Another disappointing Bledisloe Cup on Saturday saw the same old looming darkness taking over Australian rugby, with dissent, unrest and unease in rugby land persisting.
Meanwhile, the little engine that could, the NRC, putts along. Somewhere through the darkness and haze this new comp represents a flickering light of hope for Aussie rugby.
Death ridden from the moment it arrived, ignored and starved of oxygen, Australian rugby’s little pet project sputters and along in the quiet.
Regardless of the negativity and contempt in rugby land it has begun to produce a small but rich vein of talented youngsters. They are young hungry lions many of whom have begun to kick down the doors at Super and Wallaby rugby HQ.
Blokes like Samu Kerevi, Dane Haylett-Petty, Robbie Coleman, Reece Hodge, Rory Arnold, Allan Alaalatoa, and Tom Robertson have been that shining light in the gloom of Wallaby rugby.
Looking at some of the ‘best of’ teams that the NRC have produced in the competition’s three-year stint, the cream of the NRC could produce a pretty mean outfit of fit, young, hungry players.
It would be fascinating to see line up against a decent team.
Now the NRC does play an end of comp against the New Zealand heartland IV based with a “best of” non-contracted team, which is an entirely laudable concept but very out of sight, out of mind among the Australian public. But what if? What if, at the end of the NRC the best players got picked for a shot at immortality? What if they got picked to play the wallabies live on free-to-air?
Nothing would announce the NRC, this struggling little comp, to the Australian public better than showing it off against Australian rugby’s most well-known brand. Now of-course it would likely be one sided and of course you would expect the Wallabies to run over the top of a spirited group of youngsters. What if to make it interesting and they were to play under NRC rules?
Yes, it would still likely be the same result but I don’t think the loss matters that much but to provide an opportunity to give young up and comers a chance to test their mettle against the best Australian rugby has to offer.
It is the sort of opportunity that a young rugby player dreams of! It would light a fire under players and the entire competition itself making the stakes higher.
It would be fascinating to see players who just missed out on making the Wallabies squad get a chance to show what they are made of and what they are missing out on against the big boys. It has grudge match written all over it.
Michael Cheika has stated that he plans on keeping his eye on NRC with an eye for talent that could benefit the Wallabies. In that case nothing would announce a player to Michael Chieka better than putting on a stellar performance against the Wallabies themselves.
Imagine if an NRC team beat or embarrassed the Wallabies! Nothing could spruik the NRC and announce it better to Australia’s rugby faithful.
Understandably the concept may be a hard sell due to the Wallabies packed schedule but I believe there would be some serious interest in such a concept and the result could have huge positive benefits for the lower tiers and future of Australian rugby.
I would trial the idea of playing the game in the home ground of the team what won the comp the week after the final. If popular enough it could be brought to Suncorp or ANZ Stadiums if the interest was there. Money generated should go directly to fund both NRC clubs and grass-roots clubs to help reduce unrest.
I am interested in you thoughts. Would you be interested in a best of NRC versus Wallabies concept game?
Could the talent at NRC level give the Wallabies a scare? Who do you think would make the team?
And hey, the biggest selling point would be that we would know for certain that an Australian team would win!
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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