2018 National Rugby Championship Explained
2018 National Rugby Championship |
Countries: | Australia Fiji |
Date: | 1 September – 27 October |
Champions: | Fijian Drua (1st title) |
Tournament Format: | Round-robin and Knockout |
Matches: | 31 |
Attendance: | 79400 |
Highest Attendance: | 6,000 (Fijian Drua 66-5 Brisbane City) & (Fijian Drua 34-26 Queensland Country) |
Website: | http://www.rugby.com.au/competitions/nrc |
Prevseason: | 2017 |
Nextseason: | 2019 |
The 2018 National Rugby Championship was the fifth season of the top flight of Australian domestic rugby union. The competition began on 1 September and concluded on 27 October. Matches were broadcast on Fox Sports and the championship featured eight professional teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji.
The Fijian Drua won their first NRC title, defeating reigning champion side by 36–26 in the grand final held at Churchill Park in Lautoka. The Drua secured home ground advantage in the final by winning the minor premiership for the regular season and then beating in their semifinal. Queensland Country defeated the Western Force in the other semifinal to progress to the grand final. Fijian Drua also finished the season as winners of the Horan-Little Shield for 2018.
Teams
There were two major changes for the 2018 season. The Greater Sydney Rams team was removed from the competition, leaving New South Wales with two participating sides in the NRC, one Sydney team and one Country team. In Perth, the Western Force replaced Perth Spirit as the team in Western Australia, following the removal of the Force from the Super Rugby competition in 2018. The eight teams for the 2018 NRC season include two from New South Wales, two from Queensland, and one each from Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Western Australia, and Fiji:
Television coverage and streaming
Two of the NRC matches each weekend are broadcast live via Fox Sports, with the remaining matches shown live on the Fox Sports streaming platform. Discussion of the NRC competition is included on the Fox Sports review show NRC Extra Time on Monday nights, and the Kick & Chase program on Wednesday evenings.
Experimental Law Variations
World Rugby adopted all global law variations being trialled as of May 2018 into the rugby law book with immediate effect.[14] As such, the NRC 2017 trial changes to Laws 15, 16 and 20 (renumbered as 14, 15 and 19 in the simplified 2018 laws)[15] were officially incorporated by World Rugby and thus became variations no more. The other law variations used for the NRC in 2017 were retained for the 2018 season.[16]
Notes and References
- News: 22 August 2018 . Dutton . Chris . Canberra Vikings could be flooded by Wallabies for NRC season-opener . The Canberra Times . 4 July 2014 . live . https://archive.today/20181003025348/https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sport/rugby-union/canberra-vikings-could-be-flooded-by-wallabies-for-nrc-season-opener-20180822-p4zyz8.html . 3 October 2018.
- News: 8 July 2018 . Duo for Drua . Fiji Sun . 8 July 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180805163936/http://fijisun.com.fj/2018/07/08/duo-for-drua/ . 5 August 2018.
- News: 22 August 2018 . Koka leads Drua . Fiji Sun . 28 August 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180828131015/https://fijisun.com.fj/2018/08/22/voka-leads-drua-2/ . 28 August 2018.
- News: 13 September 2018 . McGrath . Nick . Country set to rise to Melbourne challenge as NRC rolls into Glen Willow . Central Western Daily . 16 August 2018 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180913142134/https://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/5644459/country-set-to-rise-to-melbourne-challenge-as-nrc-rolls-into-glen-willow/ . 13 September 2018.
- Web site: 2018-08-31 . National Rugby Championship 2018 squads, preview, draw, odds . 2023-05-29 . Fox Sports . en.
- News: 5 September 2018 . Nic. Savage . Chris Whitaker interview: NSW great starts job as Sydney Rays coach . Fox Sports . 5 August 2018 .
- Web site: 28 August 2018 . Damien Fitzpatrick extends Waratahs stay . Sport 24 . 28 August 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180828131611/https://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRugby/damien-fitzpatrick-extends-waratahs-stay-20180828 . 28 August 2018.
- News: 1 August 2018 . Jim . Tucker . NRC 2018: Quade Cooper, Karmichael Hunt picked in Brisbane City squad . . Brisbane . 22 August 2018 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180801093341/https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/rugby/nrc-2018-quade-cooper-karmichael-hunt-picked-in-brisbane-city-squad/news-story/68791c65684ee425632a319effa5a798 . 1 August 2018 . dmy-all.
- News: 4 July 2018 . NRC lifeline unlikely for Cooper, Hunt . Rugby.com.au . 4 July 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180704234045/http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2018/07/04/cooper-hunt-on-the-outer-at-brisbane-city . 4 July 2018.
- News: 5 August 2018 . Editorial: Next Focus Drua, Prep time for 2018 NRC is now . Fiji Sun . 5 August 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180805125153/http://fijisun.com.fj/2018/08/05/editorial-next-focus-drua-prep-time-for-2018-nrc-is-now/ . 5 August 2018.
- Web site: NRC squad announcement Melbourne Rising . 30 August 2018. Behind the Ruck.
- News: Sampson appointed Force coach . Rugby.com.au . 23 April 2018.
- News: 20 August 2018 . Nick . Taylor . Wallabies full-back Dane Haylett-Petty locks in Western Force return . The West Australian . Perth . 23 August 2018 .
- Web site: 24 May 2018 . World Rugby adopts 12 global trials into law book with immediate effect . The42.ie . 16 August 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180816134516/http://www.the42.ie/world-rugby-12-trials-law-books-4031497-May2018/ . 16 August 2018.
- World Rugby introduced a simplified law book effective from 1 January 2018. This new version removed the largely redundant section under the previous Law 7 (entitled "Mode of Play") with all Laws following it being renumbered. The scope of this former Law 7 was incorporated elsewhere, particularly within the new introductory 'Principles of the Game' section preceding the numbered Laws of the Game. – Web site: 1 January 2018 . Scott . MacLean . 2018 Laws of Rugby Update–LWOR Resident Referee Evaluation . Last Word on Rugby . 16 August 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180128134408/http://lastwordonrugby.com/2018/01/01/2018-laws-rugby-update-lwor-resident-referee-evaluation/ . 28 January 2018 . dmy-all.
- Web site: 30 August 2018 . Brett . McKay . NRC Season 5: Less means much, much more . The Roar . https://web.archive.org/web/20180830034110/https://www.theroar.com.au/2018/08/30/nrc-season-5-less-means-much-much-more/ . live . 30 August 2018.