The Sydney Rugby Union is planning to cap Shute Shield crowds at 500 in a bid to keep the 2020 season alive amid the worsening coronavirus crisis.
Last year’s Shute Shield champions will square off at 5.30pm against University of Queensland,who won the Brisbane premier club title.
Shute Shield television ratings crashed 67 per cent over the five years Club Rugby TV and Seven held the broadcast rights to rugby's heartland club competition,the Herald can reveal.
Cash guarantees and free-to-air promises helped Rugby Australia convince clubs to buy their vision as the governing body edges closer to acquiring the Shute Shield rights.
An agreement is expected on Tuesday for Rugby Australia's attempt to purchase the rights to Sydney and Brisbane's premier club competitions.
In the battle for rugby's TV rights it is not only the broadcasters who are weighing up the value and the risk.
The NSW Rugby board has sided with the Sydney clubs and backed Rugby Australia in its broadcast proposal but it has highlighted some problems.
The Sydney Rugby Union,like the Queensland Rugby Union,is set to buy into Rugby Australia's vision for a'whole of rugby'broadcast deal.
Sydney's humble Shute Shield has emerged as a major bargaining chip in rugby's tense broadcast rights negotiations,which appear to be at boiling point.
An offer is on the table for every Shute Shield match to be shown on Fox Sports and Kayo but there is a broader story at play in Australian rugby.
One of the stars of Northern Suburbs'famous run to their drought-breaking 2016 Shute Shield triumph has put pen to paper on a new deal with the ACT Brumbies.