The NSW Country Eagles will continue their commitment to growing the game in regional NSW this year, with Wednesday’s release of the 2018 National Rugby Championship draw revealing the side will take games to Mudgee, Armidale, Camden and Tamworth this year.
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Originally the Eagles promised to host a game at Mudgee’s Glen Willow Sporting Complex last year, but that clash was actually taken to Orange’s Endeavour Oval to make up for 2016’s washed-out fixture which was moved back to Sydney at the 11th hour due to Emus’ home ground being waterlogged, and unplayable.
The 2017 game at Endeavour Oval, against Brisbane City, was a thrilling 38-all draw.
This year NSW Country fulfills that promise to Mudgee, the Eagles will take on the Melbourne Rising, a side they played against at Orange back in 2014, on Saturday, September 15.
Along with the Sydney Rays the Eagles are one of just two NSW teams in this year’s fifth edition of the provincial tournament, aligning with Queensland’s City-Country model.
The Fiji Drua remain in the competition and will host a number of games in their home nation, while games will also be taken to Adelaide, Mackay and Townsville this season.
The Rays will shift their home games around this year too, moving from Rat Park to Concord Oval, Leichhardt and Woollahra Oval, while Brisbane City leaves Ballymore in favour of club rugby grounds as well.
The Rays have also included a nod to the traditional history of Sydney Rugby Union representative sides, by including an anchor in their logo.
In one of the biggest changes, the Perth Spirit will change their name and play under the banner of the Western Force, with that side obviously not in the Super Rugby competition anymore.
“A strong Western Force team will enter the competition off the back of their World Series Rugby campaign and fans in Adelaide and Townsville will also get to see NRC matches, along with a host of other regional centres in New South Wales,” Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle said.
“Being accessible to the community is the key to the success of the NRC and it is great to see many teams take the initiative to spread their home matches around.
“A great tradition has been revived in New South Wales with the return of the city versus country rivalry.”
Fiji opens the competition against Melbourne in Suva on the afternoon of Saturday, September 1, with a 2017 grand final rematch against Queensland Country in the ACT that night. Brisbane City hosts the Force the day after, before the Eagles open their season against the Rays the following Wednesday at Leichhardt.
