Facing a looming financial crisis, NZR is weighing a bold option to walk away from Australia and Fiji to run a national league with 8-10 teams, funded for player payments up to $8 million and open to private investment, controlled by provincial unions.

Another major consideration is replacing Super Rugby Pacific with a domestic, independent 8-10 team competition that would operate separately from Australia.

Rugby Australia has not publicly commented on the report, and any final decisions are expected to hinge on negotiations with RA and broader agreements beyond the summit.

The proposal is one of three options discussed at an annual NZR summit document aimed at addressing a structural deficit, with NZR facing around $16 million in annual losses and projected deficits of about $53 million from 2027 to 2031.

Despite the discussions, NZR leadership reaffirmed commitment to the trans-Tasman relationship and to playing in Super Rugby Pacific, with notes on potential expansion into Japan and the US.

The secret summit gathers about 80 executives from NZR, Super Rugby clubs, provincial unions, and the NZ Players Association to review all three proposals before a final position is presented to the NZR board in December.

The three options outlined include: (1) replacing both Super Rugby and the NPC with a single domestic professional competition; (2) expanding Super Rugby by two teams; (3) continuing Super Rugby and NPC but merging the entities in five cities.

If NZR pursued the domestic option, it would require an agreement with Rugby Australia and could involve private investment and restructuring to reduce duplication by unifying club and provincial systems in major cities.