Australia "will launch a new domestic rugby competition aimed at bridging the gap between the club and provincial game later this year," according to Nick Mulvenney of REUTERS. Initially featuring nine teams, the competition "will bid to emulate New Zealand's National Provincial Championship and South Africa's Currie Cup, which have proved highly successful in breeding talent for Super Rugby and the test arena." The National Rugby Championship "will run for 11 weeks from August this year and feature teams in five of Australia's eight states and territories."
Rugby heartlands New South Wales and Queensland "will have four and two teams respectively, while Melbourne, Perth and Canberra will have one team each" (REUTERS, 3/24). In Sydney, Bret Harris reported the announcement "evoked memories of the defunct Australian Rugby Championship, which lasted one year in 2007 before being dismantled." The structure of the NRC "is eerily similar to the ARC." Even "some of the logos of the teams are the same." Asked why the NRC "would succeed where the ARC failed," Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said, "I could probably argue that the ARC did work from a player development perspective. What failed in 2007 was the financial model" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 3/25). Also in Sydney, Ben Horne wrote Pulver is confident the relaunched NRC can "make a profit in its first year." Pulver said that with broadcasters Fox Sports and Foxtel "pledging to cover the costs of the competition, and sponsors and financial guarantors backing up the teams, the business model of the NRC is sound compared to its predecessor." He said,
"I'd be very disappointed if this competition didn't at least break even in 2014 and I think we have a real opportunity moving forward to make money out of this competition" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 3/24). In Sydney, Jamie Pandaram reported to ignite interest, the ARU "is considering a number of new laws" -- including those suggested by fans on social media -- "to create an exciting product full of running rugby."
Some of the changes being considered are:
- Reducing the value of penalty goals and drop goals from three points to two.
- Increasing the value of conversions from two points to three.
- Preventing teams kicking penalty goals from outside the 22.
- Stopping the clock for scrums, restarting it only when the ball is out.
- Aggressive refereeing of breakdown infringements, with a team warning given for first offense, and immediate yellow card for a second offense by an any player (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 3/24).
