National Rugby Championship
Current season or competition: 2015 National Rugby Championship | |
 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 2014 |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| Country | Australia |
| Champions | Brisbane City (2015) |
| Most titles | Brisbane City (2 titles) |
| Website | buildcorpnrc.com |
| Broadcast partner | Fox Sports |
| Related competition | |
The National Rugby Championship, known as the NRC, is Australia's national professional rugby union football competition. The NRC is administered by the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), and is contested by nine teams from around Australia.[1] The NRC is the highest tier of competition below the transnational Super Rugby tournament, which also involves New Zealand and South Africa. The championship provides an important competition for Australian players following the Super Rugby season.
Format
The National Rugby Championship spans eleven weeks from late August, after the completion of the premier club rugby competitions in each state, to early November. A round-robin tournament is played over nine rounds where each team plays each other once. Each team has four home matches and four away matches with one bye. This is followed by the finals rounds consisting of two semi-final matches, contested by the top four teams, and a grand final match to determine the season's champion team.
During the round-robin section of the tournament, teams can also play for the Horan-Little Shield, a challenge trophy that is played for when a challenge is accepted or offered by the holders.
Sponsorship
Buildcorp has the naming rights for the NRC competition.[2] Other partners include Intercontinental Hotels, Qantas, and Allianz, with the Allianz group logo appearing on referees' jerseys through to end of 2016.[3] ASICS are the official apparel supplier and Gilbert is the official supplier of all rugby balls.[2][4]
The tournament is run by the Australian Rugby Union with the sponsorship of Foxtel which provides television coverage on its Fox Sports channels. Discussion of the NRC competition is included on Fox Sports' Rugby HQ program on Thursday nights following the live match broadcast, and on the Monday night review show NRC Extra Time on Fox Sports HD 2.[5]
Live TV coverage and streaming
One (or more) of the NRC matches each round, typically the Thursday night match, is broadcast live via Fox Sports HD 2.[6] Streaming of the three non-broadcast matches per round, usually played on Saturday or Sunday, is hosted by Fox Sports online.[5]
Background
In December 2013, the ARU announced that Australia would get another tier of competition under Super Rugby in line with South Africa’s Currie Cup and New Zealand's ITM Cup. Eleven bids were tendered from teams wanting to participate in the tournament, with nine being accepted. Applicants that were not successfult were advised that they could bid again as the competition matured, as early as 2015.[7]
The National Rugby Championship follows a previous national competition, the Australian Rugby Championship, that was abandoned after the first season in 2007 due to financial losses.[8][9]
A new broadcasting deal agreed in 2015, secured the funding and future of the competition until the 2020 season.[10]
Teams
Legend:
Template:Rut Brisbane City – Template:Rut Brisbane City
Template:Rut Melbourne Rising – Template:Rut Melbourne Rising
Template:Rut NSW Country Eagles – Template:Rut NSW Country Eagles
Template:Rut Perth Spirit – Template:Rut Perth Spirit
Template:Rut Queensland Country – Template:Rut Queensland Country
Template:Rut University of Canberra Vikings – Template:Rut University of Canberra Vikings
SYD – Sydney (see below)
Template:Rut Greater Sydney Rams – Template:Rut Greater Sydney Rams
Template:Rut North Harbour Rays – Template:Rut North Harbour Rays
Template:Rut Sydney Stars – Template:Rut Sydney Stars
The teams competing in the NRC are the following:[11]
| Team | Licencees and associated clubs |
|---|---|
| Brisbane City | QRU / Reds |
| Greater Sydney Rams | West Harbour, Penrith, Parramatta, Southern Districts∗ |
| Melbourne Rising | VRU / Rebels |
| NSW Country Eagles | Easts, Randwick |
| North Harbour Rays | Manly, Warringah, Gordon, Norths |
| Perth Spirit | WA / Force |
| Queensland Country | QRU / Reds |
| Sydney Stars | Sydney University, Balmain |
| University of Canberra Vikings | ACT&SNSWRU / Brumbies, University of Canberra, Tuggeranong Vikings |
∗ Eastwood withdrew from the Rams partnership in July 2014 citing financial concerns.[12][13]
Team selection
Australia's Super Rugby players participate in the NRC under a capped allocation to ensure that all NRC teams have a mix of players from local development squads and club competitions, as well as those with Super Rugby experience. Australian national team players are required for Test match rugby during the NRC season, but each player is allocated to one of the NRC teams and is able to play if released from national duty.
Champions
Total wins
| Team | Championships | Runners-up | Losing semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
 Brisbane City
|
2 (2014,2015) | 0 | 0 |
 Perth Spirit
|
0 | 1 (2014) | 0 |
 Canberra Vikings
|
0 | 1 (2015) | 0 |
 Melbourne Rising
|
0 | 0 | 2 (2014, 2015) |
 New South Wales Country Eagles
|
0 | 0 | 1 (2014) |
| Sydney Stars
|
0 | 0 | 1 (2015) |
Wins by State/Territory
| State/Territory | Championships | Runners-up | Losing semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland
|
2 | 0 | 0 |
| Western Australia
|
0 | 1 | 0 |
| Australian Capital Territory
|
0 | 1 | 0 |
| New South Wales
|
0 | 0 | 2 |
| Victoria
|
0 | 0 | 2 |
Champions by year
| Year | # of Teams | Final | Losing semi-finalists | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | 1st losing semi-finalist | 2nd losing semi-finalist | ||||
| 2014 | 9 | Brisbane City
|
37-26 | Perth Spirit
|
Melbourne Rising
|
NSW Country Eagles
| ||
| 2015 | 9 | Brisbane City
|
21-10 | Canberra Vikings
|
Melbourne Rising
|
Sydney Stars
| ||
See also
- Australian Rugby Championship (predecessor competition)
- Australian Rugby Shield (defunct)
- National Women's Rugby Championship
- Super Rugby
References
- ^ "ARU Board approves nine team National Rugby Championship to start in August 2014". rugby.com.au (Press release). 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
{{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Buildcorp announced as National Rugby Championship naming rights partner". Australian Rugby. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "ARU partners with Allianz for new National Rugby Championship". Australian Rugby. 20 August 2014. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 24 August 2014 suggested (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Fixtures draw". Australian Rugby. 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b McKay, Brett (13 Aug 2015). "Law variations to continue in NRC Season 2". The Roar. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
{{cite news}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 12 August 2015 suggested (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ McKay, Brett (15 July 2014). "NRC update part 3: All systems go for launch". The Roar. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "SA Rugby misses out on an NRC Team". sarugby.com.au. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|deadurl=(help) - ^ "Australia relaunches National Rugby Championship". rugbyweek.com. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "NRC update part 1: Queensland, Perth, Melbourne and Canberra". The Roar. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 8 July 2014 suggested (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Payten, Iain (4 March 2015). "New broadcasting deal ensures future of National Rugby Championship until at least 2020". The Courier Mail. News. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Bill Pulver releases details on the new National Rugby Championship, which kicks off in August". foxsports.com.au. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "NRC update part 2: NSW Country and the Sydney teams". The Roar. 9 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Eastwood quit Greater Sydney Rams partnership". ESPN Scrum. 2 July 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
External links
- buildcorpnrc.com official website
- BuildcorpNRC on twitter.com
- NRC on Fox Sports