Rugby: Mid-tier competition on the cards

The axe will be taken to provincial rugby next year with the top division cut to 10 teams and a new mid-tier to be created.

Provincial bosses met in Wellington yesterday and agreed on a structure that will have three divisions from 2010 or no later than 2011. The Premier Division will be reduced from 14 to 10 teams while the Heartland Championship is expected to stay as it is.

The biggest change will be the creation of a mid-tier competition that will include four teams demoted from the Premier Division.

At this stage detail of where the remaining teams will be drawn from is not known, but the introduction of B teams from the major provinces is the most likely solution.

That could see the likes of Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Waikato brand their B teams under new names and field them in this new division. Australian sides could also be injected nut this is regarded as a long shot.

Promotion and relegation is expected to be part of the new landscape meaning that it is possible Auckland B could make the top division and square off against their senior counterparts.

NZRU boss Steve Tew, said the next week will be spent trying "to develop the detail that will underpin this structure and a deliver a meaningful competition below the Premier Division and its relationship with the Heartland Championship. This will include further analysis of a variety of options that were discussed today.

"We will be moving as fast as we can...so all of our provincial unions, players, partners and supporters can have some certainty about the future of their teams and their competitions. It's possible that these competitions could be implemented as soon as 2010."

A range of options had been proposed. Another idea believed to be gathering momentum was splitting the existing 14 premier teams into two divisions - one with eight teams and one with six teams.

The NZRU is due to meet News Corporation at the end of this month to discuss the Sanzar broadcast proposal and is keen to present its vision for provincial rugby at the same time.

Unlike in previous broadcast negotiations, the NZRU has split the provincial rights off from the Sanzar package and is selling them separately - though the revenue from provincial rugby will be limited.