Already this season two ANZ Cup players, Tom McCartney and Ben Franks have managed to represent four provinces between them. This isn't a new phenomenon of course with players such as James Arlidge and Miah Nikora having been shuffled around mid season by the likes of Auckland and Wellington respectively in the past.

Take the case of Ben Franks, the tighthead prop, who was loaned by Canterbury to Tasman this season. Franks and another promising Crusaders prop Ben May had established themselves as the cornerstone of this seasons Mako's forward pack. Unfortunately for Tasman, Canterbury found themselves next in line for a Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato. Suddenly Franks was released from the Tasman squad and returned to the Red and Blacks, so he could take his place on the bench for Canterbury in Hamilton. As the situation stands now, Franks is not going to get the 80 minutes of game time every week that he desperately needs to pick up a Super 14 contract. From a Crusaders perspective, it would have much made more sense to leave him at Tasman where he clock up valuable experience in the number three jersey.

To add insult to Tasman's injury, Franks was nowhere to be seen in the shield defence against Hawke's Bay, just six days later. There were no press releases I could find listing any injury to Franks, so it would appear that Canterbury were happy to disrupt the rest of Tasman's season so they could have more firepower on the bench for one game. I'm sure Franks will be seen again on the bench later in the season for the Auckland match, which hardly makes his acquisition anymore worthwhile in my book.

Of course technically Canterbury haven't done anything wrong and Tasman have benefited from having Franks service for a minute portion of the season. I'm sure the Mako's would have been only too well aware of the conditions of Franks services as laid down by their big bro Canterbury. However Tasman don't want to bite the hand that feeds them so realistically they aren't in a position of strength to complain publicly about the matter. The loss of such a valuable player in a pivotal position will effectively derail any slim chance Tasman may have of making the semi finals. Lets also cast our minds back to Rico Gear and the disruptions he has caused to Tasman's preparations, both this year and last. Now Ali Williams has signed with Tasman, with the obvious intention of lure of a Crusaders berth. I'm certainly not going to hold my breath at the prospect of Ali managing to play the amount of games required to receive his blazer for Tasman.

What sort of a competition exactly is the ANZ Cup when players can turn out for two provinces in the same season? There is also the possibility that a player could end up playing against a union they have already represented only weeks earlier. Confidential information concerning tactics and strategies would of course be passed onto new team mates and undermine everything that smaller union was trying to achieve. For teams to succeed their personal need continuity of selection. The sudden withdrawal of key players effectively destroys the valuable momentum that winning teams thrive on and feed off.

Its high time the NZRU forced the hand of the heavyweights by abolishing the transfer system, which would in turn see more players move unions to get exposure and regular top level rugby. Provincial unions can afford to bankroll a finite number of players. The likes of Ben Franks would either find themselves selected in the Canterbury ANZ Cup squad or would move to a union like Tasman on a full time basis. Unions like Bay of Plenty continually find themselves stuck in a rebuilding mode year after year as their better talent is continually snapped up by bigger provinces or offers from abroad.  The five Super 14 franchise host unions have been given enough advantages by the NZRU over the last ten years, without continuously benefiting from the flawed transfer system. The likes of Canterbury, Auckland, Wellington, Waikato and Otago have been able to lure new players to their provinces with the added carrot of a Super 14 contract dangled tantalisingly nearby. Waikato and the Chiefs have made the first worthy step into dissolving this partnership by appointing individual CEOs to run their two organisations as separate entities. Whether this split dissolves the link between host union and host franchise remains to be seen, as does the likelihood of the four main unions following their lead.  For the ANZ Cup to become a truly dynamic and inspiring, we need new winners names engraved on the trophy.

Since the inception of the NPC playoffs system in 1992 only the five Super 14 base unions have managed to win this competition which has been dominated by Canterbury and Auckland. Will the likes of Manawatu or Counties one day become legitimate title contenders or should their supporters accept they are only there to make up the numbers? Unless the NZRU take a stand, our provincial rugby will continue to be predictable and anything but competitive at the business end of the season.

About Red Beard:  Found as a babe in a Kumara pit by a savage pack of wild boar who raised him until the age of 13. Nowadays a respected rugby journo and part time public bar warrior. Read more from Red Beard:  http://redbeardrugby.blogspot.com/