Three options considered in NPC revamp

Just what the National Provincial Championship looks like next year could be known before Christmas.

Having failed to get a proposed revamp across the line a year ago, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is in the process of attempting to overhaul the competition ahead of the 2022 season.

NZR wasn’t in a position to comment while consultations were ongoing with stakeholders, including the 14 provincial unions (PUS), but is likely to do so in the next few weeks.

It’s understood three options are on the table, including splitting the 14-team competition into North and South pools, a concept mooted last year.

One provincial union source who spoke to Stuff was optimistic change would get across the line this time, but added getting 14 PUS on the same page was easier said than done. Should change go ahead, regardless of which format is chosen, the consensus among those contacted by Stuff was they wanted a competition in which all 14 teams could win the title.

On the heels of the heavy financial impact on PUS and

NZR due to the Covid-19 pandemic, NZR pushed for a revamp ahead of the

2021 season, only to fail to convince stakeholders in time.

However, chief executive Mark Robinson made it clear then they would again drive for change at the conclusion of the 2021 competition. Given the progress NZR made between November 2020 and March 2021, when they announced this year’s competition would go ahead without change, the governing body was in a strong position to succeed this time round.

The current format, which includes a premiership and championship with a promotionrelegation system, has been in play since 2011, but a review into the provincial game, known as the Nga Miro Report, recommended change.

Canterbury co-coach Reuben Thorne, Wellington counterpart Leo Crowley, and Taranaki coach Neil Barnes, are all on the record in the past 12 months calling for change.

Barnes, who coached Taranaki to the championship title this year, was particularly vocal when NZR announced promotion and relegation was off in 2021 due to the three Auckland teams being forced out of the competition because of the Delta outbreak in the city. He called the current format ‘‘flawed’’, and pleaded for NZR to ‘‘pull their head out of the sand’’ and morph the competition into one which all 14 teams could take out the top prize.

Taranaki were the only unbeaten team in this year’s NPC. They became the first championship team to sweep all four premiership opposition on their way to winning all 10 games.

Before the premiershipchampionship split, when a 15-week window was available – the NPC is now played over 12 weeks – all 14 teams were pitted together and played each of the other sides, before the top four made the semifinals.

When the north-south option was mooted last year, it was understood it could save about $700,000 in travel and accommodation.

An even split with north and south pools would likely result in grouping Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu¯ , Wellington, Tasman, Canterbury, Otago and Southland in the south pool.

That meant Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Counties Manukau, North Harbour, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki were in the northern pool.*