved into the US market with success – in March 2016 a crowd of 14,811 watched London Irish, the "home" team, lose to Saracens 26-16 just outside of New York and in September 2017 a smaller crowd saw Saracens beat Newcastle 29-7.
Sceptics will obviously look at the complicated failings of Super Rugby's initial attempts to have an 18-team conference style competition and the ongoing struggles of the Japanese Sunwolves in a return to a 15-team competition, albeit still in a conference format.
Asia remains a key market in a time-friendly zone for New Zealand and Australia and there will be hopes that the untapped market of China can eventually be stirred.
But rugby in the United States is more advanced and, for all the geographical complications, it would be foolish to ignore because if Sanzaar can't come up with a formula to find inclusion, you can be sure someone else will.
Whoever gets in first will likely laugh all the way to the bank.
– Stuff.co.nz
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