With the Rugby Championship in its second break, the NRC once again takes centre stage for our Tuesday Top 5. And my god, can this competition get any more fascinating? With only two rounds left to go in the regular season, any of you who still haven’t been to see a game for whatever reason are seriously missing out, because this competition is delivering every week!
NSW teams clean sweep the competition for the first time ever!
For those following the NRC in NSW, this was the best round in NRC history, with records tumbling at every encounter. Starting with the Eagles, their last minute move from Orange to Concord Oval did seemingly nothing in terms of disruptions, with the side providing out some of the best tries of the season in their win over a determined Perth Spirit. Jake Gordon went absolutely nuts, scoring three screamers and setting up what could be one of the tries of the season for Kyle Godwin. With that victory, NSW Country set a franchise record of a five game winning streak, and all but guarantee a semi-final appearance. A win next week would probably ensure a home semi-final, and the Eagles faithful in Orange are due a game in the bush. No pressure.
NSW Country Eagles vs Perth Spirit highlights can be found by clicking here:
In the second match at Concord, the Rams broke their duck and set a record for the largest comeback in NRC history; coming from 20-38 at halftime to stun Queensland Country 50-46 eight minutes after the bell sounded. Never has a team come from eighteen points down to win a game (and this match really says a lot about how great the rule changes in the NRC are; this match was the epitome of ‘playing until the final whistle’). I still don’t know how QLD Country managed to lose this, having played better for more than half the game, but credit to the Rams for never giving up: I have a feeling this comeback record is going to stand for quite a while.
Western Sydney Rams vs QLD Country highlights:
Finally, completing the trifecta, the Sydney Rays completed their clean-sweep of the Queensland teams this year, achieving their first every victory over Brisbane City at Ballymore and running out 38-32 winners. This gives the Rays their 4th win in the competition (a season-best record for the club), with Irae Simone having a sublime game picking up a double and setting up Jack Dempsey for a try. The loss all but ruins Brisbane City’s chances of a third straight title, and caps off a woeful weekend for the Queensland teams, who now find themselves at the bottom of the ladder. Looks like ‘The Toaster’ will be heading out of the Sunshine State in 2016 for the first time ever.
Finally, completing the trifecta, the Sydney Rays completed their clean-sweep of the Queensland teams this year, achieving their first every victory over Brisbane City at Ballymore and running out 38-32 winners. This gives the Rays their 4th win in the competition (a season-best record for the club), with Irae Simone having a sublime game picking up a double and setting up Jack Dempsey for a try. The loss all but ruins Brisbane City’s chances of a third straight title, and caps off a woeful weekend for the Queensland teams, who now find themselves at the bottom of the ladder. Looks like ‘The Toaster’ will be heading out of the Sunshine State in 2016 for the first time ever.
Brisbane City vs Sydney Rays highlights:
Consistency is the key to success:
In the other match of the round, the Rising stunned the Vikings in a bruising encounter down in Canberra to reclaim the Horan-Little Shield. The Rising have now won two on the trot, and appear to be peaking in form at just the right moment, with their last two regular season games at home. Consistency is really proving to be vital in this short season, and it is no surprises the most consistent teams are now on top. The Eagles now look set to claim the minor premiership, and the Rays seem to be regaining their form, given how difficult it is to win at Ballymore.
UC Vikings vs. Melbourne Rising highlights can be found by clicking here:
By comparison, the Perth Spirit and the University of Canberra Vikings were handed losses this week, which will severely dent their momentum going into the finals. The Spirit have the chance to regain 4th spot this weekend against Brisbane City, and will be fired up to do so in front of a home crowd in the final rugby match of the season in the West. The Vikings however have a harder task, playing away to the Sydney Rays. Regardless, if the Eagles, Rays and Rising sure up their finals places, this will make for a do-or-die clash for that fourth spot between the Vikings and the Spirit at Viking Park in the final round.
