The Mayor of Whangarei says the retention of a 14-team format for next year's provincial rugby competition is a victory for rural New Zealand.
Having announced in July that it would be cutting the first division to 10 teams because of financial losses, the New Zealand Rugby Union backed down on Friday.
It said that with the current player contract negotiations taking place and the threat of legal action from some provincial unions, it has no alternative but to retain the status quo.
It had proposed a multi-tier system: a premier competition made up of 10 teams, a second division of six teams and a third division of 10.
Northland, Counties-Manukau, Manawatu and Tasman, all of which would have been relegated from the premier division if the new format had been implemented, had threatened legal action.
Whangarei Mayor Stan Semenoff says rural unions are hungry for top-level rugby and the renewed popularity of this year's competition proved the NZRU's original decision was wrong.
"It's been a win right throughout New Zealand, at least for this coming year. I just hope that (with) the powers to be in the big places commonsense and logic prevails and keeps this whole 14 playing."
Tasman Makos co-coach Bevan Cadwallader says after a strong season on the field, it would have been a bitter pill to swallow if the side had been demoted and the decision is a relief for players.
"There's some pretty happy boys out there. I think the key thing is that they take a great deal of pride in representing the Makos and it means to further their rugby careers, they don't really have to leave home - which was starting to be a possible reality for them had we got the chop."
However, the NZRU warns it is inevitable that changes to the national competition format will happen and it now has more time to consider them.