New SA Rugby president Mark Alexander is working on a 100-day plan he believes will set the game on a path back to rude health. Key elements of the plan require approval from provincial bosses but Alexander, who was officially installed on Thursday, with Francois Davids as his deputy, is sanguine about his prospects of convincing the other blazer wearers."It is the only thing we can do to change rugby in this country," said Alexander, although stopping short of sketching a doomsday scenario."We have a good proposal. At the end of the day everybody in the rugby system will benefit from it."Central to the revival of the game, particularly in its professional ranks, is the significant injection of private- sector funding.story_article_left1The game turned professional only 20 years ago and some countries have warmed to the pay game with more alacrity than others. South Africa hasn't and more advanced professionally driven systems elsewhere are increasingly showing up our teams' performances on the field.Alexander believes the 49.9% ownership limitation placed on private investors is archaic and that it should be increased to 74% if the winds of change are to whisk the sport into calmer waters."People I have spoken to are excited," he said cheerily."The equity partners we have spoken to are excited. They like what they are seeing."The problem is his colleagues have to ratify proposals which in effect will considerably lessen their significance."I know we have to take it to our membership but that is what we will do," Alexander said."Minority protection has to be built in," he added reassuringly.The new structure, should it get the green light, will be administered by a franchise committee."It will bring a higher level of business acumen. It will be a separate committee within our organisation," he explained. "The executive council will still exist. They will take charge of non-franchise rugby."Alexander stressed the importance of the non-franchise entity."The Springboks don't come from franchises. They come from rural areas," he said. "The smaller unions are the major developers of our players. That is important to us."It is worth remembering that from the 2007 World Cup-winning squad Victor Matfield (Polokwane, Limpopo), Bakkies Botha (Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal), Frans Steyn, as well as Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis (Bethlehem, Free State) came from rural South Africa.The same is true of players in rural New Zealand, but unlike the clear, coherent path the Kiwis follow, the waters become murky for South Africa's top talent.block_quotes_start Alexander believes getting the nod from government to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup is very much still on the cards block_quotes_end"In New Zealand, they contract and manage their top 180 players. Unfortunately we don't have the money to do that. We have to look at the joint contracting model."Despite the challenges facing the game, Alexander is upbeat. He was particularly emboldened by last week's national coaching indaba in Cape Town."The coaching indaba was a big breakthrough for us. Before the franchises never collaborated. That's why we are in this position today. Those were the best two days of deliberations I've ever had in rugby."The upshot of the indaba will be felt next season when a blueprint containing recommendations for skills improvement is delivered to Super Rugby franchises.Former Springbok and respected coach Brendan Venter, Bok assistant Johann van Graan and professor Jannie Kruger, among many others, are tasked to deliver the document."That will form part of the franchise training sessions," Alexander said. "Our franchises need to talk and share. Not game plans, but they should have the same core skills."story_article_right2One of the tasks for which Alexander has to roll up his sleeves is rebuilding the organisation's reputation, which has taken a battering over the past few years.SA Rugby's chief executive Jurie Roux has had to fight off allegations of financial impropriety in a former job, while Alexander's predecessor Oregan Hoskins indirectly bit the dust for trying to extricate the organisation from the saga.Further damage was done when Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula named SA Rugby as one of the federations who could not host major international events until they met agreed-upon transformation targets.Alexander believes getting the nod from government to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup is very much still on the cards. "We are already exceeding targets. We will know in May next year."Alexander is confident he can claw back ground lost.He talks about rebuilding trust and establishing a small committee with individuals endowed with levels of honesty and integrity beyond reproach. "They will act as our sounding board. Sometimes we can't see the wood for the trees."sports@timesmedia.co.za..