National Rugby Championship

Last updated

National Rugby Championship
National Rugby Championship logo 2017.png
Tournament information
Sport Rugby union
Established 2014
Final year 2019
Teams Australia (7 teams)
Fiji (1 team)
Tournament statistics
Final champion Western Force
(2019; 1st title)
Most titles Brisbane City
(2 titles)
Competition launch in 2014. Buildcorp NRC Competition Launch with Buildcorp MD Tony Sukkar and team captains.jpg
Competition launch in 2014.

The National Rugby Championship, known as NRC, was an Australian rugby union competition. It was contested by eight teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji. The tournament ran from 2014 until 2019 before being disbanded in 2020 following the change of the Australian rugby TV broadcasting deal from Fox Sports, who had funded the competition, to Stan Sport. [1] The 2020 competition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [2]

Contents

NRC trophy National Rugby Championship Trophy.jpg
NRC trophy

Format

The National Rugby Championship was usually held between late August and early November. A round-robin tournament was scheduled first where each team played all others once. The top four teams progressed to the championship playoffs consisting of two semi-final knockout matches and a grand final to determine the champion team and winner of the NRC Trophy, nicknamed 'The Toast Rack'.

During the round-robin section of the tournament, teams would also play for the Horan-Little Shield, a challenge trophy put on the line by the holders when a challenge match was accepted or mandated according to the Shield rules.

Teams

The teams that competed in the National Rugby Championship were.

RegionTeamSeasonsAssociated union / teams
Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg  Australian Capital Territory Canberra Vikings [lower-alpha 1] 2014–2019 ACT and Southern NSW Rugby / Brumbies, Tuggeranong Vikings
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji Fijian Drua 2017–2019 Fiji Rugby Union
Flag of New South Wales.svg  New South Wales Greater Sydney Rams [lower-alpha 2] 2014–2017 New South Wales Rugby / Eastwood, Parramatta, Penrith, Southern Districts, West Harbour
New South Wales Country Eagles 2014–2019 New South Wales Country Rugby / Sydney University, [lower-alpha 3] Waratahs
Sydney [lower-alpha 4] 2014–2019 New South Wales Rugby / Waratahs
Sydney Stars 2014–2015 New South Wales Rugby / Balmain, Sydney University
Flag of Queensland.svg  Queensland Brisbane City 2014–2019 Queensland Rugby / Reds
Queensland Country 2014–2019 Queensland Rugby / Reds
Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg  Victoria Melbourne Rising 2014–2019 Rugby Victoria / Rebels
Flag of Western Australia.svg  Western Australia Perth Spirit 2014–2017 RugbyWA / Force
Western Force 2018–2019 RugbyWA / Force
Notes
  1. ↑ Known as University of Canberra Vikings from 2014–2016.
  2. ↑ Known as the Western Sydney Rams for 2016.
  3. ↑ Sydney University, previously with Sydney Stars before their license was cancelled, formed a partnership with New South Wales Country Eagles in 2016. [3]
  4. ↑ Known as North Harbour Rays from 2014–2015 and Sydney Rays from 2016–2018.

Television coverage and streaming

Two of the NRC matches each weekend were broadcast live via Fox Sports, with the remaining matches shown on the Fox Sports streaming platform. [4] Discussion of the NRC competition was included on Fox Sports' review show NRC Extra Time on Monday nights, and the Kick & Chase program on Tuesday evenings.

History

Buildcorp NRC logo used 2014-2016. National Rugby Championship logo.png
Buildcorp NRC logo used 2014–2016.

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 National Provincial Championship (NPC). Eleven bids were tendered from teams wanting to participate in the tournament, with nine being accepted. [5] Applicants that were not successful were advised that they could bid again as the competition matured, as early as 2015. [6]

The National Rugby Championship followed a previous national competition, the Australian Rugby Championship, that was abandoned after the first season in 2007 due to financial losses. [7] [8]

The construction company Buildcorp was the inaugural naming rights sponsor for the NRC competition, [9] with other partners including Intercontinental Hotels, Qantas, and Allianz also signed. [10] ASICS was the official apparel supplier for the first two seasons. Matches were played under approved law variations, [11] intended to increase the speed of the game. [12]

A new broadcasting deal agreed in 2015 secured the funding and future of the competition until the end of the 2020 season. [13] The competition was reduced from nine teams to eight when the ARU did not renew the NRC licence for the Sydney Stars in 2016, citing insufficient player talent to support four competitive teams in New South Wales. [3]

A team from Fiji, the Fijian Drua, joined the competition for the 2017 season. [14] For the 2018 season, the Greater Sydney Rams were dropped from the competition, leaving Sydney with just one team, the Rays. [15]

Sponsorship

The tournament is run by Rugby Australia with the sponsorship of Foxtel which provides television coverage on its Fox Sports channels. [16] Gilbert is the official supplier of all rugby balls. [9]

Player 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.

