It appears the NZRU may break with tradition and dip into its hefty reserve funds to bail out some of the country's more cash-strapped unions.
Otago certainly fits into the top bracket.
The union has posted back-to-back million-dollar losses, has drastically trimmed its wage bill and remains a frustrated owner of an ageing ground.
The NZRU had $86 million in its reserve fund and could use some of it to help the struggling unions, the Sunday Star-Times reported yesterday.
Otago, Bay of Plenty, Northland and Tasman have had very public financial problems.
Now it is understood Counties-Manukau is on the skids.
The NZRU board, which met with representatives of all the unions last week, meets for the final time this year in Wellington on Thursday.
"I don't think they're wanting to be treated as a bank, by any stretch of the imagination," Otago Rugby Football Union chief executive Reid told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
"But a lot of the provincial unions have consistently brought up the amount of the New Zealand Rugby Union's reserves.
"They obviously earmarked for certain things.
"The Rugby World Cup is a major item.
"But there are moves afoot to say times are tough, perhaps it's time to look at the board's policy on the distribution of reserves."
Reid said the review of the Air New Zealand Cup had been brought forward because the unions were "going broke".
Otago, like many other unions, was concerned about where income was going to come from in difficult economic times, but he said the union was not relying on an NZRU handout.
"We've taken our own steps to fix our situation.
"Our wants and needs are still very real but they're not quite as pressing as they were a year ago."
Reid said Otago would still welcome assistance if the NZRU decided to make an extra grant to the unions.
He has some idea of what sort of financial situation the ORFU will report at its annual meeting in February but declined to give further details.
As well as the financial health of the unions, the NZRU still has to deal with the futures of the Super 14 (likely to be expanded) and the Air New Zealand Cup (likely to become semi-professional).
Reid, said there was only a brief discussion on the future of the major domestic competitions.