Aussie Super Rugby Clubs: I hope you’re paying attention
With everything looking mighty depressing at Australian Super Rugby at the moment, many people have been wondering if five Super Rugby teams is too much? Well, I personally think it’s enough, given the fact that even though we have had five teams for the past six years, during that time the Reds and the Waratahs have gone on to win the tournament, in addition to the Brumbies making the finals once and being regular semi-finalists, and the Rebels and Force having their most successful seasons in their franchises history (2016 and 2014, respectively). Yeah, we had a shocker this year, but remember the woeful draw meant we were playing against Kiwi teams, who demolished EVERYONE this year.
But the NRC, (in my opinion) answers that question even more that we have the talent. This season has seen SO MANY PLAYERS stand up. Reece Hodge. Tolu Latu. Jake Gordon. Irae Simone. Brandon Paeonga-Amosa. Izaia Perese. Tom Banks. Fabian Goodall. Ross Haylett-Petty. Manihera Eden. Ned Hanigan. Sam Lane. Will Miller. Sam Figg. I’ve made my point. But I could go on. And on. And on. There are so many club rugby players and extended fringe Super Rugby players who are standing up and playing amazing rugby, competing against Wallabies and Super rugby players alike, and more than matching up to them.
Get signing Super Rugby clubs! Get your act together! Imagine what all this young blood could do to our Super Rugby clubs! If we don’t sign them, they’ll go elsewhere. Last year, Australian rugby nearly lost Reece Hodge to Europe, but he stayed to chase his dream of playing for the Wallabies. He has been a star performer in the Rugby Championship, and it’s easy to forget that this time last year he was still playing with the Rays. And don’t even get me started about all the other NRC players who now find themselves on Wallaby duty (I’m not going to list them, but there’s over a dozen at the moment). The NRC is the perfect nursery for future players, and it is already providing them!
Double header gets two thumbs way up!
I must stress that I feel sorry for the fans of Orange, who were justifiably upset that they missed out on the Eagles-Spirit game (even though Endeavour Oval was deemed unplayable due to the rains), but no one can deny that the double header at Concord Oval was a complete and utter success! The Rams management did a wonderful job, not just with the lead up Pacific Islander rugby tournament, but also creating a great atmosphere for the day. They did even better when considering they had to factor in the Eagles and Spirit game at the last minute!
But not only was it organised well, and drew a decent crowd, but it also was a day filled with so many memorable moments: from the stunning tries, the wonderful club rugby atmosphere, to Brad Thorns NRC debut, to the amazing Pacific Island dancers and drummers, to even the funniest missed conversion I’ve seen in a while from Paul Asquith at the Rams; the day was perfect, and littered with wonderful moments. Bill Pulver and the ARU may want to consider doing similar events in future editions of the NRC. It definitely could be done in Sydney and Brisbane, so why not? The crowd had a wonderful time, and really got good value for money, and it may go a long way to drawing bigger crowds.
Paul Asquith’s crazy conversion attempt:
Those final minutes at Concord Oval…
Speaking of club rugby atmosphere, I want to finish this week by talking about those final, tense minutes of the Rams-QLD Country match. In what had summed up a perfect day for the NRC, those minutes will certainly get (I hope) more fans coming to watch games in the future. I’ve been to many NRC games, and the crowds have always been very hit-and-miss. Some crowds get into the games, some are still familiarising themselves with who the teams are. Crowds have always been a problem for the NRC.
But in those final minutes, it was the crowd who really helped the Rams win the game. Watching scrum after scrum be reset, what really was great to see were the sounds of “C’MON RAMS!’ echoing through the crowd. And the eruption of the stand when Amy Perrett awarded the penalty try really showed how much that win meant. It’s moments like these that start the building of a legacy, of a rivalry, and of a team culture. It’s moments like these that makes fans, and reminds us as to why we love this game so much. And its moments like these that show why the NRC is awesome. So, those who haven’t yet seen a NRC game, head along to one. It may just restore the rugby fan in you.
