Greats urge creative thinking to stop Wallabies being sidelined by new series

Tim Horan and Cameron Shepherd have urged Rugby Australia to be creative and proactive in finding new opportunities for the Wallabies as New Zealand and South Africa move to strengthen their alliance.

Reports out of South Africa have stated that the All Blacks and Springboks will rekindle extended tours of each other's nations every four years.

New Zealand are set to tour first in 2026 with an eight game schedule that includes three Tests, five games against United Rugby Championship teams and one against South Africa A.

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"I just spent two days with the New Zealand leadership in what we are calling the 'Greatest Rugby Rivalry'," SA Rugby boss Rian Oberholzer told The Daily Maverick.

"It's a working title, although some people might say it is arrogant to say that. We have signed a memorandum of understanding and we are in the planning phases now."

World Rugby is reportedly set to green light the proposal.

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It is unclear what that would mean for the Rugby Championship in 2026, 2030 and beyond but Oberholzer suggested a preference for reducing the fixture list.

"We as SARU did say to Argentina and Australia that we will play one off Test matches against them," he said.

Wallabies icon Horan - a two-time Rugby World Cup winner - said the arrangement reflected harsh realities for Australia.

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"It's just the state of the game in Australia at the moment and the brand of the Wallabies," Horan said on Stan Sport's Rugby Heaven.

"If you look at Australian cricket, four or five years ago, they just wanted to play India week in, week out, every year for Test matches and that's because they were the best team in the world and the broadcast dollars were better playing against India.

"They hardly ever played New Zealand in cricket."

RA and NZR are in talks about launching an Anzac Test as part of the Bledisloe Cup series and Horan said other markets should also be explored.

"I think there's a good opportunity, either Japan or USA, coming into 2031 World Cup (in the United States). They need Test matches," he said.

"I think there's a good opportunity in the US to go and play some matches over there and financially be more beneficial to Rugby Australia... what do we put around it so Australian rugby fans aren't disadvantaged in the Test match level?"

Shepherd said Sunday's (AEST) clash between the Springboks and All Blacks at Ellis Park was too compelling to ignore for national bodies.

"That atmosphere is something that you wanted to bottle," Shepherd said.

"It's incredible and so there's no reason why those nations can't do that - and we (Australia) can't do that in different settings... we should be able to create these independent little series with rival nations."