Rugby Australia chief Phil Waugh considers radical plan in place of NRC

The tournament would run at the end of the rugby season and feature the top clubs from competitions around the country.

If it is established, the likes of Vikings and Royals would face Sydney and Brisbane rivals in a national league.

The concept comes amid fierce debate over what the third tier of Australian rugby should look like, with many calling for a return of the National Rugby Championship.

Waugh has expressed his desire to close the gap between the professional and amateur games since taking over as chief executive earlier this month.

Super Rugby players are viewed as a key tool in achieving that goal. It's hoped their presence in club rugby would help convert club fans into supporters of the country's professional teams.

It's understood the state chief executives will meet this week, with the NRC likely to be discussed. Waugh revealed the competition is not on his radar and instead plans to grow the respective state competitions.

"[The NRC] is not on my agenda," Waugh said. "My strong belief is we've got real tribalism across our clubs, being the John I Dent Cup, the Shute Shield, the Hospital Cup and in Melbourne and Perth as well. We have strong identity of clubs, strong tribalism within clubs and my view is we have a great opportunity to leverage that tribalism within clubs in a more integrated fashion interstate.

"We should lean in and invest in our club competitions. If there's an opportunity to do a European Cup-style end-of-season competition involving the top performers within the club competitions, that's a good opportunity to grow the clubs."

MORE SPORT:

The increased focus on club rugby is seen by many as a Sydney-centric view that's not in the best interests for the sport in Australia.

While a national club champions tournament would generate plenty of excitement, there are numerous logistical challenges to overcome before it is established.

The competition would require significant funding and involve considerable travel from amateur and semi-professional players. Additionally, a host of Super Rugby players would miss out if their teams did not qualify.

It would, however, likely overcome some of the identity issues NRC teams had, particularly in Sydney.

While the NRC struggled for traction in Sydney, most Super Rugby franchises used it as an effective development program for their elite teams.

Thirteen current Brumbies played for Vikings in 2019, with a further nine going on to play Super Rugby for the ACT or elsewhere.

The franchise also requires players to turn out for their clubs if they are not playing for the Wallabies. Nineteen Brumbies played in the John I Dent Cup on Saturday.

While the quality of the competition has risen, there is a belief club rugby is not a genuine third tier and does not provide an adequate development platform for Super Rugby. The gap is particularly stark when compared to New Zealand's National Provincial Championship.

The Brumbies will travel to Japan for two matches in October in a bid to provide their players with more high-quality matches, the absence of the NRC cited when the tour was announced on Monday.

Waugh, however, is confident club rugby can be developed into a genuine third tier for Australian rugby.

"A lot of it is actually getting players who aren't playing for the Wallabies back playing club rugby," he said. "The competition naturally goes up quickly when the best players are playing.

"There's always going to be commentary around a third tier but in my view getting players playing more rather than fabricating teams and trying to create tribalism artificially [is preferred].

"You need to connect with the community and clubs to drive a higher level of competition within the clubs by providing better players into them. That's how I view it. We've succeeded over many years in Australian rugby through that system and there's a lot of value in putting resources and the best players back into it."

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.