Victory First To Tender For New Third Tier National Rugby Championship Competition

Only one bid so far "has been received, from Victoria, but a further 11 are expected to be lodged before tenders to participate in the new National Rugby Championship officially close" on Friday, according to Wayne Smith of THE AUSTRALIAN. John Boultbee, the long-time rowing and Australian Olympic official who "is chairing the NRC Commission charged with setting up Australian rugby’s long-delayed so-called third tier," said Thursday that "everything was looking good for the new competition to kick off later this year." Boultbee said, "The Australian Rugby Union board still has to be satisfied that it is a goer from a financial viability point of view but I think that there will be good tenders to look at from what we have been told so far." He added, "t’s still open as to whether it will be eight, nine or 10 teams. I think there will be, from people who have been talking to us, up to 12 tenders, so a 10-team competition remains a possibility" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 2/14).