It’s time to scrap the NRC and give players and fans what they want
By Sam Ryan
By now, most Australian rugby fans and players have realised that the National Rugby Championship simply hasn't worked.
In theory, it wasn’t a bad idea. A third tier provincial competition would give Australian rugby an equivalent competition to New Zealand and South Africa and allow Rugby Australia to earn their share of the revenue from the SANZAR broadcast deal.
It would also give our players, contracted and non contracted, an opportunity to test themselves against the best in an attempt to move further up the pecking order at one of our Super Rugby clubs.
But now, after five season it’s clear the competition hasn't worked.
Fans decided long ago that the NRC wasn't for them and now players, both contracted and non contracted are getting sick of travelling around the country to play in front of a handful of people.
A growing portion of non contracted players now simply refuse to play.
So what do we do?
Almost everyone in rugby has an opinion on