National Rugby Championship 2014

[Barbosa]

Guys, I'm new to rugby so I'm here to learn. I apologize if I sound like a rookie... well, indeed I'm one, ain't I?
Apparently, each of the Wallabies have been distributed into different teams which will compete in the NRC. But which clubs did they play before being drafted to play for the Ozzie male Union team?

Another question: why aren't the Super Rugby squads going to play the NRC?

Thanks, lads

 

[Braveheart81]

Welcome Barbosa.

The NRC teams are essentially all new teams. Quite a lot of the allocated Wallabies either play for the franchise related to the NRC team (in the case of the Force/Spirit, Rebels/Rising, Brumbies/Vikings and the two Queensland teams) or they played club rugby for one of the feeder clubs.

Some links are less obvious and it seems a bit arbitrary (i.e. Tevita Kuridrani for the Rams). Most of these players won't be playing as they'll be on Wallaby duties.

The Super Rugby players will be allocated to the various teams when the squads start getting announced. I believe that is going to happen from the end of this week.

 

[Barbosa]

Thanks, Braveheart!

I got it. But is there any national competition in which Force, Rebels, Brumbies (and so on) play? Or will they stay idle throughout the second semester?

 

[Braveheart81]

Thanks, Braveheart!

I got it. But is there any national competition in which Force, Rebels, Brumbies (and so on) play? Or will they stay idle throughout the second semester?

Their players will either be playing for the Wallabies, in the NRC or recovering from injury.

Prior to the NRC many of those players were playing club rugby.

 

[Barbosa]

Their players will either be playing for the Wallabies, in the NRC or recovering from injury.

Prior to the NRC many of those players were playing club rugby.

Hummm.. would this be regional (state) competitions? (Sorry, the Internet lets me down on my researches about it)

 

[Braveheart81]

Hummm.. would this be regional (state) competitions? (Sorry, the Internet lets me down on my researches about it)

Yes. Shute Shield in Sydney, Premier Rugby in Brisbane, John I Dent Cup in Canberra, Dewar Shield in Melbourne and Premier Grade in Perth.

 

[Barbosa]

Ok, ok...so, for instance, Force will never be able to play against the Spirits. Is that right?

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Ok, ok.so, for instance, Force will never be able to play against the Spirits. Is that right?

Think of it this way.

You are a rugby player in WA and have come up through the grades of your local club.

You make your way to first grade team and play pretty well.


If you are good enough you would then have the chance for play in the NRC for either the spirit of any other NRC who may want to sign you.

If you play well enough you could then be offered a contract for one of the 5 super rugby teams and then if you are a top player you could play for the wallabies.

It's a new step in a players rugby development.

 

[Barbosa]

Think of it this way.

You are a rugby player in WA and have come up through the grades of your local club.

You make your way to first grade team and play pretty well.


If you are good enough you would then have the chance for play in the NRC for either the spirit of any other NRC who may want to sign you.

If you play well enough you could then be offered a contract for one of the 5 super rugby teams and then if you are a top player you could play for the wallabies.

It's a new step in a players rugby development.

I got it. So, for the IRB, SANZAR, ARU and state rugby federations each of these championships (TRC, Super Rugby AND NRC) counts as though they were different tiers.... thinking out loud here. This is how I understood it.

 

[Barbosa]

BTW, thanks for your clarification, GhaffaChino.

 

[Iluvmyfooty]

Guys, I'm new to rugby so I'm here to learn. I apologize if I sound like a rookie. well, indeed I'm one, ain't I?
Apparently, each of the Wallabies have been distributed into different teams which will compete in the NRC. But which clubs did they play before being drafted to play for the Ozzie male Union team?

Another question: why aren't the Super Rugby squads going to play the NRC?

Thanks, lads

The Wallabies are picked from the Super Rugby teams. Those players picked for the Wallabies are assigned to one of the NRC teams - they will not play for the NRC team but will be used to promote the team.

Those players in a Super Rugby squad and not picked for the Wallabies will play in the NRC (unless they return overseas). Force players will play in the WA side, Rebel players will play in the Melbourne side, Brumbies for the Canberra side, Reds players in either the Qld sides and Waratahs players will play for one of the Sydney sides or Country. All NRC sides play each other over the term of the competition.

