Air NZ to stay unchanged

Well, for at least next season.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/provincial/3154503/NZRU-forced-to-back-down-on-NPC

Although I would hate to see any of those individual unions put out of the NPC by a corporate decision, I do think 14 teams is too many. Only because it comes off the back of a long enough Super tournament already. A shorter competition with better quality games would attract better numbers imo.



gc.

I don't see what's wrong with promotion/relegation, sadly we seem to be stuck in this American/Australian mindset that the elite competition has to be the same teams every year.

Word. Unfortunately I think commercial realities are a bit different here, and in Aus too (not too sure about US), where we see any kind of second division is terribly underfunded, underattended, and very unappealing to crowds. Football in the UK and Europe is very lucky to be able to still fill (albeit smaller in many cases) stadiums regularly in lower divisions. the Coca Cola Cup (if that's still what it's called) is wildly popular.



gc.

The promotion relegation is something they're planning after the next season, which I understood.

I reckon they could make it work if it was 2 divisions or 8, automatic 1 up 1 down, split the TV/sponsorship money between the two divisions 60/40, and made sure to televise a fair bit of second division it could work.

Ok, so it looks like they've finalized it and I like it:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/provincial/3173109/NZRU-announces-new-competition-structure

Promotion relegation is what the competition needed for ages.