Four years after Covid-19 brought the curtain down on the National Rugby Championship, Rugby Australia is holding high level talks to get a third-tier competition up and running from 2025.

But unlike the previous iteration, which struggled for relevance after inventing made-up teams across the competition that lacked connection for players and fans, The Roar understands the governing body will likely stick with the current four Super Rugby sides and run a rapid-fire competition in spring.

In time, however, it could have Japanese involvement, especially given the growing ties between the respective national unions and the fact their League One and Two teams often have pre-season fixtures in the final few months of the year.

The matches would give the wider playing group in Australia another month of rugby to fine-tune their s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s and, importantly, provide opportunities for the emerging talent across the country.

In the absence of the NRC, which was inflated and had little buy-in across the board, players have been starved of opportunities.

It’s meant that Super Rugby franchises have increasingly had to become more creative by looking for opportunities to play overseas clubs in the absence of any third-tier competition.

In the case of Queensland, the Reds have returned to touring by taking on Wales at home and Tonga abroad in the weeks after Super Rugby this year. They will also take on Ulster ahead of next year’s Super Rugby season.

The Western Force have also formed a relationship with former South African Super Rugby outfit the Cheetahs. The Force beat the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein and also took on Ireland Wolfhounds earlier this month.

The Brumbies took on two Japanese outfits late last year while the Waratahs have recently announced one pre-season match against Bernard Foley’s Kubota on November 29.

With the matches few and far between, players have increasingly looked to playing in New Zealand’s provincial competition as a means to test themselves in a new environment and get more minutes on the field.

That was certainly the case for Tane Edmed, the Waratahs playmaker who has been called up to the Wallabies for the first time after a strong season for North Harbour.

However, his move across the ditch meant he didn’t go back to play for Eastwood in the Shute Shield.

While Eastwood were happy for Edmed to try something new, Shute Shield clubs are fearful that Edmed’s success could see more players look to play in the NPC. If that occurs, it will be local competitions across the country who miss out on the top-tier talent that helps drive interest and performance.

Edmed’s Waratahs teammate Jack Bowen led Eastern Suburbs to a drought-breaking Shute Shield victory, but the 20-year-old playmaker, who started for the first time in NSW’s final Super Rugby fixture in 2024, will only have one opportunity to wear the blue jersey again before next year’s tournament. It means Bowen, as well as emerging talent across the country, has just a four-month window to develop in the professional ranks.

But after more struggles on the field, especially at the top-end, the penny appears to have finally dropped about the importance of getting on the field regularly.

While a potential start date is by no means set in stone, a four to five week window that runs through until October is favoured because it wouldn’t overlap with the respective club competitions across Australia and it would then allow for a pre-season.

Although the competition won’t be a money-spinner, nor bring in big crowds, it’s being viewed in a high-performance lens.

Importantly, it won’t cost much either and it will give players and coaches an opportunity to advance their game and build combinations.

It could ultimately prove to be a stroke of genius, especially if Super Rugby Pacific runs it race over the coming years and the respective governing bodies – RA and New Zealand Rugby – decide the tournament can’t be sustained, because they’ll already have Super Rugby AU up and running.

With international travel difficult in the Covid impacted Super Rugby years of 2020 and 2021, Super Rugby AU took centre stage and the Reds managed to bring in 42,000 fans for the final against the Brumbies at Suncorp Stadium. The attendance is still the highest in an Australian Super Rugby match since the 2014 Super Rugby final in Sydney.

On Tuesday, new Wallabies scrum coach Mike Cron, who was a part of the All Blacks set up for more than 200 Tests, said Australian rugby was missing a third-tier competition to help bridge the gap between the amateur and professional levels of the game.

“It is a big jump, isn’t it, from club rugby to Super Rugby,” Cron said. “And we’ve always known that.

“I think in the past they’ve had a go at finding a competition in the middle, and it is a big jump for the boys. There’s no way around that.

“Moving forward, it would be ideal if it could be done to find a stepping stone from club rugby to something before you go to Super. That would help them with their progression.

“How it’s to be done, I do not know. Everything costs money, but it would be great for them to do that because at the moment they’re taking a very, very big step.”

One day earlier, Edmed said his maiden NPC campaign came at the perfect time for him but the 24-year-old added that the Shute Shield was still a crucial development competition for aspiring professional players.

“I think if you’re just looking for more footy, definitely,” said Edmed, when asked if other players in Australia looking for more game time should consider making themselves available for the NPC.

“I think it would definitely be worthwhile for Australian rugby to kind of look into a tier in between Super and club footy just for that reason.

“I probably wouldn’t say it’s your only option. Club footy, Shute Shield’s still definitely a massive part. I know a lot of boys who played Shute Shield this year and they found it unreal for the experience and the development. And I think it’s still a great competition.

“I’d played five years in the Shute Shield already. So, I was kind of keen just for something new. Not so much going to New Zealand, but just playing a different brand of footy. That was kind of the main motivation. But I wouldn’t say it should be the main option.

“I think Shute Shield’s still extremely strong. But if RA can find a competition that kind of sits in between, I think that would be really, really vital.”