Finally: New national Rugby competition!!!

[Simmo79]

Highlights of the NRC draw as released include:
• All nine clubs featuring in Thursday night Fox Sports live games within the first five weeks of the competition;

• Brisbane City and the Sydney Stars kicking off the competition from the spiritual home of Queensland rugby, Ballymore Oval, on Thursday 21 August, and opening round games in Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney;

• Confirmation of first class (sic) rugby returning to regional centres, with NSW Country to play games in Lismore, Orange, and Dubbo, and Queensland Country playing in Townsville and the Gold Coast.

• An historic game in Adelaide, between the Perth Spirit and Greater Sydney Rams at Adelaide Airport Stadium on Saturday 6 September, the first major rugby played in the City of Churches since the demise of the Adelaide Sevens, and fixtures at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

• NRC games as curtain-raisers to Test Matches, with Queensland Country playing North Harbour Rays prior to the Wallabies-Argentina Test on the Gold Coast on Saturday 13 September, and Brisbane City hosting the Uni of Canberra Vikings before the third Bledisloe Test at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday 18 October.

• No matches have been scheduled on the days of the AFL and NRL Grand Finals, on Saturday 27 September, and Sunday 5 October, respectively.

Fox Sports live games
Round 1, Thursday 21 August: Brisbane City v Sydney Stars @ Ballymore Oval, 7:30pm
Round 2, Thursday 28 August: Greater Sydney Rams v Uni of Canberra Vikings @ Pirtek Stadium, 7:30pm
Round 3, Thursday 4 September: North Harbour Rays v NSW Country Eagles @ Brookvale Oval, 7:30pm
Round 4, Thursday 11 September: Melbourne Rising v Perth Spirit @ AAMI Park, 7:30pm
Round 5, Thursday 18 September: Queensland Country v Greater Sydney Rams @ Ballymore, 7:30pm
Broadcast matches for Rounds 6-9 will be announced in due course and will move from their scheduled time currently listed in the draw to the broadcast slot of 7.30pm on Thursday.

Brisbane City home games
Rd 1 v Sydney Stars @ Ballymore Oval, Thursday 21 August, 7:30pm – Fox Sports 2
Rd 3 v Melbourne Rising @ Ballymore, Saturday 6 September, 3:00pm
Rd 5 BYE
Rd 6 v Queensland Country @ Ballymore, Sunday 28 September, 3:00pm
Rd 9 v Uni of Canberra Vikings @ Suncorp Stadium, Saturday 18 October, 4:10pm (Curtain-raiser to Bledisloe 3)

Greater Sydney Rams home games
Rd 2 v Uni of Canberra Vikings @ Pirtek Stadium, Thursday 28 August, 7:30pm – Fox Sports
Rd 4 v Sydney Stars @ Pirtek Stadium, Saturday 13 September, 3:00pm
Rd 7 v Brisbane City @ Pirtek Stadium, Friday 3 October, 7:30pm
Rd 8 v Melbourne Rising @ Pirtek Stadium, Saturday 11 October, 3:00pm
Rd 9 BYE

Melbourne Rising home games
Rd 1 v North Harbour Rays @ AAMI Park, Friday 22 August, 7:30pm
Rd 4 v Perth Spirit @ AAMI Park, Thursday 11 September, 7:30pm – Fox Sports
Rd 6 v Uni of Canberra Vikings @ AAMI Park, Sunday 28 September, 2:00pm
Rd 7 BYE
Rd 9 v Queensland Country @ AAMI Park, Saturday 18 October, 6:00pm

North Harbour Rays home games
Rd 2 BYE
Rd 3 v NSW Country Eagles @ Brookvale Oval, Thursday 4 September, 7:30pm – Fox Sports
Rd 5 v Perth Spirit @ Brookvale Oval, Saturday 20 September, 5:30pm
Rd 6 v Greater Sydney Rams @ Brookvale Oval, Sunday 28 September, 3:00pm
Rd 8 v Brisbane City @ Brookvale Oval, Saturday 11 October, 5:30pm

NSW Country Eagles home games
Rd 1 v Greater Sydney Rams @ Coogee Oval, Sydney, Saturday 23 August, 3:00pm
Rd 4 v Brisbane City @ Oakes Oval, Lismore, Sunday 14 September, 3:00pm
Rd 5 v Melbourne Rising @ Wade Park, Orange, Saturday 20 September, 3:00pm
Rd 6 BYE
Rd 9 v Perth Spirit @ Caltex Park, Dubbo, Saturday 18 October, 3:00pm

Perth Spirit home games
Rd 2 v Brisbane City @ Uni of WA, Perth, Sunday 31 August, 3:30pm
Rd 3 v Greater Sydney Rams @ Adelaide Airport Stadium, Adelaide, Saturday 6 September, 2:00pm
Rd 6 v Sydney Stars, HBF Arena, Perth, Sunday 28 September, 3:30pm
Rd 7 v Queensland Country, Rockingham RUC, Saturday 4 October, 3:30pm
Rd 8 BYE

Queensland Country home games
Rd 1 BYE
Rd 2 v NSW Country Eagles @ Bond University, Gold Coast, Saturday 30 August, 3:00pm
Rd 4 v North Harbour Rays @ Cbus Super Stadium, Robina, Saturday 13 September, 5:10pm (Curtain-raiser to Wallabies-Argentina TRC match)
Rd 5 v Greater Sydney Rams @ Ballymore, Thursday 18 September, 7:30pm – Fox Sports
Rd 8 v Sydney Stars @ Mike Carney Toyota Park, Townsville, Saturday 11 October, 3:00pm

