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ARU boss Bill Pulver says targeting success at Super Rugby level is the key to restoring the code's ailing financial health and, after getting a green light from the IRB, is aiming to have a radical "Super B" pathway competition running in 2014.
Pulver recently returned from his first IRB meeting in Dublin, where he pitched plans for a modified 50 minute-a-game "Super B" format to rugby's top lawmakers.
Under the ARU proposal, the third-tier competition would be fought out between state-based teams of rising junior and club players, and be staged as curtain raisers to Super Rugby clashes.
But in major departures from tradition, the games would only run for 25 minutes per half and penalty goals would be banned to encourage more on-field action.
Strict yellow card usage would serve as a deterrent to anarchy, or possibly free up space on the field.
While many doubted Pulver could convince IRB blazers to agree, the ARU boss said he been informed there was nothing stopping him making the changes.
"The rules of rugby say a rugby match must have two halves, and each half cannot be greater than 40 minutes," Pulver said.
"So we are quite free to play 25 minutes halves. I also talked to them about seeking approval for no penalty goals.
"The truth is I actually don't have to do that. We can just get a coaches' agreement that we're not going to kick penalty goals."
Pulver said while he'd intended to seek approval for a shorter yellow card sanction, he'd also swung back to realising the existing 10 minutes was appropriately punitive.
"So there are three variations I can do there without changing the rules of the game," Pulver said.
"We just need a coaches agreement. I want a game that doesn't have penalty goals, and is focussed on smart, creative, running rugby."
Cutting down game-time would allow Super B matches would be played as near to Super Rugby matches as possible for fan engagement, and provide more rugby content for TV.
"It's a very aggressive timetable, but I would love to get this up for next year," Pulver said.
"There's a long way to go, a lot of financial work to do and a lot of development work to do, but I think it is a very exciting concept."
Exactly who plays in the teams is to be determined after a root and branch review of Australian rugby junior, club and academy pathways by new ARU development boss Ben Whitaker.
Read more: http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/su...-1226644971471