IT came as no surprise to hear of Australian winger Lote Tuqiri's defection to rugby union this week - and I expect many other big names to follow.

Most cynics will turn to his freshly inflated bank balance as a reason for his cross-code switch but I believe last week's Test debacle had a major bearing on his sudden career change.

Despite being only 22, Tuqiri has already achieved everything he can in rugby league, earning a Grand Final winners' ring with Brisbane Broncos, a State of Origin triumph with Queensland, an Ashes victory with Australia and captaining his native Fiji at the 2000 World Cup.

And the ease with which he and his fellow Kangaroos brushed aside the lacklustre Lions must surely have left him feeling the 13-a-side code had few challenges left to offer him.

The prospect of pulling on a Wallabies jersey and being part of a far stronger international scene proved too great a lure to keep him in league. And it is for similar reasons that the game has recently mourned the passing of Wendell Sailor, Matt Rogers, Jason Robinson and Henry Paul, to name but a few.

So what can we do to stop the rest of our greatest players from drifting away?

All the talk since last week has been about ditching the one-off mid-season Test and reverting to the traditional close season tours. But why should we limit ourselves to that?

The international outlook will only start to improve when it takes precedence over the domestic season.

The way forward is to play a series against Australia AND New Zealand every year, incorporating a five-week window in June and July, when Antipodean interest in a British tour is at its peak.

But how can Super League accommodate such a massive bite out of the season? Easy. Dispose of the needless and unfair extra fixtures, which were introduced to boost overall attendance figures and have done nothing to enhance the competition.

Each of the three 'superpowers' could include matches against weaker nations such as France, Papua New Guinea, Wales and Ireland in their build-up, ensuring the continued development of the world game.

The calendar could be broken up every other year by World Cup and World Club Championships which, allied with annual 'tour' matches against the southern hemisphere nations, will provide a useful money spinner for Super League sides to account for their loss of regular season fixtures.

This revitalised international line-up would breathe new life into an ailing sport and would at allow league clubs to compete with the lure of the rival code.

That said, we could just let the Aussies big guns slip through their fingers to give our boys more of a chance!

GONE: Jason Robinson

GONE: Henry Paul

GONE: Wendell Sailor