Mint Condition
Club Legend
So it's been announced that a National Rugby Championship will be played this year following the completion of Super Rugby. It will be similar to South Africa's Currie Cup and NZ's ITM Cup in bridging the gap between local club rugby and super rugby. There will be 9 teams in the first season (selected after a tendering process that was open to all) with one match per week shown on Fox Sports. Not sure what sort of coverage there will be of the other games, but hopefully they're at least streamed online.
Teams will be:
Brisbane City (QRU/Reds)
Queensland Country (QRU/Reds - based at Bond University on the Gold Coast)
North Harbour Rays (Manly, Warringah, Gordon, Norths)
Sydney Stars (Sydney University and Balmain)
Greater Sydney Rams (West Harbour, Penrith, Parramatta, Eastwood, Southern Districts)
NSW Country (private consortium linking up with Randwick and Eastern Suburbs)
University of Canberra Vikings (ACT Rugby/Brumbies, University of Canberra, Tuggeranong Vikings)
Melbourne Rising (VRU/Rebels)
Perth Spirit (Rugby WA/Force)
There will be a 9 week round robin (including a bye for each team), followed by finals. That means 4 home games for each side. The ARU are also flagging using some small rule variations, like 2 points for penalty goals and time off for scrums.
What do people think?
The 2007 ARC didn't last because of the cost, but this year's competition is forecast to break even for the ARU. From a rugby perspective I think it's a good idea. It's obviously a little rushed and maybe the make up of the teams isn't perfect, but I think the Australian rugby community really needs to get behind this. Hopefully it can build into something good for the game.
I will be supporting the Rams!
Teams will be:
Brisbane City (QRU/Reds)
Queensland Country (QRU/Reds - based at Bond University on the Gold Coast)
North Harbour Rays (Manly, Warringah, Gordon, Norths)
Sydney Stars (Sydney University and Balmain)
Greater Sydney Rams (West Harbour, Penrith, Parramatta, Eastwood, Southern Districts)
NSW Country (private consortium linking up with Randwick and Eastern Suburbs)
University of Canberra Vikings (ACT Rugby/Brumbies, University of Canberra, Tuggeranong Vikings)
Melbourne Rising (VRU/Rebels)
Perth Spirit (Rugby WA/Force)
There will be a 9 week round robin (including a bye for each team), followed by finals. That means 4 home games for each side. The ARU are also flagging using some small rule variations, like 2 points for penalty goals and time off for scrums.
What do people think?
The 2007 ARC didn't last because of the cost, but this year's competition is forecast to break even for the ARU. From a rugby perspective I think it's a good idea. It's obviously a little rushed and maybe the make up of the teams isn't perfect, but I think the Australian rugby community really needs to get behind this. Hopefully it can build into something good for the game.
I will be supporting the Rams!