In 2025, Australia might finally have an answer to its third-tier question.
For nearly 20 years, players transitioning from clubland to Super Rugby has been a problem many regimes in Rugby Australia have tried to solve.
Attempts have been made and formats discussed – and the reality often comes down to the cold hard facts of fiscal capabilities or fan engagement – that oddly enough, usually take precedence over the initial performance pathway goals for players.
However, following The Roar’s exclusive on Monday that Rugby Australia is holding high-level talks to get a third-tier Super Rugby AU-style competition up and running from 2025, it looks as if Australian rugby will travel down the third-tier gauntlet yet again.
Have Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh and Rugby Australia Chair Daniel Herbert found a solution to the third-tier challenge? (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)
It is not the only option on the table, with Rugby Australia chairman Daniel Herbert revealing on The Roar Rugby Podcast back in September that the governing body is also exploring a national club competition option, and whether that be in tandem with Monday’s proposal or serve as another alternative is unclear.
Regardless, the idea has been floating around Moore Park for a while, with Phil Waugh voicing his support for a cross-over club competition early upon his arrival.
It is no secret to many commenters on this site that the ‘third-tier’ question is one of the topics rugby fans have plenty to say about – and are not afraid to throw said opinions around as to the best way forward.
Pathways has always been something I have loved covering, it is one of the most interesting parts of our game. Frankly, it is something a lot of fans seem to talk about, but judging by the numbers on-site, don’t dive into it further.
I’ve made it no secret that I was a die-hard fan of the NRC – despite it not being a perfect solution – and while it was running, tried to immerse myself in finding answers to our pathway challenges.
So to suddenly see these two options potentially on the table grabs my attention – partly because in July last year I did a two-part series covering my overall thoughts on the third tier, and two of the three suggestions I thought could be a realistic way forward are now being explored by the governing body – but also because I see this as one of the critical issues Australian rugby needs to resolve to rise back up the world rankings.
Australia sits behind the eight-ball, with nearly every other top-level nation playing more professional games at a domestic or regional level than us. We need longer seasons – and more games that are of high-level intensity, something clubland unfortunately cannot provide, despite its best efforts.
This cannot be a competition that runs for a few years, then dies out. We have to find a way to make it survive within the Australian ecosystem.
We don’t have the luxury of New Zealand or South Africa, who can run their respective domestic competitions at a loss and recoup the money down the track in a successful national side.
So – with a national club competition and a Super Rugby AU competition being touted, where do we sit? Honestly, this is an ideal solution for Australian rugby – if executed well.
A rapid-fire domestic competition would work perfectly in the Australian rugby calendar – especially at this time of year. Super Rugby is over, club competitions are finished, and the Wallabies are on break between the Rugby Championship and the end-of-year tour.
This period is already used – to great effect – by pathway programs like the Super Rugby U16s and U19s, plus the national U18s side who, earlier this year, completed a clean sweep in New Zealand.
In this, a best-case scenario would be to have a national club competition and Super Rugby AU running simultaneously. Whether Rugby Australia can deliver both is a question above my pay grade, but working in unison, both competitions together can cover nearly every major issue that previous third-tier iterations have had.
Starting with a national club competition, a rapid-fire format would provide extra game time to an area of Australian rugby that, despite the challenges over the years, has continued to remain the heartbeat people go back to.
Such a competition would ideally galvanise club support – and critically, if Super Rugby AU were to run in tandem, bring many in clubland closer to their respective Super Rugby sides.
A club competition is not a perfect idea on its own – I believe giving the winning club sides more game time might affect the balance and competitiveness of our club competitions, widening the gap between the best and worst.
These club competitions have been doing something right and across the nation have been multi-horse races for the last few years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fiddle with it.
Charter Hall Shute Shield (1st Grade) Premiership Grand Final clash between Easts and Norths at Leichhardt Oval, Leichhardt – Saturday 31 August 2024
Would people also care about interstate club rivalries? Manly and Warringah, for example, can draw a crowd, but will they do the same if they play UQ? The jury is still out for me, because one of clubland’s successes is the local rivalries that have grown over the decades.
Rugby Australia seems to recognise the pros this format can bring to galvanise support is probably worth the effort – with Herbert admitting they are looking to gauge the level of interest with clubs. But, more game time is another key positive – especially if it helps players transition to a professional level of competition.
The NRC’s failings have often been viewed as fan engagement ones – specifically, in Sydney. If Super Rugby AU is established as the pathway competition, that immediately changes the dynamic – our Super Rugby sides are more established, recognised brands.
Such a competition makes sense on multiple fronts: it extends the season for non-Wallaby professional players, and with higher profile teams such a competition is a more attractive sale for broadcasters and commercial opportunities.
Queensland players celebrate victory during the NRC Grand Final match between Canberra and Queensland Country at Viking Park on November 11, 2017 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
If player alignment also plays into such a competition, player contracts could be reframed around the financial year, instead of the calendar year – like in many other parts of the world – with Super Rugby AU serving as the first competition of a player’s yearly contract, with Super Rugby Pacific the second.
Such a competition would provide many up-and-coming pro players making the transition with a week-in, week-out season alongside their established professional counterparts – one of the key, unsung successes of the NRC.
Such a situation helps players develop resilience and cohesion, and ease that professional progression – you only have to look at the Waratahs’ 2024 season to see the step up from clubland can lead to players’ inexperience being exposed, or worse, getting injured.
The big question is though – will it be enough with only four Super Rugby sides?
Such a format has existed before, being 2006’s Australian Provincial Championship – a pre-cursor to the ARC, but Japanese involvement could potentially be on the table – as all Australian Super Rugby sides have played tour matches against Japanese outfits in the last year. The Fijian Drua could also be considered – having been a major success story from the NRC.
There is also the elephant in the room of the Melbourne Rebels – while the Super Rugby side is defunct, could such a competition serve as a means to get a Victorian representative side back up and running on a national level down the track?
Realistically, such a team would likely not surface in 2025, with the Rebels’ financial situation as dire as it is, and with the board and Rugby Australia set to be tied up in court for the next few months.
Making sure such a competition can work for clubland is also critical – at the end of the day, the goal is to ensure players can transition into professional rugby with the best opportunities available – it must done with both clubland and RA together, in agreement – not in different silos.
While you can level plenty of criticism at the current RA administration – their public admission and focus to try and foster mutual dialogue should be commended – and been recognised by organisations like the Brumbies and Waratahs for taking them on the journey to a national solution.
Reds coach Brad Thorn celebrates winning the Super RugbyAU Final match between the Queensland Reds and the ACT Brumbies at Suncorp Stadium, on May 08, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
Their focus is to create a game that is fiscally responsible and not spending beyond its means – however, inevitably you do have to spend something to invest in the future.
A competition like this is likely not going to be a money spinner, and RA knows that. Recognising this as a performance pathway is likely their best way forward – that the investment put in here hopefully pays off down the track in more successful sides and a more successful and resilient Wallabies.
In the cold hard light of day that is Rugby Australia’s current predicament, a competition like Super Rugby AU, realistically, is the best answer the Australian game can put together for the third-tier question: one that has some appeal as a product and can provide that step up in intensity our players need – and one that won’t break the piggy bank and can have longevity.
Here’s hoping that, should it all come to fruition, it can last longer than its many predecessors.
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