New domestic Australian Rugby competition announced for 2014

[flying tiger]

JAN 06, 2014
FUGLISTALLER REFRESHED BY NEW-LOOK SQUAD


With so much experience at ITM Cup level before making the step up to Super Rugby, Fuglistaller is well placed to comment on the addition of the National Rugby Championship to the 2014 Australian Rugby schedule.

"There wasn't much of a step-up for me between ITM Cup and Super Rugby, if I am being completely honest, because that gap just wasn't that big," he explains. "Therefore, the National Rugby Championship will help Australia get more players ready for Super Rugby, and then for the Wallabies. You're going to have a competition that could even be stronger than the ITM Cup as the teams will be stacked with Super Rugby players, and that competition will do wonders for both the guys dropping down but also the guys stepping up."

Fuglistaller is now feeling at home in Melbourne after over twelve months living in the sporting capital of the world, and is looking forward to seeing the fanatical Rebels support immerse on AAMI Park again for his second season.

"Because we have a boutique-style stadium and supporter base, it is so easy to see that the Rebels fans are diehard and fanatical. They are amazing, and while there has traditionally been a big expat feel, we are starting to get more people from Melbourne on-board which is brilliant.

 

[flying tiger]

Super RugbyFixturesWallabiesLions TourRugby ChampionshipInternationalRugby RSSHow the ARU should run the NRC Roar Rookie By Brady-Aj, 17 Jan 2014 Brady-Aj is a Roar Rookie

Tagged: NRC, Rugby Union
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Email . + enlarge image Ewen McKenzie (right) with Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

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Is it me or is there something fishy about the timing of the starting of the National Rugby Championship?

For the last 12 months SANZAR have been trying to come up with a solution for Super Rugby, all three countries have their own agendas, but it basically boils down to this:

South Africa has to include the Kings and will only stay if they are playing New Zealand teams as well.

Australia will not give up their home derbies.

New Zealand wants to expand into Asia and Argentina to increase revenue.

After about 10 months of going around in circles, they approached their broadcast partners with a couple of scenarios and a solution was almost reached.

I believe the NRC was the compromise for Australia to give up their home derbies and this is why ARU chief Bill Pulver can sit there in front of a camera and say the NRC won't fail, because it's guaranteed in the next broadcast deal.

So while the NRC may be a cog in the next broadcast deal, the ARU still has to get some things right to help rugby grow NRC in Australia.

They should stick to just seven teams in the first and second year, with a plan to expand to 10 or 12 teams with in the next five years.

The first two years should have one team in Western Australia, Victoria, ACT and two teams in each of NSW and Queensland.

These teams will be owned by the states and ARU, with the rest of the teams to go to the best bidder each year after that, with a look at private ownership for new or even exiting teams.

This way you can see where the support is and place new teams in the right places.

By 2019 you could end with one team from WA, one from Victoria, one from ACT, four from NSW, three from Queensland and even a South Australian team.

With only seven seven teams in the first two years you will basically have just Super Rugby and development players playing in the NRC (this still gives your best players the chance to play against top opposition).

As these players are already contracted to the ARU all that will need to be paid is a match fee.

Then after two years you will have a better idea on TV ratings, sponsorships and crowd figures to help make a salary cap.

To get one main jersey sponsor for all teams – like New Zealand's Super Rugby sides. It would make it easier to get $1.4 million for a guaranteed TV slot each week for eight weeks from Steinlager or Heineken than it would be trying to get a local sponsor to fork out $200,000 with maybe only one TV match guaranteed.

All matches should be played at smaller club grounds like Princess Park or Footscray oval in Melbourne, Ballymore in Queensland, and North Sydney Oval and Campbelltown sports stadium in NSW.

Stay away from the bigger stadiums unless they are going to put up a guaranteed payment to play there

Each of the foundation teams (the first seven) should start with an area, but no nicknames, those will come in time.

So Perth, Melbourne, Canberra, Northern Sydney and Western Sydney. I'm not too sure about Queensland as I have known idea about the area but they need two teams.

All teams will play in the traditional hooped jerseys – you could have Northern Sydney playing in a black and red strip and Western Sydney playing in a black and white strip. Both those sets of colours scream tradition and weren't North's a union club before 1905 anyway?

