Thanks for your replies, @booboo , I didn't realise the Mitre cup sides are provincial entities, thanks.
The set up sounds similar to what we are moving to in Scotland though we operate on a much smaller scale. We have two full time pro teams, Edinburgh (yippee) and Glasgow (boo). Below that we are about to launch the Super Six, six semi-professional sides, whose main aim as far as I can see it is to catch the youngsters who have missed the academy system, which is again a fairly recent innovation. Nothing is set in stone yet but it's hoped the Super Six will compete in a cross border competition with similar Irish and Welsh sides.
Below that strict amateurism is going to be enforced, we've had a stupid system where someone can come in and buy their way up through the national leagues, taking the best talent from neighbouring towns' clubs. The national league system is another mess, we currently have four of them below the full time pro teams, the lowest rung on that ladder includes fixtures such as Orkney v St Boswells. Orkney is a group of islands off the north east coast of Scotland in the North Sea, and St Boswells is down in the Borders. It's a nine hour drive plus ferry crossing each way, but at least Orkney is where they make Highland Park whisky, so it's worth the trip.