Decision day for provinces

Today is judgment day for provincial rugby and the New Zealand Rugby (NZR) board will decide on funding models and whether to implement significant, structural changes in 2021.

Stuff understands NZR and provincial unions (PUS) have considered a new format for the Mitre 10 Cup in a bid to slash costs – namely on travel – and explored splitting the 14-team competition into north and south pools.

It’s understood that option would save about $700,000 on travel and accommodation in the men’s national provincial championship (NPC), a comparatively small figure as NZR faces a financial loss of more than $40 million in 2020 because of Covid-19, but it’s still a potentially important saving and could be the biggest shake-up in a decade.

However, the current format, which was first introduced in 2011, is likely to be retained for next year at least, Stuff understands, because NZR has run out of time to sufficiently enforce a revamp.

That format includes a premiership and a championship with a promotion-relegation system and crossover matches between the two divisions. Tasman retained the title last month after beating Auckland 13-12 in the premiership final.

NZR has declined to comment on potential changes to provincial rugby’s structure but, if the competition was to split into north and south pools, it’s understood concerns have been raised about an equal share of travel costs for each Mitre 10 Cup province.

There are also question marks about whether a format change can be justified and implemented for 2021 without more research into whether it’s needed.

Any format change would retain crossover matches to ensure the Ranfurly Shield isn’t stuck in either pool.

Today’s board meeting will also cover how NZR will distribute funds to PUS next year, as well as finalising the futures of the Farah Palmer Cup (the women’s NPC) and the Heartland Championship, the grassroots game’s flagship competition.

Provincial rugby is the heartbeat of the sport in communities, as well as being a nursery for the next generation of All Blacks and Black Ferns, and would suffer immeasurably without NZR’S financial support.

PUS are facing funding cuts of up to 20 per cent from NZR, as the governing body tries to figure out a sustainable financial future, and it paid each of the 26 PUS their final two funding instalments for 2020.

Typically, NZR dishes out $30m annually to the PUS but that figure is poised to drop.

The Farah Palmer Cup, which was won by Canterbury after switching to north and south pools this year, is likely to retain the same format, Stuff understands.

The Heartland Championship was cancelled this year but on the condition of its full return in 2021, Cushla Tangaere-manuel, chair of the Heartland secretariat and East Coast’s chief executive, told Stuff in August.

NZR is expected to publicly announce the outcomes of today’s board meeting tomorrow.