If you have to have names you could have the very first match of the NRC between the Bears and Magpies – that would sell papers and bring a few disenfranchised league supporters two the match and would also mean rugby had gone full circle.

It's time for all rugby supporters to get behind an NRC team – rugby's on the ropes and needs everyone on board no matter what.

 

[flying tiger]

Super RugbyFixturesWallabiesLions TourRugby ChampionshipInternationalRugby RSSThe ARU and SANZAR need to focus on the second tier Roar Rookie By Eddard, 18 Jan 2014 Eddard is a Roar Rookie

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Email . + enlarge image Bill Pulver - ARU CEO (Image: Supplied)

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The greatest threat to rugby in the southern hemisphere is European club rugby.

The key to competing with the French and English leagues and keeping our best players in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa is to make our second tier rugby bigger and more lucrative than theirs.

The fact is the Top 14 in France is growing stronger very quickly due to its increased broadcast deal and continued private investment.

The Aviva Premiership has the same potential. If these trends continue there will be a tipping point where all the best players follow the money to Europe.

The lure of a Test jersey will not be enough to keep them.

Already we are losing experienced players who in years gone by would have stuck around and mentored younger players.

Our rugby gets a little weaker with every quality player that leaves.

While the ARU are busy sorting out the NRC, I believe SANZAR as a whole should be much more focused on strengthening the second tier. Super Rugby has to move far beyond developing Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks.

The ambition should be to make it the best, most popular and most lucrative league in the world. To do that it needs to provide more quality content and expand its appeal.

Both Australia and South Africa have populations that could support a few more second tier teams. Player depth shouldn’t be considered an issue as rugby has a growing global player base that could and should be tapped into.

Whether that also involves adding teams in more countries I’m not sure

But whatever the format Super Rugby should definitely involve the best non-European players.

Developing unions could even help fund additional teams based in Australia, New Zealand or South Africa in return for squad places.

If the best players from the Asia-Pacific, Americas and Africa were all playing in the same league you could also take Test rugby to the next level.

Imagine if Japan, the US, Canada, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga â€" to begin with, were all competitive tier one Test nations with recognisable stars.

The Rugby Championship would become a much more valuable competition for all involved.

This would happen sooner than later with their top players lining up alongside and against the best from SANZAR in Super Rugby.

People that say the pacific island nations bring nothing to the table are wrong. If they were genuinely strong and exciting, and played most of their ‘home’ matches in Australia or New Zealand, they’d create more quality content.

And quality content is the key to driving revenues in the larger markets.

But Test rugby should be the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.

The Test season should be significantly shorter than the super rugby season.

At the moment I believe the international season for top nations (as a total) is a little too long. I think an ideal breakdown would be for a top player to play a max of 20-22 Super Rugby/second tier games and 10-12 Test matches in a season.

To keep the status quo would be to concede top level rugby to Europe.

Our best players will move there earlier and earlier and professional rugby everywhere else will become second rate.

The only truly top level games played in the southern hemisphere would be a handful of home Test matches played by European based stars, and perhaps a couple of pre-season exhibition matches with teams like the NRC All Stars taking on Toulon.

 

[flying tiger]

STRONG INTEREST ACROSS AUSTRALIA IN 2014 NATIONAL RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP



Australian Rugby Union today confirmed it has received 41 Expressions of Interest from across the country for this year's National Rugby Championship (NRC) which will kick off in August.



The National Rugby Championship has been established with the support of FOX SPORTS and Foxtel to excite fans and enhance the pathway to develop elite players, coaches and match officials.



The 41 Expressions of Interest have been received from a range of individuals, businesses, existing clubs and syndicates wanting to be included in the inaugural season of the competition.



Representatives from all States and the Australian Capital Territory have expressed an interest in taking part, including interest from groups from country New South Wales and country Queensland.

Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said the response shows there is real interest in a competition of this nature.



"This will be a truly national competition, and it's great to see we have more than 40 groups, clubs or individuals who could form syndicates with other organisations, partners and universities to compete," Mr Pulver said.



"A formal tendering process has now begun and we will be in a position to announce the successful teams to contest the National Rugby Championship in early March."



The National Rugby Championship Commission, which has been set up to establish the competition, will assess the tenders and will select the appropriate teams.



