- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Opinion
The National Rugby Championship (NRC) was canned in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, effectively ending the only third-tier rugby competition in Australia.
Although the NRC was a flawed competition and didn’t really capture the attention of the public, it served its purpose well in developing players for the step up to Super Rugby and eventually the Wallabies. The likes of Taniela Tupou, Liam Wright, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Tate McDermott all first played in the NRC and now play an integral part in the Reds and Wallabies squads.
With the Currie Cup played in South Africa, the NPC in New Zealand and the Nacional de Clubes in Argentina, Australia risk falling behind even more to the other Rugby Championship nations if something isn’t done quickly to solve this problem. Numerous reports have surfaced that Rugby Australia is working on hard to re-establish the NRC but has been met with some opposition about the structure, especially from the Sydney rugby union.
With the Shute Shield practically semi-professional already, some have called for it to become fully professional and step in as the new third-tier rugby competition in Australia. This concept, although intriguing, could never work in a practical sense. NSW Rugby Union can barely keep its own head above water; how will it ever be able to fund and operate 12 professional clubs?
(Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)
However, the efforts made by the Sydney rugby union in making the Shute Shield relevant again should not be swept under the carpet. In recent years the club game in Sydney has seen a boom like no other across the country. Even though the Waratahs are a struggling outfit, the amount of talent coming out of the suburbs is extraordinary. To stop this process from reaching its full potential would be a shame.
This leaves the question: what is the best way to reinstate the NRC and keep the club game relevant while also developing players for the Super Rugby sides and the Wallabies? If I were RA, this is how I would go about it.
Firstly, the competition shouldn’t be professional. Too much money went into funding and maintaining professional sides in the old NRC, which is one of the reasons the competition was disbanded. Having all your sides as semi-professional is more beneficial from a financial and practical point of view. Young, amateur players coming through the ranks can learn a lot from the already experienced professional rugby players not playing for the Wallabies. More teams will also be able to compete, giving more players the opportunity to showcase their talent. This will also give teams an equal footing when competing, because one side isn’t stacked with all the best players in the league.
Secondly, we have to reassess the teams competing. The old NRC had the problem of a lack of interest in the teams, because they were generic and specifically made for the competition and not what the fans wanted. Having said this, some teams, like Brisbane City and Queensland Country, did draw the imagination of the people in the region and were relatively successful in creating a firm supporters base. The new NRC competition should incorporate both ideas so that rugby fans can invest their time and effort into watching games and supporting teams.
All teams from the Shute Shield should be included in the NRC. The teams have been around for ages and have a strong supporters base. The semi-professional structure mentioned earlier will make these teams some of the strongest in the league and contribute immensely to the development of rugby in NSW.
Queensland is in a special position because the Queensland Rugby Union can choose between going back to the old NRC teams or going the route of the Sydney rugby union and semi-professionalising its Queensland premiership clubs. As mentioned before, the NRC did good work in Queensland, but the old Hospital Cup is still extremely relevant. The Queensland Rugby Union needs to choose what will be the best path forward for its players and the fans.
The rest of Australia unfortunately doesn’t have the club structure of New South Wales or Queensland. Therefore representative teams made up of club players will be the best way going forward. The ACT have the Canberra Vikings, Western Australia the Perth Spirit and Victoria the Melbourne Rebels and Melbourne Rising. This will ensure that teams stay competitive and draw interest from the clubs in the region.
Lastly, we need to consider the structure of the competition. The new NRC should take place after Super Rugby and the conclusion of the local club competitions. If the Queensland clubs are involved, teams could be split into six groups of four and play everyone in their pool home and away. The best eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals. The winning team is crowned the best club side in Australia.
My solution is only theoretical. RA needs a practical, viable third-tier rugby competition to develop young and upcoming rugby players. Whatever they choose to do, it needs to happen fast. Australia is falling behind, but a new NRC competition could go a long way in bridging the gap.
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.