The balance of the NRC squads will be made up local grade players and promising Colts (u20's). These other players will be selected from the various club competitions around Australia

 

[Barbosa]

The Wallabies are picked from the Super Rugby teams. Those players picked for the Wallabies are assigned to one of the NRC teams - they will not play for the NRC team but will be used to promote the team.

Those players in a Super Rugby squad and not picked for the Wallabies will play in the NRC (unless they return overseas). Force players will play in the WA side, Rebel players will play in the Melbourne side, Brumbies for the Canberra side, Reds players in either the Qld sides and Waratahs players will play for one of the Sydney sides or Country. All NRC sides play each other over the term of the competition.

The balance of the NRC squads will be made up local grade players and promising Colts (u20's). These other players will be selected from the various club competitions around Australia

Thanks a lot, Iluvmyfooty. Things are getting clearer now. However, I have a remaining question on this: since the NRC and Super Rugby players are the same (they've just been geographically allocated), why the need of naming new teams rather than keeping the ones which played in the Super Rugby? Or are Rebels and Rising, for instance, different clubs, with different administration bodies, presidents and supporters?

 

[kiap]

since the NRC and Super Rugby players are the same (they've just been geographically allocated), why the need of naming new teams rather than keeping the ones which played in the Super Rugby

Firstly, the NRC and Super Rugby players are not quite the same.

Less than 50% of the NRC squads will be Super Rugby players. Lower-level players will fill the remaining positions on each team.

That's the main idea behind this whole thing: to build player depth by inserting an extra level of competition—the 3rd Tier. The reason for this is that the gap in standard betwen Super Rugby (Tier 2) and Premier Rugby (the existing club rugby competitions) is too large.

Regarding the names, since there are 9 NRC teams and only 5 Super Rugby teams, obviously there are not enough Super Rugby names to go round.

But it's also about branding. Because the NRC and Super Rugby teams have different players, and are in a different standard of competition, they are given different names.

Or are Rebels and Rising, for instance, different clubs, with different administration bodies, presidents and supporters?

In Melbourne, the Rebels and Rising are different teams. But they share the same ownership and administrative control and, for the most part, the same supporters.

In Sydney, however, the Waratahs do not have ownership or administrative control of any of the NRC licences. They are separate, privately-run teams.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Just read in the herald that To'omu and Ellyse Perry have purchased a house in Chatswood. That explains his alignment with a Sydney based team.

 

[Braveheart81]

Sounds like To'omua could eventually be a Waratah

 

[Train Without a Station]

Well the comment was noted with the fact it was strategically purchased 2 months after To'omua signed a long term deal with the Brumbies so I'm doubtful.

 

[Braveheart81]

Well the comment was noted with the fact it was strategically purchased 2 months after To'omua signed a long term deal with the Brumbies so I'm doubtful.

Yeah, he's signed with the Brumbies until the end of 2017.

He'll be 28 for the 2018 season so who knows. It's certainly a long way off.

Probably a little too soon to go fishing which was my main intent

 

[Train Without a Station]

Sounds like he plans to spend his summer's in Sydney. Why would you want to leave Canberra?

 

[Braveheart81]

Why would you want to leave Canberra?

notsureifserious.jpg

 

[Barbosa]

That's the main idea behind this whole thing: to build player depth by inserting an extra level of competition—the 3rd Tier. The reason for this is that the gap in standard betwen Super Rugby (Tier 2) and Premier Rugby (the existing club rugby competitions) is too large.

Thanks for your brilliant explanation, Kiap.

But when the ARU and the state federations decide to create new tiers - in other words, entire new championships - to build players depth isn't it more costly for them than simply gathering a certain number of teams from each city/state and introduce them into a state/national championship? Perhaps each one of these (the state and the national championship) could even have different tiers (or divisions if you wish) between themselves for teams with inferior quality. It's a different and interesting conception in which rugby works since it awards players, not clubs, to change tiers. How do the clubs react to that, since the Vikings, for instance, can never dispute Super Rugby?

Is this structure the same in South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina, too? What about Europe?

Just one more: before the upcoming NRC, what annual championship did Australia have to fill up the Tier 3 with?