National Rugby Championship expands community connections in fifth season

Season five of the National Rugby Championship (NRC) gets underway this weekend across Australia and Fiji as eight teams vie for glory in the national competition which brings together the best club rugby players with stars of Vodafone Super Rugby.

With more matches set to be played at suburban club and regional grounds than in previous seasons, the NRC is growing its connection with community clubs and spreading further across the country.

Bond University Queensland Country will be out to defend their NRC title and will kick off their 2018 campaign in a Grand Final replay against the Canberra Vikings on Saturday (1st September), after the Fiji Airways Drua host Melbourne Rising in the official season-opener in Nausori, Fiji.

Queensland Country will host matches on the Gold Coast, in Townsville and in Mackay, while their main rivals McInnes Wilson Lawyers Brisbane City will take matches to Wests Rugby Club in Toowong and Easts Rugby Club at Coorparoo, after hosting their round one clash at Norths Rugby Club this weekend.

In NSW, the traditional Sydney versus Country rivalry will be reborn with the famous blue and gold Sydney representative jersey coming out of retirement to be worn for the first time by the Sydney NRC team.

To celebrate their return, Sydney will play home matches at Easts Rugby Club in Woollahra, as well as Leichhardt Oval and Concord Oval in Sydney’s inner west.

Intrastate rivals, NSW Country Eagles will once again spread their matches across the region to Mudgee, Armidale, Tamworth, and Camden in Sydney’s far west.

In Perth, Western Force enter the competition in 2018 coming off a successful World Series Rugby campaign, ready to make their mark on the NRC replacing Perth Spirit.

In Melbourne, the Rising will also spread their matches around in the 2018 season with home games set for Geelong and Adelaide, giving South Australians a sample of the action.

Looking forward to the opening weekend fixtures, Rugby Australia Chief Executive Raelene Castle commented “the National Rugby Championship has continued to grow each year and in its fifth season we are strengthening its connection with community clubs.

“The NRC continues to be an important competition for the development of our elite rugby talent and is also a showcase of the best club rugby players in the country, testing themselves in a genuine national competition.

“Off the back of some strong club rugby competitions this year, the NRC gives fans more quality rugby to follow right throughout September and October after the Club season is over.

“There are matches being played at local venues right across the country in 2018 and whether you are heading down to your local ground to watch your team or catching it through the live coverage of every match on Fox Sports, you are certain to be entertained with the quality of rugby on offer in the NRC.”

Images from today's NRC launch courtesy of Rugby Australia.