QUEENSLAND RUGBY TO FIELD TWO TEAMS IN INAUGURAL NRC -Queensland Rugby Union fielding two teams -Brisbane City home games at Ballymore Stadium -Queensland Country home games in Gold Coast, Townsville and Brisbane -Season kicks off with Brisbane City v Sydney Stars at Ballymore Queensland Rugby Union will field two teams in the inaugural Buildcorp National Rugby Championship. Brisbane City and Queensland Country will compete in the competition and the schedule and Official Naming Rights Partner were both unveiled today by Australian Rugby Union. Brisbane City will host the Sydney Stars in a first-round blockbuster at Ballymore Stadium in Brisbane on Thursday 21 August – which will be broadcast live on FOX SPORTS. Queensland Country has the bye in round one and will kick its season off hosting NSW Country Eagles at Bond University on Saturday 30 August. A highlight of the schedule sees the two Queensland-based teams play in curtain-raisers to Qantas Wallabies Tests in the inaugural year of the NRC. Queensland Country will host the North Harbour Rays on Saturday 13 September on the Gold Coast (Round Four) ahead of the Test between Australia and Argentina; and Brisbane City will host Vikings at Suncorp Stadium prior to the final Bledisloe Cup Test on Saturday 18 October (Round Nine). The new competition, which was flagged in December last year, is an exciting development for fans and will enhance the Australian Rugby pathways. Starting on Thursday 21 August, the 11-week competition will see almost 300 Rugby players, including current and former Qantas Wallabies, Super Rugby players and the best young talent in Club Rugby, take part in the nine-team national competition. All teams will play eight regular season fixtures, with one bye. Brisbane City will play its other home games at Ballymore Stadium, while Queensland Country will spread its home games between Gold Coast, Townsville and Brisbane. Queensland Rugby CEO Jim Carmichael said: “These two teams are representative of the scale, volume and pathway of Queensland Rugby. “The NRC is designed to provide the appropriate level of competition to bridge the development pathway between Premier Rugby and Super Rugby. “This will be of great benefit to our players, coaches, match officials and broader stakeholder base. Queensland Rugby has continued to advance its talent and development pathway model in relation to the NRC. “We have built a strategic framework around Brisbane City and Queensland Country to ensure the game continues to see the improved high performance results that will deliver the long-term outcomes for the Queensland Reds and the various national teams.” Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said he was thrilled to partner with a company which already has strong existing links to Australian Rugby. “With the competition kick-off just five weeks away, we are excited to announce this new three-year partnership with Buildcorp – a company that has been supporting Rugby in Australia for more than 20 years.” “The inaugural year of the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship promises to deliver a terrific spectacle for fans and players after the Super Rugby and Club Rugby seasons have finished. “Rugby fans will now have the opportunity to watch even more quality Rugby in the second half of the year, including some of Australia’s most exciting emerging talent.” In another boost for the new competition, ASICS has extended its involvement with Australian Rugby and will be supplying all match day and training apparel for NRC teams, while GILBERT will supply all match day and training balls. The competition is being sponsored by FOX SPORTS and Foxtel, with FOX SPORTS set to broadcast one live NRC match each week. This will form part of a bumper Thursday night Rugby line-up, starting with live coverage of the New Zealand ITM Cup at 5.30pm, a live NRC match from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, leading into FOX SPORTS Rugby HQ. FOX SPORTS CEO Patrick Delany said FOX SPORTS was proud to showcase some of the best young Rugby talent in the country and support this crucial new national competition. “Thursday is Rugby night, where Rugby fans can settle in to watch the next breed of All Blacks in the ITM Cup, the next wave of Qantas Wallabies in the Buildcorp NRC, and the best Rugby show in the business with the likes of George Gregan and John Eales on Rugby HQ,” Mr Delany said. The first five broadcast matches have been confirmed by FOX SPORTS, and will include coverage of all NRC teams across the five weeks. The remaining broadcast matches will be scheduled as the competition progresses to identify prime matches. As part of a deliberate strategy to re-engage with passionate Rugby supporters in regional Australia, the teams representing Queensland Country and NSW Country will play the majority of their home matches at a variety of regional centres. “Consistent with our commitment to engage our fans and enhance the ‘Rugby experience’, every NRC round will feature a number of family-friendly afternoon games on the weekend,” Mr Pulver said. “With the draw now confirmed, players and supporters can start preparing for this terrific new competition. I encourage all Australian Rugby fans to pick a team and get behind this historic first season of the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship.” Click to view draws for Brisbane City (bit.ly/1n8iQTk) and Queensland Country (bit.ly/1qdw6Iv). Rugby fans have also been asked to suggest law variations that can be trialled in the inaugural year of the Buildcorp NRC. Drawing from more than 600 suggestions, a shortlist of new law variations which focus on enhancing exciting, attacking play are currently being considered, with the final changes to be announced in the coming weeks.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:19:44 +0000
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