Luke Whitelock drinks from The Rugby Cup, awarded to the NPC champions each year. Whitelock won the trophy with Canterbury in 2016, defeating Tasman in the final.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

The Australian game has hit rock bottom in Super Rugby, with their trans-Tasman record now reading 0-15 and their conference leaders (the Brumbies) with four fewer points than New Zealand's bottom side (the Blues), so it's no surprise to discover some radical proposals are being mooted.

The latest solution being aired across the Ditch is for Australia to essentially use the New Zealand provincial game as its chief development pathway and send its second-tier National Rugby Championship club teams to participate in the Mitre 10 Cup.

GETTY IMAGES The Brumbies' defeat to the Blues was Australia's 15th from as many attempts against Kiwi opposition this Super Rugby season.

That's a proposal being supported by NSW Waratahs chief executive Andrew Hore, who just happens to be a New Zealander.

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Hore, who has worked as a high performance manager for NZ Rugby and was chief executive of Ospreys in Wales, told the Guardian Australia he believed it would turn round the Australian game in "two and a-half to three years maximum".

"Does it have merit – yes, it does. It would be great for coaches, it would be great for players and it would enhance the competition," he said of the proposal for Australia's eight NRC teams to join New Zealand's provincial competition.

"The NRC is actually not a bad competition. But we want it to be commercially sustainable – playing in the Mitre 10 Cup might give it greater commercial sustainability, and connect through to the community."

New South Wales Waratahs CEO Andrew Hore.

An Aussie invasion of the well-established Kiwi provincial championship may seem a logical panacea to their problems across the Tasman, but the reality is it is never going to pass muster in New Zealand. Even with a likely hefty participation fee.

NZ Rugby has spent a lot of time, money and planning on establishing its provincial championship as a key cog in its player development machine.

It would make no sense for them to throw open the competition to mass Australian participation, especially while it has its own issues over financial viability and crowd numbers.

Hore told the Guardian the game was "in crisis" in Australia, as the imminent Super Rugby team axing, falling attendance numbers and declining television ratings sit alongside the poor on-field results.

The Waratahs boss said it was time for the Australian game to take a close look at those running the sport.

"It could have something to do with the maturity level and maybe the age of some of the administrators in this part of the world … we're starting to see is some tired individuals, people who don't know what else is out and about," he said.

And the Kiwi official had no hesitation in pointing to the main weakness in Australian rugby.

"We don't have a great deal of collaboration," he told the Guardian.

"That's the big difference between here and New Zealand. There's almost a feeling with that group (Australian administrators) of being intimidated by consulting down. It's as if they're embarrassed if they don't have the answer to bring to the table. I say give the problems to the people to bring back some solutions."