The Commission is chaired by independent sports consultant John Boultbee and includes representatives from Australian Rugby Union, Rugby Union Players' Association, Super Rugby, FOX SPORTS and Foxtel.



Selection will be based on a number of criteria including: financial performance; professional team staffing structure and environment; commitment to player development; venue facilities; links to Super Rugby clubs; and current or potential fan base.


The competition is expected to include 8-10 teams from major population centres across the country, with teams from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, ACT and Western Australia expected to be represented.

The National Rugby Championship will run annually at the end of Super Rugby and club Rugby seasons from August to October as a way of complementing existing competitions such as the important Premier Rugby competitions in Sydney and Queensland

 

[flying tiger]

Rebels' Assistant Coach excited for new competition

World Cup winning Wallaby Matt Cockbain is well placed to comment on the importance of the new National Rugby Championship (NRC). The RaboDirect Rebels Assistant Coach finished his career off with a stint in the now-defunct Australian Rugby Championship (ARC) in 2007, a competition he thought ended prematurely.

"I was asked by Gary Gray and Rod Macqueen to come down and be a part of the original Melbourne Rebels in the 2007 Australian Rugby Championship, when I was initially going to retire from playing," Cockbain explains. "It was the coming together of a number of Sydney & Brisbane club players, but we were very short on experience. That was something which I was able to provide with my background. At the age of 35, I was running around with the young blokes and some of the players in the current Rebels I've played with or against!

"I think that if we had kept the ARC going beyond 2007 we would not have a problem with depth at Wallaby level. I know the ARC lost some money, but I believe it would have become financially viable over time and it needed to be persevered with. Now it is time to move forward and it's really exciting that the NRC has arrived. It will push us in the right direction to develop players and coaches which is great for Australian Rugby."

Cockbain is in his third year as an Assistant Coach at the Rebels, providing some stability to a new look coaching team, and admits he is pleasantly surprised he has stayed in Melbourne for the past six years.

"The amazing thing about it, and I have said this to a few people over the last couple of years, but I certainly wouldn't have thought that I would end up living in Melbourne and coaching a Super Rugby team," he says! "It just goes to show you how far we have come since the early days, when there were only three Australian teams in Super Rugby. It's quite surreal that I am still here six years later, and that a non-Rugby state now has a fully fledged Super Rugby team."

 

[flying tiger]

NRC in final stages of completion

Australia's National Rugby Championship (NRC) is in the final stages of completion and is set to kick off in August involving nine teams, including a sensational merger between Eastern Suburbs, Randwick and NSW Country. The sides have come together to form a powerhouse that is likely to create the top team in the inaugural year of the NRC.

Three more Sydney based teams are set to join the Randwick-Easts-Country team; a western Sydney bid made up of Shute Shield clubs West Harbour, Parramatta, Penrith, Eastwood and Southern Districts; the North Harbour Rays, made up of Manly, Norths, Warringah and Gordon; and the Sydney Stars, a merger between Sydney University and Balmain rugby club.

Two teams from Queensland, and one each from Canberra, Melbourne and Perth are also expected to join the competition.

Sydney University Football Club president David Mortimer told Fairfax Media the club was "excited about the prospect of the National Rugby Championship", support that was sorely missed during the inception of the Australian Rugby Championship (ARC) in 2007.

Originally members of the "coalition of the unwilling" in 2007 along with Randwick and Eastern Suburbs, Sydney University has changed its tune and is now ready to stake a claim in the new competition.

"By participating in the competition, we think it's the best thing for our guys going forward, but it is dependent on the success of the competition and the extent to which it is promoted and marketed by the ARU."

Although it appears the ARU has covered all its bases - signing a deal with Fox Sports for $1.5 million to broadcast the competition and bringing in sports administrator John Boultbee to plan and launch a competition that won't drain funding - it appears the most valuable of Australian rugby are risking the most.

It is understood most syndicates have raised between $350,000 to $500,000 in their bids for a place in the first season of the competition, money that could easily mean life or death for many of the clubs.

"We are looking at this as a two-year exercise, but it is a major investment for all of our syndicates ... It is very important that it is successful, otherwise the money is burnt forever."

With an announcement expected next week, the ARU have remained tight-lipped on details discussed during a board meeting held on Friday, but a spokesperson said there were many issues still to be resolved before they could make any public announcement.

