In an age of power-running centres and 130kg tight forwards, a weight-limited pilot competition in Melbourne is starting to tip the scales.
Rugby Victoria's inaugural senior men's U85kg competition wrapped up this week with Power House, Melbourne University, Melbourne Unicorns and Monash University taking part in an eight-week program.
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Reigning Dewar Shield holders Power House took out Wednesday night's decider over Melbourne University but all four clubs - and rugby across the state - should be claiming victory after sharp increases in participation and positive player feedback.
Of the 130 registered players, 70 were new to rugby or hadn't pulled on the boots in the past two years.
The broad size-range of participants saw the lightest weighing in at 55kgs, though the sight of players sweating out a quick run to make their pre-match weigh-in was commonplace.
But the most promising outcome of all was the influx of school leavers and tertiary students with an average U85kg participant age (24) five years younger than an average Rugby Victoria senior men's participant (29).
It's an injection of new rugby blood that coaches like Power House Director of Rugby Eric Tom have been calling for.
"I've been involved in private school coaching as well so I see all of my First XV stop playing rugby the year after they leave school - you might get one player per team that goes to a club but that's about it," Tom told rugby.com.au.
"So I've been pushing for this (U85kg competition) for that particular reason because it's a great environment for those boys continue playing on after school and get their confidence up.
"Yes there's young players in U85kg but there's there's also past and current players in their mid 20s and 30s and they're getting that confidence in contact and they're not scared anymore."
"We've also seen former or retired players coming back to have a crack and they're keen to keep playing U85kgs. It's a good game to watch - it's fast, there's a lot of big hits and straight running."
Melbourne University U85kg team manager and current Dewar Shield player Sam Miller agreed, telling rugby.com.au the blend of youth and experience was a winning combination.
"We've had some new players who've heard about the format and didn't want to go up against someone who's 130kgs running straight at them, so bringing that size down has certainly helped attract new players especially those schools leavers.
"So there's that youth impact but it's also those old boys who have come back just to play U85kgs. Their bodies can't handle the full-size rugby any more but they're wanting to come back for this and it's been really good because you get those old heads and good rugby brains teaching the new players.
"It's just a great avenue for both kinds of players and it's also a different style of rugby, it's a lot faster, the pace of the game is phenomenal and it's genuinely exciting rugby to watch."
The seeds of this competition were first sown back in November 2022 with Rugby Australia officials quietly sounding out their Trans-Tasman neighbours for consultation around a weight-limited format.
New Zealand Rugby have well-established member union competitions with the 2020 introduction of a national U85kg Club Cup knockout driving further interest.
Now, Rugby Australia officials are looking to expand their U85kg senior men's offering with hopes of captivating a new player market and attracting former players back to the game.
"You could say the U85kg has brought me back," Power House player Jonty Garrett told rugby.com.au.
"It's something that sounded perfect and now I've got the bug back so I'm pushing to play first grade and win a Dewar Shield.
"It's pretty ferocious out there, everyone plays with a lot of confidence and it's a good quality league where you're learning new skills - usually I'm a fullback or wing but I started the year playing prop!"
