NRL Nines

Last updated

NRL Nines
NRL Auckland Nines logo.png
Sport Rugby league
Instituted 2014
Inaugural season2014
Number of teams16 Male
4 Female
Country Australia
Current Champions North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys
St. George Illawarra colours.svg St. George Illawarra Dragons (NRLW) (2020)
Most titles New Zealand Kiwis colours.svg New Zealand Kiwi Ferns
(2 titles)
North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys
(2 titles)
Broadcast partner Fox Sports (AU)
Sky Sports (NZ)

The NRL Nines is a rugby league nines competition, normally held during the NRL preseason each year. It was initially held in Auckland, New Zealand, between 2014 and 2017 before going on hiatus.

Contents

Returning in 2020, hosting duties moved to Perth, Western Australia, before cancellation in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. The series has not returned since.

Competition Format

Auckland (2014–2017)

Two national women's teams compete in one section of the tournament and sixteen NRL club men's teams compete in the other. Each of the men's squad must include at least 12 of their top 25 players in their squad, and at least one marquee player. The winner of the men's tournament received AUD$500,000 with a total prize pool of AUD$2,250,000. In the first four editions, the competition has had eight different finalists and four different winners, though the 2016 title was later stripped from the Parramatta Eels for breaching the salary cap.

Since 2015 the Kiwiferns and the Jillaroos also competed in a three-game series, with the Kiwiferns winning the series 2-1. These games are played during the final stages of the men's tournament and allow the male players more of a break between their games while providing a broader tournament. Also in 2015, the pools were given traditional Maori names that were chosen by a public vote and were: Rangitoto, Waiheke, Piha and Hunua Ranges. [1]

Perth (2020)

The women's teams were NRL Women's Premiership sides instead of national teams.

Series Cancellations (2021–2023)

The 2021 series was cancelled entirely, not due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, but due to an overly-crowded preseason schedule. [2] [3]

When the 2022 Fixtures list was released by the NRL, it included no mention of the World Club Challenge or NRL Nines competitions. [4]

While the World Club Challenge was confirmed to be returning in 2023 when that years Fixtures list was released by the NRL, the NRL Nines competition was again absent. [5]

Rules

There are a number of rule variations that are implemented to ensure the games are faster and to ensure fewer delays and stoppages. [6]

The major rule changes that differ from regular NRL games are:

Finals

Note – The Parramatta Eels were stripped of their 2016 Auckland Nines title due to a breach of the NRL salary cap. The 2016 title was withheld by the NRL rather than awarding it to the runners up. [7]

Men's

YearWinnersScoreRunners-upRefereeVenueDate
NRL Auckland Nines
2014 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys16 – 7 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane BroncosB. Cummins Eden Park

Auckland

16 February 2014
2015 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs18 – 14 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland SharksM. Cecchin Eden Park

Auckland

1 February 2015
2016 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels22 – 4 Auckland colours.svg New Zealand WarriorsG. Sutton Eden Park

Auckland

7 February 2016
2017 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters10 – 8 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2017 colours.svg Penrith PanthersG. Atkins Eden Park

Auckland

5 February 2017
NRL Nines
2020 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys23 – 14 St. George Illawarra colours.svg St George Illawarra DragonsG. Atkins Perth Oval

Perth

15 February 2020
2021 Competition not held due to packed pre-season schedule. [8] [9]
2022 Competition Not Held
2023 Competition Not Held

Team Performance

TeamPremiersRunners-upYears wonYears runner-up
North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys 202014, 2020–
South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 102015–
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters 102017–
Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 01–2014
Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 01–2015
Auckland colours.svg New Zealand Warriors 01–2016
Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2017 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 01–2017
St. George Illawarra colours.svg St George Illawarra Dragons 01–2020
Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels 002016–

Women's

YearWinnersScoreRunners-upRefereeVenueDate
NRL Nines
2020 St. George Illawarra colours.svg St George Illawarra Dragons28 – 4 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane BroncosA. Gee Perth Oval

Perth

15 February 2020
2021 Competition not held due to packed pre-season schedule. [10] [11]
2022 Competition Not Held
2023 Competition Not Held

Team Performance

TeamWinnersRunners-upYears wonYears runner-up
St. George Illawarra colours.svg St George Illawarra Dragons 102020–
Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 01–2020

Women's Series

From 2015 to 2017, the New Zealand Kiwi Ferns and the Australia Jillaroos played a three match series, as the NRL Women's Premiership had not yet been formed. The NRL Women's competition was formed in 2018, and in 2020 the structure of the Women's competition changed to a club competition similar to the Men's.

Women's series results
YearWinnerWinsLossesDrawnVenue
2015 New Zealand Kiwis colours.svg New Zealand Kiwi Ferns 210 Eden Park

Auckland

2016 New Zealand Kiwis colours.svg New Zealand Kiwi Ferns 210 Eden Park

Auckland

2017 Australian colours.svg Australia Jillaroos 300 Eden Park

Auckland

Sponsorship

Since 2001, the National Rugby League premiership has been sponsored by Downer Group and known as the 'NRL Telstra Premiership'. Subsequently, the competition was simply known as the 'Dick Smith NRL Nines', being sponsored by the Australasian electronics retail chain until 2016. [12]

See also

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The 2015 NRL Auckland Nines was the second NRL Auckland Nines tournament, contested between all sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The draw was released on 16 September 2014. It was a two-day, nine-a-side, knockout tournament held at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. All sixteen NRL clubs and 288 players competed over the one weekend with AUD$2.4 million prize money split between the teams. In 2015, the pool names were chosen by a public vote. The pool names were: Rangitoto, Waiheke, Piha and Hunua Ranges. The event included two international women's teams, the Kiwi Ferns and the Jillaroos, who competed in a three-game series with the Kiwi Ferns winning 2-1.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 NRL Auckland Nines</span>

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References

  1. ↑ "Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines draw revealed". nrl.com. National Rugby League. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "NRL 2021: Pre-season trials schedule and results". Sporting News. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  3. ↑ "NRL Perth Nines 2021 draw". The Roar. 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "NRL 2022, draw announced - NRL". 9 November 2021. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. ↑ "2023 NRL Draw, Full list of fixtures, details, schedule, times, venues confirmed for the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership season". 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  6. ↑ Chammas, Michael (2 December 2013). "NRL to trial experimental rules for Auckland Nines". nrl.com. NRL. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "Parramatta Eels stripped of Auckland Nines title but Warriors don't benefit". stuff.co.nz. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "NRL 2021: Pre-season trials schedule and results". Sporting News. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "NRL Perth Nines 2021 draw". The Roar. 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "NRL 2021: Pre-season trials schedule and results". Sporting News. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "NRL Perth Nines 2021 draw". The Roar. 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  12. ↑ NZ Herald staff writer (5 January 2016). "Dick Smith problems 'won't impact' Nines". NZ Herald.
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