Seasons

Results

Ed.YearFinalSemi-finalistsNo.
teams
WinnerScore / VenueRunner-up
1 2014 Flag of Queensland.svg
Brisbane City 		37–26
Ballymore Stadium 		Flag of Western Australia.svg
Perth Spirit 		Flag of New South Wales.svg
NSW Country Eagles 		Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg
Melbourne Rising 		9
2 2015 Flag of Queensland.svg
Brisbane City 		21–10
Ballymore Stadium		Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg
Canberra Vikings 		Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg
Melbourne Rising 		Flag of New South Wales.svg
Sydney Stars 		9
3 2016 Flag of Western Australia.svg
Perth Spirit 		20–16
Scully Park 		Flag of New South Wales.svg
NSW Country Eagles 		Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg
Melbourne Rising 		Flag of New South Wales.svg
Sydney Rays 		8
4 2017 Flag of Queensland.svg
Queensland Country 		42–28
Viking Park 		Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg
Canberra Vikings 		Flag of Western Australia.svg
Perth Spirit 		Flag of Fiji.svg
Fijian Drua 		9
5 2018 Flag of Fiji.svg
Fijian Drua 		36–26
Churchill Park 		Flag of Queensland.svg
Queensland Country 		Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg
Canberra Vikings 		Flag of Western Australia.svg
Western Force 		8
6 2019 Flag of Western Australia.svg
Western Force 		41–3
UWA Sports Park 		Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg
Canberra Vikings 		Flag of Queensland.svg
Brisbane City 		Flag of Fiji.svg
Fijian Drua 		8
–2020Cancelled due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. [17] 8

Results summary

TeamChampionRunner-upSemi-finalist
Flag of Queensland.svg Brisbane City 2 (2014, 2015)—1 (2019)
Flag of Western Australia.svg Perth Spirit 1 (2016)1 (2014)1 (2017)
Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland Country 1 (2017)1 (2018)—
Flag of Fiji.svg Fijian Drua 1 (2018)—2 (2017, 2019)
Flag of Western Australia.svg Western Force 1 (2019)—1 (2018)
Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg Canberra Vikings —3 (2015, 2017, 2019)1 (2018)
Flag of New South Wales.svg NSW Country Eagles —1 (2016)1 (2014)
Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Melbourne Rising ——3 (2014, 2015, 2016)
Flag of New South Wales.svg Sydney Stars ——1 (2015)
Flag of New South Wales.svg Sydney Rays ——1 (2016)

Results summary by region

RegionChampionRunner-upSemi-finalist
Flag of Queensland.svg  Queensland 3 (2014, 2015, 2017)1 (2018)1 (2019)
Flag of Western Australia.svg  Western Australia 2 (2016, 2019)1 (2014)2 (2017, 2018)
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji 1 (2018)—2 (2017, 2019)
Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg  Australian Capital Territory —3 (2015, 2017, 2019)1 (2018)
Flag of New South Wales.svg  New South Wales —1 (2016)3 (2014, 2015, 2016)
Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg  Victoria ——3 (2014, 2015, 2016)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Australia</span>

Rugby union in Australia has a history of organised competition dating back to the late 1860s. Although traditionally most popular in Australia's rugby football strongholds of New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, it is played throughout the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisbane City (rugby union)</span> Rugby team

Brisbane City is an Australian rugby union football team based in Brisbane that competed in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team is one of two Queensland sides in the competition, the other being Queensland Country. Brisbane City is organised and managed by the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU), with the coaching and training programs utilised by the Queensland Reds being extended to players joining the team from the Reds and Queensland Premier Rugby teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland Country (NRC team)</span> Rugby team

Queensland Country is an Australian rugby union football team that competed in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team is one of two Queensland sides in the competition, the other being Brisbane City. Queensland Country is organised and managed by the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU), with the coaching and training programs used at the Queensland Reds extended to players joining the team from the Reds, Premier and Country rugby teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Stars</span> Australian rugby union club, based in Sydney, NSW

The Sydney Stars is a former Australian rugby union football team that competed in the National Rugby Championship (NRC) in 2014 and 2015. The Stars team was established as a joint venture between the Sydney University and Balmain rugby clubs, and was one of four New South Wales teams in the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney (NRC team)</span> Australian rugby union team

Sydney is an Australian rugby union team that competed in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). Formerly known as Sydney Rays, the team is one of two sides from New South Wales in the competition; the other being the NSW Country Eagles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Sydney Rams</span> Defunct Australian rugby union club, based in Sydney, NSW

The Greater Sydney Rams, originally known as the Western Sydney Rams, is a former rugby union team from Australia that was disbanded in 2018. The Rams won the minor premiership in the 2007 Australian Rugby Championship (ARC), and then competed in the National Rugby Championship (NRC) from 2014 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Spirit</span> Defunct Australian rugby union club, based in Perth, WA

The Perth Spirit is a former rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia, that played in the National Rugby Championship (NRC) from 2014 to 2017, winning the competition in 2016. The team was formed in 2007 to compete in the Australian Rugby Championship (ARC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canberra Vikings</span> Australian rugby union team

The Canberra Vikings, formerly the Canberra Kookaburras, is an Australian rugby union football team that competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team is based at Viking Park in Wanniassa, and is backed by the Tuggeranong Vikings Group as the licence holder, with the Brumbies and University of Canberra as non-financial partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Rising</span> Australian rugby union club, based in Melbourne

The Melbourne Rising was an Australian rugby union team based in Melbourne that competed in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team represented the rugby community in Victoria and was organised and managed by Rugby Victoria with the coaching and training programs used by the Melbourne Rebels being extended to players joining the team from the Rebels, the local Dewar Shield competition, and local Victorian juniors.

