RUGBY - Weekend upsets cast new light on NZRU rejig

A weekend of upsets has cast new light on the New Zealand Rugby Union now poised to announce a rejigged format for the Air NZ Cup provincial rugby competition.
The Northland Rugby Union (NRU) is under pressure to justify their continued participation in first division provincial rugby championship play with particular concern from NZRU offices about the perilous state of the NRU finances and the state of facilities at Okara Park in Whangarei.
They aren't alone, as the future of the Tasman union is cloudy while Bay of Plenty, Manawatu and Counties-Manukau are also struggling to meet some strict NZRU criteria.
But while finances and facilities are a big part of the NZRU guidelines, there is also the heavy on-field performance factor that will determine if provinces survive the NZRU review that is likely to cut the number of first division provinces from 14 to 12 and could even see just 10 first division provinces survive.
Details are sketchy, with ongoing reviews and the final format for the Air NZ Cup next year still to be announced. But the impending NZRU announcements seem to have fired up some of the unions most under threat.
Northland's reply was an 18-10 win over Waikato then Taranaki upended North Harbour 20-13 before Manawatu made a big statement when they beat Canterbury 25-24 and Counties-Manukau nailed last year's champions Auckland 17-6.
The provinces are expected to be updated with the NZRU's vision of the future within a fortnight, when the NZRU board will make a decision about who gets the cut. The disaffected unions will have an opportunity to state their case for retention, but will need to have convincing arguments to force a rethink.
Today NRU board members were to learn just where Northland is ranked among the 14 participating teams. By next week they should have the new competition format to discuss.
Tasman are virtually being written off already as their existence relies on a fraught merger between Nelson Bays and Marlborough. Bay of Plenty and Northland are also considered candidates for the chop after recording losses of $915,000 and 350,000 respectively last year.
Otago lost $1.5 million while Auckland are forecasting a sustainable $1m loss this season.
The NZRU board will also debate where the Air NZ Cup will fit into next year's calendar given the Super 14 is likely to have its playoffs format expanded.
* Payne queue jumps right over the tryline
In one withering run down the terrace touchline at Okara Park, new Northland rugby fullback Jared Payne presented the evidence: This is what the Air New Zealand Cup really represents.
Payne, a 24-year-old who had been held back in a queue of backline talent at Waikato for the last two years, transferred to Northland this season "to get a taste of rep rugby". When he was presented with his jersey for Thursday night's championship opener, nothing was going to stop him.
Crowning off the unexpected 18-10 win over his former Waikato team mates with one of the best individual tries seen on Okara Park in years not only gave Payne some personal satisfaction, it also underlines the value the much maligned Air NZ Cup still has for rugby.
In a rugby world focussed on the almighty dollar, there are many more players like Payne just waiting for the opportunity. When he blitzed past his opposite on Thursday night to score the match clinching try - incidentally beating the tackle of the one player (Dwayne Sweeney) who had kept him on the sideline at Waikato - Payne might just have personified the blueprint of rugby opportunity on offer at provincial level.
"This game has been marked on my calendar and I just didn't want to get injured. I was ready to go for it and the boys delivered," Payne said.
"I came up here because I couldn't get a run at Waikato, there seemed to be a fair bit of talent in front of me. It took me a while to adjust, club rugby up here [in Northland] is just so different from anything I had experienced in Waikato. But once I got into the club scene I really started to enjoy myself," he said.
"Getting into the Northland team environment has just been so refreshing, and to get a win first up is awesome really."
But Payne's try scoring efforts weren't the only heroics on show from Northland players in round one of the Air NZ Cup.
There was also a try saving tackle from Northland captain Justin Collins, a penalty kick from halfway from veteran David Holwell and a spellbinding four minute period at the end of the match where Northland was forced to try and close the game down.
Collins missed a tackle on the 10m line then turned and chased the resulting break down before making a headlong tackle on Sweeney to prevent the try. It was atypical Collins, but also typified the defensive effort of the whole team on Thursday night.
Holwell's kick sailed over the crossbar despite the effort leaving him sprawled on the deck.
But the last grinding series of forward charges to ensure victory was the one aspect of the match that has left a lasting impression on Northland rugby followers. A gut-busting series of forward rumbles might not be the way to win television ratings, but it was the way win a rugby game.