@Rebels3, the Wallabies WOULD go to shit if we continued to exclusively select Wallabies from the Australian competition. If we go all domestic, this will have to change, and I think a world in which we do this isn't apocalyptical.
Teams:
1 Sydney Waratahs (Inner North Shore & Eastern Sydney // Eastern Suburbs, Northern Suburbs, Sydney University, Randwick)
2 North Sydney Rah-rah-lins (Northern Sydney // Gordon, Manly, Warringah)
3 Western Sydney Somethings (South and Western Sydney // Eastwood, Parramatta, Penrith, Southern Districts, West Harbour)
4 Brisbane Reds
5 Other Queensland team
6 ACT Brumbies
7 Victorian Rebels
8 Western Force
9 Fijian Drua
10 Tokyo Sunwolves
11-14: NZ Franchises if they so wish to join.
15+: The Pacific Islands and other Asian nations as we look to expand.
Ze Details:
Previously, in the NRC, we found out that Sydney couldn't support 3x franchises. However, the crucial difference here is that, given the budgets of each team and the new Wallabies eligibility rules, the Brumbies / Force / Rebels squads WON'T be stacked with players of Super Rugby quality (as we know it now) and therefore they won't be exceedingly better than the Sydney squads.
Whilst I would love a Country team, it simply doesn't make sense as a concept as it necessitates rotating between home grounds. Perhaps it could be done if they simply cycled between two home grounds each (as the Sunwolves currently do), but I imagine it'd be hard to build traction.
This will essentially be semi-pro, but will hopefully develop to a full-time professional competition with competitive salaries as interest and attendance grows.
For those that are concerned with the level of the game - the Wallabies will still be competitive due to overseas inclusions (although, perhaps, not as competitive as now - but that's a trend that we're all slowly getting used to) and the rise of the Shute Shield in Sydney shows that the footy doesn't have to be the highest quality possible to be popular. I absolutely adored schoolboy footy, moreso than Super Rugby or the Wallabies at the time, and it wasn't because it was of a better quality.
It was because I was invested in it and because my friends were playing in it.
If anything, slower linespeed provides more time for the execution of skills, and the more players with emphysema / mild drinking problems, the more the game opens up in the second half (I joke - but as mentioned in other threads, many of my friends who play 1st Grade Shute Shield aren't exactly the image of health).
8 x squads of 40 gives us 320 semi-professional opportunities for players in Australian Rugby - a massive increase from what is currently available.
What people often forget as well is that more professional (semi or otherwise) in the game actually means more interest in the game.
Why?
Look at why the Shute Shield Grand Final has done so well in the two years that have passed.
I attended both of them! Why? Because my friends were playing and it was important for them.
I went with about 20+ friends each time. Why'd they attend? For the same reason! Some of those that went actually actively hate rugby - they just went to show their support and to get pissed.
What about the hundreds of clubmen, past and present, on the hills? Same reason! They train, drink and socialise with those involved, and therefore they felt an onus to attend.
So did the thousands of parents, aunties, uncles and family friends that attended. It was a community event, because a large part of the community was involved. It was more than just rugby.
I've even been to AFL games to support mates from highschool. I hate the sport, but I can put up with two hours of it if it's accompanied by a good environment and beer. Have you ever spoken to someone from Melbourne, aged 18-30, about it? Literally everybody knows at least two players and wears it like a badge of honour.
You go to festivals in Victoria in the off season and they're strutting around like Ibises in Central Sydney. There's one about every six metres.
How many other Shute Shield games have I attended in my life? One! Why? Because my friend was making his first grade debut (and broke his fucking jaw in the second phase - the prick).
Will I start attending more soon? God no! I hate the self-righteous pricks and the competition means nothing to me. If Super Rugby dies tomorrow and the Waratahs simply become the rep club for a handful of SS clubs, then maybe I'll start to care a bit more.
Finances
I honestly believe that with the correct community engagement, each game for the above competition could attract a crowd of about 5000, and if we're being honest, that's not too far from what our Super Rugby teams are getting (or will be getting in a matter of years).
Player costs will be far lower, as will travel expenses. Whether this is enough to support losses in TV Rights and Sponsorship remains to be seen. Perhaps we shouldn't have left Twiggy Forrest outside the tent.
The NRC?
In a way, this would replace it, which I think is fine.
It would allow the Shute Shield, and other state competitions, to become the 'third tier' in Australian Rugby, and every board at each Shute Shield club would cream their pants at the very thought.
From there, you could then create a playoff system between the winners of each state competition, and crown an Australian 'club' the annual champion.
Badda bing, badda boom.
5 to 10 years of pain (and the acknowledgement that we are a niche sport in Australia) for decades of gain (hopefully).
