OPINION: There's a quiet revolution happening up north - and not the good kind.
While down here we've been occupying ourselves with Wallaby woes, Ma'a Nonu's next abode, and the pros and cons of Bismark du Plessis' red card, changes are afoot in European rugby that could render these debates utterly meaningless.
In short, the Heineken Cup stands on the brink of extinction.
Doesn't sound like the most earth-shattering news, does it? It's not something many Kiwis have an interest in.
Sure, a lot of All Blacks play in it; some chasing a golden goose, others simply looking for a different rugby experience. But for most down here it's a case of out sight, out of mind.
It would be naive to think, however, that what goes on in the European club scene is of little consequence to your average Chiefs or Crusaders fan. After all, who'd have thought the 1914 assassination of an Austrian Archduke would have led to World War I?
It's not too extreme an analogy when you look at why Europe's showpiece club competition faces the axe, despite remaining abundantly popular and lucrative.
The problem lies with those pesky old Conquistadors, the English and the French. Put simply, they want to control the European club scene for their benefit and are happy to hold the northern - and indeed global - game to ransom until their demands are met.
In place of taking a measured approach and looking for a negotiated path forward, they've decided to throw their toys out of the pram from the off.
Instead of committing to the Heineken Cup, the Anglo-French alliance have revealed their intentions to setup their own European tournament to compete with the incumbent.
The English clubs, under the umbrella of Premier Rugby, have even gone a step further by signing a TV deal with BT - worth over NZ$200m - in direct competition to the long-standing relationship European Rugby Cup Ltd shares with Sky Sports.
As a patronising after-thought they've offered the Irish, Welsh, Scots and Italians the option of taking part in the new venture - effectively saying: 'We've killed the life source of your game but we're willing to throw you a bone'. Aren't they nice?
They know the absence of a European Cup would be a killer blow to the game in these countries, so they've put a gun to their heads and offered them a Faustian pact. To add insult to injury, Premier Rugby has refused to allow either the Celtic nations or the ERC examine the detail of their BT deal. Why? Because you can be damn sure the devil's in it.
Perhaps it's the weight of history talking, but there's nothing that gets the back up more than nations like England and France deciding to embark on a game of Command and Conquer.
From a Kiwi perspective goings on up north could have serious implications for the international game. Both Premier Rugby and their French equivalents, Ligue Nationale de Rugby, have managed to force their national unions' hands and keep them hopelessly silent on the issue.
The English RFU, it seems, wants to keep the clubs on side ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup while the FFR have always battled to keep control of their clubs in a nation where the club jersey is often more revered than the national one. The IRB meanwhile talks tough, but that's probably all it will do.
The pantomime villain of the piece is Premier Rugby chief Mark McCafferty, a money-driven individual in the mould of Khoder Nasser or Kia Joorabchian, who epitomises the gluttonous face of modern professional sport.
Since taking up his role, McCafferty has cried 'wolf' about the number of qualification places awarded to the Celtic nations and Italians for the Heineken Cup. To be fair, there was merit in his argument.
While bigger Celtic clubs such as Munster, Leinster and the Ospreys always compete on both fronts, the guaranteed presence of both the Italian and Scottish professional sides in Europe's top tier event, for example, has allowed them make it a priority at the expense of their domestic competition. Edinburgh's march to the 2013 Heineken Cup semifinals while sitting second bottom of the Pro 12 was testament to this.
But the Celts and Italians are open to negotiation it seems. If anything, making a top-six finish in the Pro12 a necessity for European action would help their league come on leaps and bounds. It would also stretch the resources of clubs like Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Ospreys who really have to travel to the fields of England and France to be properly challenged.
That's what strange though. Suddenly the English and French have no interest in talking. They've been given their inch but now want to take a mile - a very long mile that may stretch as far as South Africa from 2015 onwards. In reality they never wanted to keep the Heineken Cup but never had the balls to say it. Instead they've been allowing imps like McCafferty chip away at the foundations behind the scenes to make their own beds even more comfortable.
Suddenly they've no time for the Paddies and Taffes, the view from the Veldt is far more attractive than a soggy winter's night in Swansea or Limerick.
Unlike in New Zealand and Australia, attendances for Super Rugby games in South Africa are good and there seems to be genuine atmosphere in the grounds - one of few areas in world rugby the northern sides constantly smash their antipodean rivals in. Logistically too, Europe would work better for South Africa. But would the Celts be happy to have away games in Cape Town? They might be forced to.
Should things change, none of it will have been done for the good of the global game but rather to fill the already bulging coffers of wealthy business men who've taken it upon themselves to dismantle the importance of the international game to make a quick buck at club level. They are looking to set a very dangerous precedent. But power is money these days.
They say rugby is a thugs' game played by gentlemen - pretty soon it could just be a game played by schmucks.
