Well, with (mercifully) no Rugby Championship on this week, the Buildcorp NRC takes centre stage for the Top 5. And boy, do we have a lot to talk about!
The NSW Teams are delivering BIG TIME!
I’m going to be honest here, as a New South Welshman. For the last two years, we watched our teams struggle to compete against the likes of the Rising, Canberra and Brisbane. For the state that produces more players for Aussie rugby than any other, it was (dare I say), extremely frustrating. But while I for one predicted a much closer season this year, and not only has it delivered that so far, I did not expect seeing the Rays and Eagles at the top of the table after round 2. And it’s a damn good feeling! The consolidation of four teams to three has so far proven to have been an excellent one (Sorry Stars fans).
NSW Country Eagles vs Canberra Vikings
The Rays look a completely different beast this year, beefed up with Super Rugby talent and the hard coaching style of Simon Cron. Yet, they’re still playing with that fast attractive style that they were known for last year. It was an arm-wrestle against a good Perth side in the first half, but the second half showed they got guts. And the Eagles… I’m gonna be honest, I did not see that coming at Viking Park! The Vikings are a good side (bar their performance on the weekend) who will most probably be in the finals this year, but to say they were run off their feet was an understatement. The Rays and Eagles are looking dangerous already, which sets the stage for a thrilling clash between them at Rat Park in Round 4.
Sydney Rays vs Perth Spirit
Even though they may be sitting in 7th and are still to grab a win, The Rams as well are looking like a dangerous beast. The last time they played Brisbane at Ballymore last year, they were on the end of a 71-24 drubbing. This year, they pushed Brisbane City all the way and were unlucky to lose 44-36. John Muggleton, Jeremy Paul and co. set out to instil a Western Sydney pride in this team, and while they may still not be clocking up the wins yet, they have definitely achieved a positive culture shift. Have faith, Horned Army. The wins are going to come.
Brisbane City vs Western Sydney Rams
What’s going on in Queensland?
While things are looking rosy in NSW at the moment, there has been one big glaring problem: the under-performance of the QLD teams. I expected Brisbane City to have it much harder this year, with the likes of Kerevi and Frisby not being a regular occurrence anymore. Frisby and Jake McIntyre proved to be the difference against the Rams. But it was a far from convincing win.
As for QLD Country, they are a team chock full of talent, and I honestly expected them to hold on against a fast-finishing Melbourne side, but the momentum shift in the second half proved too great. Full credit to the Rising, they truly earned that win. At least the QLD Country boys were much improved this week, miles ahead of their performance against the Vikings in Round 1.
Melbourne Rising vs QLD Country
I for one am disappointed by the fact that Queensland has together only amassed one win from four games after the second round, but it’s early days still. Next round will be telling as to where these two teams really are: with QLD Country hosting and looking for their first ever win against the top-of-the-table Rays at Bond University, and Brisbane City hosting a Vikings side that will be hungry for redemption following their loss to the Eagles in Canberra. Watch this space.
Mixed crowd response- again….
While crowd figures are still pretty low (still no attendance figures have been released) there was no denying that those who went out to games were treated to some absolutely cracking rugby. The #Pass4Prostate initiative worked an absolute treat, with crowds looking much more solid at the Risings first home game at Harlequin Union Rugby Club in Melbourne. Ballymore on the other hand looked a little emptier compared to previous turnouts, but it still looked like little over a thousand were there, with even a wedding ceremony and reception before the game occurring! Viking Park had the best turnout, judging by the coverage and the Country Eagles “Eagle Eye” drone that hovered over the game. But it was a pity that the largest crowd of the round had to watch the drubbing the Vikings received.
The Rays had a bit more of a struggle drawing the crowds this week, but they weren’t helped by the woeful weather conditions in Sydney. But, for their efforts and considering the conditions, from what I heard the crowd turnout still wasn’t bad. If you still haven’t seen an NRC game yet, get along to one. Word-of-mouth will play a big role in the growth of this competition from a ‘development pathway’ to an entertaining comp in its own right. It deserves to be played in front of a screaming, packed club rugby crowd!
Wallabies playing in the NRC should be done more often
The Wallabies have been truly woeful, so it was good to see some players sent back to the NRC for some much needed game time. Personally, I reckon every single Wallaby should’ve been sent back, but hey, I’m not claiming to tell Cheika how to do his job. But in theory, (and for the weaker teams) it’s a great idea.
Club players benefit from having Super Rugby experience in their ranks, and would benefit even more so with having a Wallaby or two as well. It will improve defence immeasurably for the players (even though defence in the NRC has been a lot more organised this year), as well as providing them with a sense of what is needed to go that extra mile to end up in the Green and Gold jersey. Many of the NRC boys can also bring to the table what a lot of Wallaby players are currently missing: passion. It would hopefully teach our Wallabies what it means to put on that Green and Gold jersey, and how lucky they are to have that opportunity. While some may complain that it may stop club players getting game time, having the players in those squads will only be positive in terms of experience and I for one am all for it.
The NRC seems to be rubbing off on selectors, with Luke Morahan, Henry Speight, Kyle Godwin, Rory Arnold and Sefa Naivalu being called up from their respective teams to the Wallaby squad for the rest of the Rugby Championship. So why not do it more?
A Fiji-based NRC team?
Finally, to finish off this week, there was an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald that World Rugby, the ARU and Fiji are in talks to add a Fiji team based in Suva to the NRC, as early as next year. While many in Australia are complaining about us losing talent to Europe, many forget that the ARU and the NZRU have relied on islander players for years to prep up our respective teams. So would it work?
In my opinion, abso-bloody-lutely! Not only will it stem the drain of islander players and significantly beef up their playing stocks, but it will also get the huge islander populations in Sydney and Brisbane interested in the NRC. Having a Fiji team based in a similar style to the London Irish or London Welsh teams in the UK Aviva Premiership is absolutely brilliant, and a perfect place to start terms of considering future expansion of the NRC.
The Western Sydney Rams have been championing Islander involvement in the NRC with their additions of adding Fiji Sevens players to their squad, and also organising a rugby gala day with teams from different Islander countries playing before the start of Rams home games at Concord Oval. There will be a fanbase, they will be competitive, it will be great for Islander rugby and rugby in Western Sydney, not to mention increase the profile and the length of the NRC season, and it will give Aussie players a chance to get used to travelling more. It will only bring positives.
