The NRC, which aims to give Australia a third tier competition to mimic the success of New Zealand's National Provincial Championship and South Africa's Currie Cup, launches next week with nine teams involved.
A public consultation exercise elicited proposals for "law variation and interpretation changes", which were reviewed by a panel including Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie and one of his predecessors, Bob Dwyer.
The conversion after a try, which currently earns two points, will now be worth three points, while time limits set for scrum formation (30 seconds) and penalty kicks (45 seconds) are among the 12 changes to be tested.
Rugby union in Australia lags behind rugby league in popularity with many critics lambasting the 15-man code for the time consumed by the scrum, which long ago became a formality in league, and what they see as the distortion caused by awarding three points for a penalty and only five for a try.
ATTACK REWARDED
The most popular change among the public was the change in the points system, the ARU said, while all were aimed at speeding the game up, rewarding attacking play and increasing the amount of time the ball is in play.
"While maintaining the integrity of the game, we want to see a more creative style of rugby being played where risk and attack are rewarded," ARU chief Bill Pulver said in a news release.
"We also want to see more continuous play and less time wasted.
"Involving fans in this process has been a terrific way to re-energise the passionate rugby fan base and ensure the (championship) has the interests of rugby supporters at its core."
The previous attempt at a national third tier competition, the Australian Rugby Championship, failed to engage the public and was ended after one season in 2007 after piling up A$4.7 million (2.59 million pounds) in debts.
"With almost 300 rugby players involved, including current and former Wallabies, Super Rugby players and emerging talent from club rugby, the NRC presents a real opportunity for young rugby players to move up through the ranks," Pulver added.
"I'm sure every fan of rugby in Australia will be keen to watch high-quality rugby in what has previously been a dormant period of the year on the domestic scene."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by John O'Brien)
Share
