::: NRC OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES WITH NEW RULES TO BOOT ::: The ARU officially launched the inaugural 2014 Buildcorp National Rugby Championship season this morning at Coogee Oval. Attending the launch were players, coaches and management from the nine franchises competing in the competition. Also present were Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver and major naming sponsor Buildcorp Managing Director Tony Sukkar. The competition will kick off next Thursday 21st August in Brisbane, with Brisbane City taking on the Sydney Stars in the season opener at Ballymore. The NRC will run for 11 weeks and will be hosted across four states and 18 venues. A lot is riding on the domestic Championship which the ARU hopes will expand and develop Rugby across the nation - not only for elite players but coaches and match officials also. “The competition represents the missing link in the development pathway towards Super Rugby, and ultimately Wallaby selection,” said Pulver. “With almost 300 Rugby players involved, including current and former Wallabies, Super Rugby players and emerging talent from Club Rugby, the Buildcorp NRC presents a real opportunity for young Rugby players to move up through the ranks. With the NRC effectively extending the Rugby domestic calendar through to the end of the year, Pulver was quick to highlight the benefits this offers to the Australian Rugby fan, including watching some of Australias best players in action at their local grounds. “I’m sure every fan of Rugby in Australia will be keen to watch high-quality Rugby in what has previously been a dormant period of the year on the domestic scene, he said. I encourage all fans throughout the country to get on board with a team and show your support by attending games throughout the season.” Buildcorp Managing Director Tony Sukkar said the partnership was a fantastic opportunity for Buildcorp, as the competition takes the company’s long-term sponsorship of grass roots rugby to a national scale. “We are proud to be supporting this important new tier of Australian Rugby and look forward to watching the next generation of Super Rugby and Wallaby players emerge over the course of the competition.” Today’s official launch also coincided with the announcement of a variety of changes to and interpretations of the game rules - suggested by fans of the game - that will be trailed in the first season of the Buildcorp NRC. The initiative was designed to engage wider support and create a more exciting and entertaining game for supporters to enjoy. Said Pulver of the initiative, Involving fans in this process has been a terrific way to re-energise the passionate Rugby fan base and ensure the Buildcorp NRC has the interests of Rugby supporters at its core.” The ARU received a staggering 600+ suggested law variations from around Australia that were put up for review before panelists including former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer, former international Rugby referee Wayne Erickson, former Wallaby and current FOX SPORTS commentator Rod Kafer and Qantas Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie. Overwhelmingly, the most popular suggestion was a change to the points system and this was one of the first suggestions to be approved by the International Rugby Board. The Buildcorp NRC will implement a points system that reduces points for penalty goals and drop goals to two and increases the points for a conversion goal to three, while tries will continue to be worth five points. Other popular law interpretation and competition changes that will be trialled are: - Being able to kick to touch and continue with a line out if a team is awarded a penalty after time has expired. - Time limits for scrum formation and kicks at goal. - Instead of four-try bonus point system, the winning team is awarded a bonus point for finishing three or more tries ahead of their opponents. A host of other law interpretation changes will be trialled in the 2014 Buildcorp NRC, all of which have the underlying aim of enhancing exciting play and reducing stoppages, while maintaining the fabric of the game. “While maintaining the integrity of the game, we want to see a more creative style of Rugby being played where risk and attack are rewarded, noted Pulver. We also want to see more continuous play and less time wasted. The NRC kicks off on Thursday 21st August with the clashing with the Melbourne Rising at AAMI Park, Melbourne on Sunday 24 August. For more information of the NRC fixtures for each team including the North Harbour Rays, click on the link below; rugby.au/nrc/FixturesDraw.aspx Tickets and membership packages are now available from each of the individual NRC teams’ websites. To learn more about membership packages for the MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY NORTH HARBOUR RAYS, visit their website raysrugby.au The RATS have 10 players in the MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY NORTH HARBOUR RAYS including MICHAEL ADAMS, HAMISH ANGUS, SCOTT FARDY, DAVID FELTSCHEER, LUKE and JOSH HOLMES, HARRY JONES, BOYD KILLINGWORTH, SIRELI TAGICAKIBAU and SAM WARD. Missed the Manly Dailys article about the law changes featuring the RATS very own Captain LUKE HOLMES and his wife Melanie modelling the new MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY NORTH HARBOUR RAYS player kit and supporter merchandise? Read it here now. CARN THE RATS - CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN 2014!!! (For all the latest RATS news, fixtures and results visit us online at our website warringahrugby.au, Twitter @warringahrugby or our NEW Instagram page warringahrats)
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 06:16:55 +0000