 

[flying tiger]

National Rugby Championship announcement
It is the most anticipated development in Australian rugby since the introduction of two new Super Rugby teams, but details around the upcoming Australian Rugby Championships have finally been released.
From the ARU's announcement in December 2013 that Australia would finally have a third-tier competition in line with South Africa's Currie Cup and New Zealand's National Provincial Championship, Aussie rugby fans have been in the dark as to the details.
Today Aussie rugby fans got the information they were craving.
Teams to compete in the 2014 NRC season:
· Brisbane City (QRU/Reds)
· Queensland Country (QRU/Reds)
· North Harbour Rays (Manly, Warringah, Gordon and Norths)
· Sydney Stars (Sydney University and Balmain)

· Greater Sydney Rams (West Harbour, Penrith, Parramatta, Eastwood and Southern Districts)
· NSW Country
· University of Canberra Vikings (ACT Rugby/Brumbies, University of Canberra and Tuggeranong Vikings)
· Melbourne Rising (VRU/Rebels)
· Perth Spirit (Rugby WA/Force)
After the announcement at 12pm AEDT today on Fox Sports, the ARU have released the following statement:

"Australian Rugby Union today announced nine teams will compete in the inaugural season of its new domestic Rugby competition, the National Rugby Championship, which will kick off in August this year.
The competition will include two teams from Queensland, four from New South Wales and one each from the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Western Australia, and as part of a deliberate strategy to re-engage with passionate Rugby supporters in regional Australia it will include teams representing Queensland Country and NSW Country.
Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said he was delighted that the entire Australian Rugby community has come together to form teams to take part in this exciting new competition.
"The National Rugby Championship is an important strategic development for the growth of Rugby in Australia."
"For Rugby fans it will provide an opportunity to engage with an elite Rugby competition during the second half of the year, once the Super Rugby competition is completed.
"For players it represents the missing link in their development pathway towards Super Rugby and ultimately Wallaby selection.
"It will also support the ARU's objective to create additional compelling content for broadcasters with a quality local competition to rival New Zealand's ITM Cup and South Africa's Currie Cup.
"Consistent with our commitment to continually enhance the entertainment experience from Rugby, the ARU plans to launch a social media competition inviting Rugby fans to suggest law changes and match day innovations that could form part of this new competition.
"This is an opportunity for our supporters to have their say to create a more innovative and exciting game of Rugby," Mr Pulver said.
Eleven tenders were received and the unsuccessful tenderers have been advised they will be considered for inclusion as the competition matures.
"We have been very impressed with the quality of all the tenders and grateful for the efforts of all involved. Our vision for the future of the NRC involved expansion of the number of teams involved in the coming years and we look forward to welcoming new teams into the competition as soon as 2015," Mr Pulver said.
The NRC will kick off in late August following the State Premier Rugby Competitions and will run until the beginning of November.
The competition will run for 11 weeks and include eight preliminary rounds, with each team playing four home and four away games, one bye week and finishing with semi-finals and finals.
All Super Rugby players will be required to play in the National Rugby Championship, with a quota system in place to ensure each of the nine teams have a mixture of Super Rugby players and the best up and coming players from their local club competitions.
Qantas Wallabies players will be playing Tests while the NRC is on, but each member of the Wallabies squad will be allocated across the nine teams and will play if they become available.
Tenders for the National Rugby Championship were assessed on a range of factors including financial capacity; venue facilities and infrastructure; professional team staffing structure and environment; commitment to player development; links to Super Rugby clubs; and current or potential fan base.
In assessing the tenders, the NRC Commission drew on the expertise of specialist advisers, including Qantas Wallabies Coach Ewen McKenzie.
The competition is supported by Foxtel and Fox Sports and at least one match per round will be broadcast live on Fox Sports."
Follow here for live updates of the latest, including the teams, times and details that are released.
Some initial comments coming out of the Rebels:

 

[flying tiger]

Melbourne Rebels/VRU press release:

Melbourne Rising to compete in inaugural NRC

The RaboDirect Rebels are pleased to announce that they will have a presence in the inaugural National Rugby Championship (NRC), announced today by the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).