Sydney Stars home games
Rd 2 v Melbourne Rising @ Leichhardt Oval, Sunday 31 August, 3:00pm
Rd 3 BYE
Rd 5 v Uni of Canberra Vikings @ Leichhardt Oval, Saturday 20 October, 3:00pm
Rd 7 v NSW Country Eagles @ Leichhardt Oval, Monday 6 October, 3:00pm (public holiday)
Rd 9 v North Harbour Rays, @ Leichhardt Oval, Sunday 19 October, 3:00pm

University of Canberra Vikings home games
Rd 1 v Perth Spirit @ Viking Park, Erindale, Saturday 23 August, 2:30pm
Rd 3 v Queensland Country @ Viking Park, Saturday 6 September, 2:30pm
Rd 4 BYE
Rd 7 v North Harbour Rays @ Viking Park, Saturday 4 October, 2:30pm
Rd 8 v NSW Country Eagles @ Viking Park, Saturday 11 October, 2:30pm

Finals
Semi-Finals will comprise 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd on the table, with the top two teams hosting.
The final will be played between the semi-final winners, at the home of the highest ranked team.
Dates for finals matches are still to be confirmed.

http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/07/16/na ... announced/

A lot of incoherence in this.

Some of the clubs are all over the place – as in they have 4 home games in 4 completely different places. Not sure how they’re supposed to develop a fanbase doing that. Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney stand a better chance as they at least have a single place to call home.

My understanding of Rugby in Sydney is that the fanbase is fairly well confined to the North Shore and Eastern Suburbs with some extra reach into the Northern Beaches, North West (especially abutting the North Shore) and the Inner West. The three teams they’ve given Sydney are basically in the more marginal areas of Rugby’s support – Leichardt Oval, Brooky and Parra. It looks like their strategy is to give more service where the Waratahs/Wallabies aren’t well-placed to do so. Maybe a good idea, maybe a bad one.

If Melbourne Rising lasts for more than 4 hours, please consult a doctor.

[yob]

This competition is eating in to the valuable f**k giving for the America's Cup.

[dibo]

This competition is eating in to the valuable f**k giving for the America's Cup.

If this cuts into the premier league lawn bowls broadcast time, I'm gonna be really pissed off.

[Rob]

And not a single f**k was given.

Still waiting on those crowd estimates from Egan.

[dibo]

10,000. Aggregate.

[yob]

Personally I can't wait for this comp to start. Have my "advertising volume is far louder than the programme" complaint to the Advertising Standards Bureau all ready to go. Wonder how far it'll go up the chain?

[Egan]

And not a single f**k was given.

Still waiting on those crowd estimates from Egan.

Not very good this time.

Will head to the game at UWA and maybe back home at Lark Hill, but going to Joondalup will be a stretch.

I am still waiting for the sub 10k average for the Force as well...

[yob]

I am still waiting for the sub 10k average for the Force as well...

Not long to go now. A few 11k, a 10k, one sub 10k this year. Coming together nicely.

[Egan]

I am still waiting for the sub 10k average for the Force as well...

Not long to go now. A few 11k, a 10k, one sub 10k this year. Coming together nicely.

Crowd average went up this season and the below 10k average was for a few seasons ago...

[yob]

We've gotten what we need out of them - redevelopment of Perth Oval for football. If they want to hang around and waste rugby's benefactors' money then power to them, although we don't strictly need the Force to achieve that.

[Rob]

I am still waiting for the sub 10k average for the Force as well...

Not long to go now. A few 11k, a 10k, one sub 10k this year. Coming together nicely.

They've been winning a bit of late, and there are always the big NZ teams that come over and fill seats to bump up the averages.

It also helps that they don't have a dickhead owner that gets raided by the AFP occasionally.

[Egan]

I am still waiting for the sub 10k average for the Force as well...

Not long to go now. A few 11k, a 10k, one sub 10k this year. Coming together nicely.

They've been winning a bit of late, and there are always the big NZ teams that come over and fill seats to bump up the averages.

It also helps that they don't have a dickhead owner that gets raided by the AFP occasionally.

I would have said something harsher...

[bazza]

A lot of incoherence in this.

Some of the clubs are all over the place – as in they have 4 home games in 4 completely different places. Not sure how they’re supposed to develop a fanbase doing that. Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney stand a better chance as they at least have a single place to call home.

My understanding of Rugby in Sydney is that the fanbase is fairly well confined to the North Shore and Eastern Suburbs with some extra reach into the Northern Beaches, North West (especially abutting the North Shore) and the Inner West. The three teams they’ve given Sydney are basically in the more marginal areas of Rugby’s support – Leichardt Oval, Brooky and Parra. It looks like their strategy is to give more service where the Waratahs/Wallabies aren’t well-placed to do so. Maybe a good idea, maybe a bad one.

If Melbourne Rising lasts for more than 4 hours, please consult a doctor.

1. What home ground are Queensland Country and NSW country supposed to use?
2. I am guessing they chose Leichhardt as the Sydney team has Balmain RU club as a partner and SFS was too expensive. Don't know why they chose Brookvale over North Sydney oval - may be due to partners in the club

[gyfox]

3,400 attended the first game at Ballymore.

[dibo]

Anyone know how the crowds and ratings have gone for this?