Author: Nick Wasiliev

The NSW Country Eagles have all but clinched the Minor Premiership while securing the Horan-Little Shield and Ben Robinson Bell, scraping out a 44-40 victory against the Rams in a thrilling contest at Concord Oval. Arriving at the ground, fans were treated to a great islander-flavoured atmosphere. Once again, the Rams management had done a wonderful job with organising and running the day. It was a real celebration of Pacific pride, with stalls, dancers and even a Pacific Fashion show the highlight of the pre-game entertainment. They had drawn a great crowd too. The hill was packed and the western stand…

In a performance that all but guarantees their maiden semi-finals berth, the Sydney Rays put on a dominant display, running out 58-14 winners over a shell-shocked Vikings side. The win is the Rays highest point scoring margin in their history, and sends moves them to within one point of the Country Eagles, with the Vikings facing the real possibility of losing their place in the Top 4. The Match The sun was shining, wind was up and the stage was set for a cracker of a game at Rat Park. The Rays had never beaten the Vikings and the last…

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 Western Sydney Rams shook the monkey off their back and claimed a thrilling 52-46 win eight minutes after the final siren to snatch victory from QLD Country, in a match that is officially regarded as the greatest comeback in NRC history. Well, talk about leaving it till the last minute… The Match And to think, those were the two teams at the bottom of the ladder!? Well, many in the Horned Army will be smiling tonight, but for 75 minutes of that game, they certainly were not. The Rams had drawn a big crowd to Concord Oval with the Pacific…

With Orange’s Endeavour Oval unplayable due to bad weather, NSW Country moved their match to Concord Oval, and overcame a determined Perth Spirit 48-24 in the first ever double header in NRC history. The win all but guarantees Country’s final position, while the Spirit may face a more challenging final’s route if Melbourne prevail tomorrow in Canberra. The Match Concord Oval was buzzing with a charming club rugby atmosphere as a crowd of well over 2,000 (my estimate) lined themselves up on the hill and on the main stand. The first half of the match was a seesawing affair, with the…

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,…

The Macquarie University Sydney Rays have started off their season securing their first ever win against cross town rivals Western Sydney Rams.  The 50-30 victory also equals the Rays highest ever points score in an NRC match and sends an ominous warning to other teams in the competition. The Build-Up: The sun was shining on a picturesque North Sydney Oval, with conditions perfect for running rugby and not a cloud in sight. Arriving at the group an hour before kick-off, I was struck with the great atmosphere the oval had. The admin at the Rays did a great job showing…

We are just days out from the first round, and it’s fair to say that there seems to be a bit more attention around the NRC than in previous years. While that may be in part due to fans trying to look for anything to watch other than the Wallabies, it is also difficult to deny the anticipation that comes when the squads are looking stronger, the franchises are better organised and there is a bit more of an air of excitement around what will happen come Saturday, when the first game kicks off in the West. In 2014 the competition was…

While some may be writing off the Sydney Rays, this team has the potential to be the big improvers of the NRC this year. Having teams like the Sydney Rays in the competition is why the NRC is so important. The Rays are real battlers, with most of their talent stemming from the heartlands of club rugby. They are a side who, despite mixed success, have already started to build a great culture with the backing of the club rugby community on the Northern Beaches. With one of the most exciting backlines in the game and their never-say-die attitude that…

It is one of the biggest struggles in our game today. With the likes of AFL, League and even Football enjoying wide coverage on both Free-To-Air (FTA) television and Fox Sports, why is it that union does not enjoy the same luxury? With the Super Rugby season and club rugby now behind us and the Rugby Championship and NRC approaching, this major quandary is only becoming more and more relevant. Many fans point the finger at the ARU and Fox Sports, but let’s consider that for a moment. Foxtel is one of the ARU’s major sources of income, and vital…

With the final of the Shute Shield finishing Saturday and Northern Suburbs breaking a 41-year drought to take the title, those in NSW will soon turn their attention to the Rugby Championship and (hopefully) the NRC. However, for many New South Wales rugby followers of the NRC, one glaring problem is hard to ignore: once again, the historic lack of support from the Waratahs and the NSWRU for the competition. It’s no secret to many that the lack of support has been an underlying problem, further adding to the challenges of these NSW teams who come up against extremely competitive outfits…

This has been an awful year for Australian rugby. The ARU and club rugby have a rocky relationship to say the least. At Super Rugby level, only one Australian team limped into the playoffs by default, with the rest outplayed by our Kiwi counterparts. And that doesn’t even include off-field dramas. Then the Wallabies have come crashing back to earth from a successful Rugby World Cup campaign (despite losing the final), humbled by a well-coached and well-led English side high on confidence from their Six Nations success. All this in among the bad press around players heading to France, ARU mismanagement…