The Super Rugby competition in rugby union, including teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and, in the past, from Argentina, Japan and South Africa, is based on a "franchise" system of teams. The original member countries – Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – all have several regional franchises, while the expansion countries – Argentina, Fiji, Japan and the Pacific Islands – have/had one franchise each. The article covers specific detail as to the areas covered by each Super Rugby team. Bold denotes stadiums that are current primary stadiums for the franchises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 National Rugby Championship</span>

The 2014 National Rugby Championship was the inaugural season of Australia's National Rugby Championship, involving nine professional rugby union teams from around Australia. The competition kicked off on 21 August 2014. The final was held on 1 November 2014 and won by Brisbane City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales Country Eagles</span> Rugby team

The New South Wales Country Eagles is an Australian rugby union football team competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team was founded by a group of patrons associated with country rugby in New South Wales. The Eagles team plays home matches in regional centres of New South Wales including Armidale, Goulburn, Orange, and Tamworth.

The 2015 National Rugby Championship was the second season of Australia's National Rugby Championship, involving nine professional rugby union teams from around Australia. The competition kicked off 20 August 2015.

The 2016 National Rugby Championship was the third season of Australia's National Rugby Championship. It involved eight professional rugby union teams, one team fewer than in the previous two seasons. The competition kicked off on 27 August 2016.

The 2017 National Rugby Championship was the fourth season of Australia's National Rugby Championship. It involved nine professional rugby union teams, one more than the previous year, with eight teams from Australia and one team from Fiji.

The Fijian Drua is a professional rugby union team based in Fiji that competes in the Super Rugby. The team was created by the Fiji Rugby Union and launched in August 2017, shortly before the 2017 National Rugby Championship. The team previously competed in the Australian National Rugby Championship competition between 2017 and 2019, when the tournament was disbanded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Rugby Women's</span> Womens rugby union club competition in Australia

Super Rugby Women's is an annual professional women's rugby union club competition organised by Rugby Australia. It is contested by five clubs from Australia and one club from Fiji, who play a single series of round-robin matches to determine the four participants of a single-elimination tournament. The competition replaced the representative National Women's Championship with five teams owned by the Australian Super Rugby franchises, and began play in the 2018 season as an amateur league known as the Super W. The 2022 season saw the addition of a team from Fiji, and the introduction of salaries for players. The league adopted its current name in the 2024 season. Fijiana Drua are the current champions, while the New South Wales Waratahs have won the most championships (4).

The 2018 National Rugby Championship was the fifth season of the top flight of Australian domestic rugby union. The competition began on 1 September and concluded on 27 October. Matches were broadcast on Fox Sports and the championship featured eight professional teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji.

The 2019 National Rugby Championship was the sixth season of the top flight of Australian domestic rugby union. The competition began on 31 August and concluded on 26 October. The match of the round was broadcast live each week on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, with all matches streamed on rugby.com.au live. The championship featured eight professional teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Nawaqanitawase</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Mark Nawaqanitawase is an Australian professional rugby league player who plays on the wing for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL).

References

  1. ↑ "National Club Championship concept to be \"inclusive\"". Rugby.com.au. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "Sport: NRC cancellation a blow for Fijian Drua rugby team". RNZ. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Sydney Stars victims of National Rugby Championship consolidation". The Daily Telegraph. 11 February 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "Historic 2017 NRC draw released as Fiji enters the fray". Australian Rugby (Press release). 21 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ "SA Rugby misses out on an NRC Team". sarugby.com.au. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Australia relaunches National Rugby Championship". rugbyweek.com. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "NRC update part 1: Queensland, Perth, Melbourne and Canberra". The Roar. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  9. 1 2 "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.
  10. ↑ "ARU partners with Allianz for new National Rugby Championship". Australian Rugby. 20 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Law variation". Australian Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  12. ↑ McKay, Brett (13 August 2015). "Law variations to continue in NRC Season 2". The Roar. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  13. ↑ Payten, Iain (4 March 2015). "New broadcasting deal ensures future of National Rugby Championship until at least 2020". The Courier Mail. News. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "FRU Reveals Fiji NRC Official Name and Kit" (Press release). Fiji Rugby Union. 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  15. ↑ NSW to field two NRC teams in 2018 - Beth Newman, Rugby.com.au, 6 June 2018
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ "Sport: NRC cancellation a blow for Fijian Drua rugby team". rnz.co.nz. Radio New Zealand. 4 June 2020.

Team webpages

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.