Rugby: B teams to be rugby's Plan B

A radical plan has been hatched to create a mid-tier provincial competition featuring the B teams of the bigger unions playing alongside four teams dumped from the current Premier Division.

The proposal was put forward at last week's provincial crisis meeting and has won widespread support. It is seen as the best means to offer ambitious but financially hampered unions meaningful competition.

Agreement has been reached by the 14 Premier Division unions that as of 2011 (possibly 2010 if all parties can be convinced) the provincial competition will be condensed to a maximum of 12 weeks.

Other terms already considered non-negotiable are that it can't overlap the expanded Super 14, must finish in October and has to involve a full round-robin. To fulfil those obligations the number of teams in the new Premier Division will have to shrink from 14 to 10.

Attempts were made last year to cut the competition to 12 teams but ultimately failed as the two teams who were to be axed - Northland and Tasman - argued they were being handed a death sentence as there was nowhere for them to go.

The Heartland Championship has been a success, running on a strictly amateur basis, and none of the teams involved want change. Forcing them to play alongside discarded teams from the Premier Division would be problematic given the professional status of those relegated and their desire to operate at the elite level.

But the only way change can be brought to the Premier Division is if meaningful competition can be found for those four teams that are dropped. Hence the proposal to use the B teams of Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, Canterbury and possibly Otago to make an eight or nine-team second division with a promotion spot available to the champion.

That would open the intriguing prospect of one of the B sides making it to the top division and playing a competitive game against their own provincial A side.

Auckland Rugby chief executive Andy Dalton said: "It would certainly be good for the depth of the players but we need to see how it stacks up in terms of financial modelling.

"This came about because some of the unions on the cusp financially said they would be a lot more interested in playing the likes of Auckland B and Wellington B than they would some of the Heartland teams.

"Many of the Heartland teams also said they were happy with what they had and didn't want change, although maybe one or two wouldn't agree."

A meeting with all the unions and the national body has been scheduled for June 20 where a decision is expected to be reached on the future shape of the provincial championship.

The NZRU wants to have a clear plan when they meet broadcasters on June 30 to begin discussions around the sale of Super 14 coverage rights.

One of the alternative options to using B teams is to involve Australian sides and create a two-division competition with promotion and relegation.

That could involve the Australian provinces or it could be amalgamated club sides as were used during the short-lived ARC championship of 2007.

This idea has not gripped the provincial unions as an assumption has been made it will be a high-cost competition with an unknown value to broadcasters.