Timing is the main problem for Tens

Rugby’s Brisbane Tens brouhaha is starting to prove an embarrassment all round. At first glance Tuesday’s report that the All Blacks wouldn’t be participating in the inaugural hybrid rugby tournament looked a no-brainer.

The New Zealand Rugby Players Association said the elite test players wouldn’t be participating and it was never intended they would.

But Duco Events Australia, the event promoters, have since claimed 10 All Blacks from last November’s northern hemisphere tour have been named in provisional squads submitted by the New Zealand Super Rugby franchises. So what is going on? Will All Blacks be fronting up in playing clobber at Suncorp Stadium on February 11 and 12 or just running on the water?

It looked, on the face of it, as if unreasonable expectations had been created after Duco’s use of All Blacks Israel Dagg, Jerome Kaino, Ben Smith and Damian Mckenzie, and Wallabies star Israel Folau to promote the Tens at the concept launch.

Granted, they didn’t actually say they would be playing in Brisbane - Dagg and Folau were dubbed ‘‘playing ambassadors’’.

But Dagg did say he was relishing the chance for southern hemisphere franchises to play France’s Toulon and the Japan’s Wild Knights clubs.

‘‘We might not ever get an opportunity to play these guys again,’’ he said, before adding: ’’What a better way to get a tan than in Brisbane in February, playing some good footy and having fun with your mates.’’

You could have drawn a reasonable inference from such an effusive endorsement that Dagg intended to lace on his boots in February. So will he? Duco say the 10 All Blacks have been named along with more than 20 current Wallabies.

Someone will end up with egg on their face.

If Rugby Players Association boss Rob Nichol is right and the All Blacks were never likely to front in Brisbane, did someone forget to let their franchises know? Mind you, the franchises and New Zealand Rugby are all privy to the player’s agreement.

Player welfare must ultimately prevail.

Sure, it would be dandy to see elite All Blacks strutting their skills at Suncorp.

But is it a sensible scenario? Probably not.

Most All Blacks haven’t yet rejoined their Super Rugby squads for pre-season training after the rigours of the 2016 northern hemisphere tour. Some, like skipper Kieran Read, are on extended breaks.

Would you rather have the All Blacks fit and firing for the Lions tour or rushing back prematurely to play in the Brisbane Tens? Thought so. The much-awaited Lions tour in June is the highlight of the 2017 rugby year.

Steve Hansen won’t want the All Blacks’ conditioning compromised by an unnecessarily early start.

It’s not a case of placing the All Blacks in cotton wool. They are already expected to play from late February to late November in a bona fide provincial and international competitions. You can’t wring blood out of a stone.

The Brisbane Tens, for all its novelty value, isn’t a serious rugby tournament. Sure, the teams will be striving to win that’s the nature of the best - and prize money is at stake, but it’s basically fun in the sun.

Why would New Zealand Rugby risk its prize assets - the All Blacks - by asking them to play at less than peak fitness in the heat and humidity of Brisbane?

Duco deserves credit for devising events like the Auckland Nines rugby league competition and the Brisbane Tens.

Any initiative that draws more fans should be applauded. But is the timing right? We’ve seen NRL coaches express concern about the Auckland Nines with Manly and Wests Tigers naming weakened squads for the February 4-5 tournament.

Sea Eagles head coach Trent Barrett warned this week of the ‘‘massive risk’’ of injury at the early season event after Manly suffered three casualties last year.

The Nines tournament is held a month out from the start of the NRL - maybe it would be better timed towards the end of the preseason phase as a prelude to the opening round.

The Brisbane Tens tournament timing is more problematic because the All Blacks and Wallabies’ availability would always be an issue.

What about a late August ’’window’’ between the end of Super Rugby and the start of the Rugby Championship?

At least there would be a chance of All Blacks and Wallabies not involved in the Super playoffs to get some match practice before test time.