Fourteen provinces vying for just 12 premier spots

Expect the courier companies to be busy as the country's provincial unions send their paperwork into the Rugby Union before today's deadline for applications into both divisions of next year's revamped NPC.

The union is reworking the present three divisions into a premier professional division of no more than 12 teams and a second-tier amateur competition of up to 15 unions to start next year.

There will be tears at the end of the selection process, with bids for the premier division from at least 14 provincial unions, or joint union bids, expected to go before the national body.

On that basis, two will miss out and with the NZRFU stating the new system will be in place for at least three years, there are fears the ambitions of some provincial unions will be dealt a possibly fatal blow.

Applicants will be assessed on a variety of criteria, including population, playing numbers, playing history, financial position and governance and administration.

The present 10 NPC first division unions are in the hunt: Northland, North Harbour, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Most, but not all, would seem sure of their positions.

Other bids will come from Counties Manukau, Hawkes Bay and Manawatu from the second division, and one from the joint Nelson Bays/Marlborough unions, called Tasman.

Northland, who beat Nelson Bays in last year's promotion-relegation match to keep their first division spot, have prepared a 300-page proposal, and its chairman, Shayne Heape, is confident it meets all the Rugby Union requirements.

"To say we are totally confident ... would be totally arrogant to the extreme . But for Northland not to be in would be a tragedy for New Zealand rugby," Heape added.

That's an argument all the contenders, with their own regional bent, would put up on their own behalf.

"We're excited, and we're certainly positive," Counties Manukau chief executive Nick Shepherd said.

The union has its 50th jubilee celebrations the week after the NZRFU's decision, due on May 27.