Sean Fitzpatrick is coming off the ropes and wants to be involved in rugby's decision-making in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The former All Blacks captain, now domiciled in England, has recently joined the board of the Llanelli Scarlets and is looking for more involvement in the administration of the game.
"Twenty-five years ago, I was at the forefront of professionalism as a player. Now I want to be at the forefront of decision-making in how we shape the game," he said in a column in the October edition of Rugby World.
"I've seen first-hand how bad a lot of decision-making has been over the past 25 years, but I'm optimistic about where rugby is going. After all, we have also made plenty of great decisions."
Fitzpatrick said there was an opportunity to reshape the game because Covid-19 had accelerated rugby's problems.
"There are good people running rugby all over the world. They've got to come together for the betterment of the game. If we don't change, rugby won't survive," he said.
First in his sights was the need to create a more appealing television product.
And he cites what has happened in New Zealand as an example of what is possible.
"If you want an example of success look at Super Rugby Aotearoa in New Zealand – a simple competition, teams playing home and away. The TV audience was phenomenal, and the games were wonderful," he said.
There were lessons for South Africa from that.
He said rather than having their teams look to play in the northern hemisphere Pro14 tournament, perhaps they should look to revive the Currie Cup to the point it was 20 years ago.
"It needs to be simple, and I don't see a Pro18 working. Going up and down to South Africa is easier than going to New Zealand, but it's still 12 hours on a plane, and in terms of fans in stadiums there won't be too many people going to South Africa and vice versa.
"We've got some amazing products – the Lions, Wales, England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, European rugby, Super Rugby…the key is to get windows in place, then drop in products. And it doesn't have to be the same every year," he said.
A supporter of a global calendar, he felt the All Blacks should not tour Europe every year but every three to four years. And he would enjoy seeing the All Blacks play in Llanelli in 2022, the 50th anniversary of the club's win over the All Blacks.
He disagreed with taking players out of competitions in the northern hemisphere to play Test matches.
"At the moment you have Scarlets playing in the Pro14 on a Friday night and then Wales playing in Cardiff on Saturday.
"You've got 15 players not playing in the Pro14, and it's devaluing the product.
"This opportunity was forced on us by Covid, and if we don't change, we don't have the money to make it sustainable.
"There are hiccups with the French clubs and the Premiership in England, but we need to get this sorted because it's only going to make the game better. We can't continue the way we are," he said.
Fitzpatrick is also an advocate of players and coaches in the north looking to broaden their experience by looking for opportunities overseas.
He cited Joe Marchant's experience in playing for the Blues in Super Rugby this year.
"Unfortunately Covid limited his game time, but if you talk to Joe, he sees himself as a different person in terms of his rugby knowledge and outlook on life now. Looking at younger players, instead of a gap year, why don't they travel and play rugby in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Invercargill.
"We don't do enough of that here – coaches don't travel, players don't travel.
"It's the opposite in the southern hemisphere; it's almost a rite of passage to have OE. Look at the New Zealand coaches who have travelled and done so well – Steve Hansen, Graham Henry, Brad Mooar, Warren Gatland, Wayne Pivac.
"Mark Jones is a good example of going the other way – he took a pay cut to go to the Crusaders, Ronan O'Gara did the same. It helps them become better coaches, and it's the same with players," he said.