The men's pathway and competition review has landed on the desk of New Zealand Rugby.
It is likely it is a weighty tome and it will have the potential to change the rugby landscape in this country forever.
At the top of the agenda is finding a way to make ends meet.
There are 19 professional men’s teams in New Zealand — 20 if you count the Auckland-based Moana Pasifika — and the system is not awash with money.
"We're in the midst of a piece of work right now where we're having a look at both our pathways for male players and also our competition model," he told the Otago Daily Times recently.
"So that's a question that will be answered by that piece of work.
"But it's fair to say that by the end of this year there will be clarity on what we do see the competition looking like five years from now."
It is also fair to say other administrators have been less ambiguous about whether NZR can continue to prop up three tiers of professional rugby.
NZR recorded a loss of almost $9million in 2023. That is a bottom line which demands attention.
The provincial unions appear to have been groomed for cuts in the space between sentences of the upbeat press releases.
The NPC is funded through to the end of the 2025 season, so if there is change it will be from 2026.
"I wouldn't go as far as to say all bets are off [post 2025]. I mean, continuity is really important in the system," Lancaster said.
"I think we'll be looking to fine-tune the funding model rather than have an absolute revolution at the end of 2025.
"We know from Sky that the viewership is really strong and it continues to grow year on year, and it has a really unique place in the rugby ecosystem.
"It's a really important part of the pathway for young, emerging talent to develop and test themselves against more experienced and senior professionals."
While Sky viewership numbers are reported as tracking upwards, the same cannot be said for crowds, which have fallen away over the decades.
Otago’s average home crowd this season was about 1600.
That was below the union’s budget. And every dollar counts.
It costs the Otago Rugby Football Union $1.5m to run the NPC team each season.
The union gets competition funding from NZR to the tune of about $450,000 but the rest "comes from our own sources", ORFU chief executive Richard Kinley said.
"Previously there had been enough money running around in the system," Kinley said.
"Roll the clock forward 25 years ... and it is getting harder to balance.
"We definitely need to look at how it's structured and how it's funded."
The ORFU is acutely aware of its finances, having narrowly escaped liquidation in 2012.
It is a challenge each year to raise the money to compete in the NPC.
Ironically, among Otago’s competitors for those sponsorship dollars are the Highlanders, which raises the question of whether there is really room for two professional rugby teams in a city the size of Dunedin.
Despite the challenges, Kinley sees enormous value in the NPC.
"My view is that it's an important part of the pathway for players.
"I think it plays a critical role in giving those up-and-coming players an opportunity to sample what a semi-professional career looks like and to learn the habits and pick up the attributes that they would need to develop further should they make that next step.
"I think the challenge and the question you're going to ask is, ‘how do you make it all work financially?’
"And I haven't got an answer for that.
"Hopefully, MPAC [men's pathway and competition review] will come up with some ideas around that."
Sky declined to be interviewed for this series. It is in negotiations with NZR around future broadcasting rights.
But what we do know is that Sky is also mindful of every dollar.
Following a long negotiation with Netball New Zealand, the parties agreed to a one-year extension for 2025, but the competition was reduced by a-third.
Could something similar happen to the NPC?
In March, the New Zealand Herald reported NZR bosses had told the provincial unions the NPC was unlikely to have a broadcast partner from 2026 and the competition would need to be significantly reduced.
Lancaster cited commercial sensitivity when asked if Sky remained committed to broadcasting every NPC game. But there appears to be a contingency plan in place based on his response.
"Obviously, it would be great if we were in a situation where Sky wished to and valued broadcasting all the games, then that would be a great outcome.
"But if for any reason they don't, that doesn't mean that those games are no longer broadcast.
"It may just mean that they're broadcast through other channels, so it may open up opportunities."
Any drop in Sky revenue would put a further squeeze on the budget.
But both Lancaster and Kinley rejected the idea the NPC may return to an amateur competition.
"Part of the requirement of that competition is that the players are able to dedicate the time that's required for that programme," Lancaster said.
"So we’re certainly not looking at moving to a model where they're not remunerated for that."
Kinley concurred.
"I don't think you can expect players to give up three to four months of work or study without some remuneration going back," Kinley said.
"But there's been some discussions around whether we can modify the contracting environment.
"And are there ways that we can use the player payment pool or other mechanisms to include provincial union contracting as well?
"There has to be a model that allows the development of players and support staff coming through that aligns with Super Rugby and All Blacks, so that we actually are developing a seamless pathway."
TOMORROW: Greats from 1998 offer their take.
