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Full Story.....Clear as mud
ARU chief executive Bill Pulver appears to have achieved the impossible - a self-funding development competition that will be a revenue-raiser rather than a drain on resources.
Pulver launched the proposed National Rugby Championship yesterday after securing broadcast and sponsorship partnerships with Fox Sports and Foxtel, respectively.
It is a two-year deal with the possibility of extending to seven, although Pulver declared rather optimistically that it would "last forever".
Since rugby went professional in 1996 there has been a call for the establishment of a third-tier competition to bridge the gap between club rugby and Super Rugby along the lines of the ITM Cup in New Zealand and Currie Cup in South Africa, but it has been regarded as unaffordable.
An attempt was made in 2007 with the creation of the Australian Rugby Championship, but it only lasted one year after losing $5 million, which was more than $2m over budget.
But Pulver's NRC will not only provide a new development pathway in Australian rugby, it will also pay for itself and potentially make money for the cash-strapped code.
When something seems too good to be true, it usually is. But if the numbers add up, Pulver will deliver a stunning outcome for Australian rugby.
The key to the deal is the support of Fox Sports and Foxtel, which between them are believed to have covered the estimated $3m cost of running the venture, while the ARU is in deep discussions with a prospective major naming rights sponsor.
Fox Sports will televise live one match per round in prime time viewing, plus the semi-finals and final.
It is understood Fox Sports' million-dollar investment in the NRC was motivated in part by the hope that it will help it to maintain exclusive rights to Super Rugby in the face of possible free-to-air competition when the ARU renegotiates its broadcast deal next year.
This would possibly help to explain why Fox Sports was prepared to pay for the NRC, while the ARU had to pay $250,000 to the ABC to show the ARC. Expressions of interest are being sought from existing clubs or amalgamations of teams wanting to compete in the NRC, with a closing date of January 13, followed by a tendering process. The successful teams will be announced by the end of February.
The NRC will be an eight to 10- team competition running from August to the beginning of November and will feature Super Rugby and club players who are not part of the Wallabies.
There will be teams from Canberra, Melbourne and Perth and another five to seven teams from the rugby heartland states of NSW and Queensland. It is understood there will be North Brisbane and South Brisbane teams as well as Western Sydney and North Harbour sides and possibly NSW and Queensland Country teams.
Pulver said the establishment of the NRC was part of the overall restructuring of Australian rugby's development pathways, beginning at junior level, under the guidance of Ben Whitaker.
"It is enormous in a multiplicity of ways," Pulver said.
"It is an important step in a development pathway that should deliver greater success to the Super Rugby teams and the Wallabies.
"After the AFL and the NRL are over, elite rugby players will be playing in a competition like the Currie Cup and the ITM Cup to prepare for the next level.
"Equally, it creates additional superb quality content for the broadcaster. We will introduce innovative rules to make it exciting for the fans.
"It has been done on an incredibly cost-effective basis. The key to the financial viability of the NRC is leveraging Super Rugby infrastructure.
"We have existing coaches and players on contract.
"There will be some incremental costs involved, but this is a financial model that will work."