The Melbourne Rising will represent all of Victorian Rugby, with the formation of the new side at an advanced stage ahead of the competition's beginning in August. While details surrounding the quota of Super Rugby contracted players are yet to be finalised, the Rising will see a number of currently contracted Rebels players complimented in the squad by the cream of the crop of Victorian talent.

The Victorian players will be selected based on their form in the local Dewar Shield competition, as well as through their performance for representative teams such as the Rebels U20s. The NRC is the penultimate step on the 'Road to Rebels', the elite pathway program set in place to ensure the long term success of Victorian Rugby.

It will provide aspirational Victorian players with the platform to emulate the feats of the likes of Victorian Digby Ioane, who used the 2007 Australian Rugby Championship to announce their arrival on the scene before achieving Wallaby selection. Foundation Rebel Lachlan Mitchell was another to use the ARC as a stepping stone to further honours, and on the weekend became the first player in the Rebels' history to reach 50 Rebels caps.

The Rising, who will play their games at AAMI Park, are close to announcing a front-of-shirt sponsor and discussions are ongoing with multiple other parties interested in entering into significant partnerships with Victoria's newest Rugby team. The Rising's unique and edgy playing strip has been designed and will be launched shortly, as well as the logo and an announcement regarding the coaching structure. The Rebels organisation and the Victorian Rugby community have formed a dedicated working party committed to achieving a success business model and team, and the Club is at an advanced stage in final planning and preparation for the competition.
Rebels' General Manager of Community Rugby, Peter Leahy, believes that the NRC is crucial in the continued development of Victorian Rugby talent.

"The National Rugby Championship will provide greater exposure of the game here in Victoria, and a genuine Victorian road to becoming a Rebel," Leahy said. "Victorian players no longer need to head interstate to realise their dreams; the NRC gives them the opportunity to show that they deserve a chance in Super Rugby. It will also assist us in making sure we keep as many schoolboys as possible in the game, with the current drop off when players finish high school identified as an area to be addressed in this state."

"The Road to Rebels begins with junior Rugby players, our Rebels Recruits, which focuses on engagement and participation at the grassroots level. Rebels Recruits represent not only individuals playing Rugby for the first time, but the first interaction they have with the Rebels culture.

"They then progress to become Rebels Rookies, where players are offered the opportunity to represent their team in a variety of divisions from local Club level to regional and national tournaments. The final piece of the puzzle is the Melbourne Rising, where Victorian players represent their state on a national level and have the opportunity to earn a Super Rugby contract. Today shows that the road is secure for Victorians wanting to become Rebels."

The NRC will include two teams from Queensland, four from New South Wales and one each from the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Western Australia, and as part of a deliberate strategy to re-engage with passionate Rugby supporters in regional Australia it will include teams representing Queensland Country and NSW Country.

 

[The big Kangaroo]

Finally some facts on National Rugby Championship.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/b...ks-off-in-august/story-e6frf4pu-1226863136030

There are four teams from Sydney two from Queensland and one from Melbourne, Canberra and Perth. I think the ARU has played it safe I cant see a repeat of the ARC.The teams from Melbourne, Perth and Canberra will be run be there respective super rugby franchises with the bulk of the team being made up of there super rugby players. I see Queensland splitting the squad up between the two teams and filling the rest with club players.The Four teams from Sydney are based on Shute shield teams allot of super rugby players from the Rebels and force play there club rugby here and with only 15 players contracted super rugby players per side allowed players super rugby players not being included in the quoter in there own city will likely play in the Sydney teams. allot of criticism of the that there 4 teams in Sydney and no new areas have revived teams but I agree with the ARU in starting smaller with what you know will work and building on the competition latter.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Go the Melbourne Rising!!

 

[Hulk Hogan]

Woldog coming to screens near you soon for QLD country or City.

 

[RoosTah]

Gotta admit, I'm a little disappointed to hear that the Randwick, UNSW, Easts tie up will just be a feeder to NSW country... An eastern suburbs tie up would have been a team I could really get behind, so now I'm a little stranded. The closest thing I have is the Sydney stars, but it's hard to support them with their USyd association (as a former ANU and UNSW grad there's a bit of animosity there).

There's also some truly dreadful names there - the 'rising' is probably the worst offender simply because it makes you break the laws of the English language when you start using a verb as a noun, but the 'Spirit' is petty awful too.

Still, I'll get behind this because it's good for the game.