But beneath the overwhelming feelings of despair as the game searches for positive headlines, club rugby has been a shining light amid the darkness of this season. In May, former Wallabies coach and Randwick president Bob Dwyer sent an email to club members and supporters. The first two lines read: "At present, there is a lot of commentary around the performance of Australian rugby. However, the purpose of this letter is to change the narrative of the debate." A few years ago when the ARU cut funding to Sydney clubs, Dwyer and other presidents were livid. But instead of sulking, the volunteers and rugby-loving folk at each club – be it Randwick, Penrith or Parramatta – rolled up their sleeves and got on with the job of creating highly functional environments that have become self-sufficient in trying times.

"What started off as dismay and puzzlement got to anger with the ARU," Dwyer told Fairfax Media. "Then probably six months ago we didn't care about them and just wanted to get on with what we do. "Since the late 1800s, club rugby has run the game of rugby in Australia." Former NSW Waratah and Sydney University's high performance manager Tom Carter says that while creating a nursery of rugby talent is an obvious goal, generating a love of rugby is perhaps more important for the code's long-term health. "We see it as our duty to grow the game," Carter said. "There are really good administrators and systems in place in there and people who are passionate about the game. It's an incredibly enriching experience to be a part of that. "At grassroots it's thriving. You only have to look at the Shute Shield this year and the growth at strong clubs. There is some great stuff going on.

"Whilst I'm not responsible for Sydney Uni's success, I'm just fortunate enough to be able to tell the story." There is more to this narrative than clubs creating a remarkable production line of footballers who make a career out of the game. Off the field, kids fresh from school are being given so many more opportunities that extend beyond the parameters of a rugby field. "If you're an aspiring young athlete, probably the worst profession you can aspire to be is a professional rugby player," said Randwick's director of football Nick Ryan. "That's because there's only 150 jobs in Australia and soon to be 120. "The nexus of what we're trying to do is educate our players, both in an academic and career sense. There's also the mentoring and transition of kids from a piece of paper into a job, which is critical."

This year's Shute Shield competition is clearly bucking the trend of rugby's overall decline. Sponsorships are up, crowds have increased and TV ratings are healthy in a competition built on the pillars of tribalism created by clubs who do not expect handouts from above anymore. "The love for the game and culture of the game that exists at club level does not exist above because the people who are running the game above have never experienced that culture," Dwyer said. Ryan added: "For rugby to get out of the doldrums, it's got to collaborate and align. Club rugby is certainly pulling its weight and doing a great thing for the game as a whole. "The monetary challenges of the game has actually helped it. Five or 10 years ago when everyone had the cash to splash they were thinking commercially. Now you've got to be pretty pragmatic about how you spend your money. "The more astute clubs are now thinking about how they can help people."