2018 National Rugby Championship

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 roadcast on Fox Sports and the championship featured eight professional teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji.[1]

2018 National Rugby Championship
CountriesAustralia
Fiji
Date1 September – 27 October
ChampionsFijian Drua (1st title)
Runners-upQueensland Country
Matches played31
Attendance79,400
(average 2,561 per match)
Highest attendance6,000 (Fijian Drua 66-5 Brisbane City) & (Fijian Drua 34-26 Queensland Country)
Official website
www.rugby.com.au/competitions/nrc

The Fijian Drua won their first NRC title, defeating reigning champion side Queensland Country 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 Canberra Vikings 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.[2] 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.[3] 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:

Region Team Coach Captain Ref
 Australian Capital Territory Canberra Vikings Nick Scrivener Ben Hyne [4]
 Fiji Fijian Drua Senirusi Seruvakula Mosese Voka [5][6]
 New South Wales NSW Country Eagles Darren Coleman Paddy Ryan [7][8]
Sydney Rays Chris Whitaker Damien Fitzpatrick [9][10]
 Queensland Brisbane City Mick Heenan Adam Korczyk [11][12]
Queensland Country Rod Seib Duncan Paia'aua [13]
 Victoria Melbourne Rising Eoin Toolan Angus Cottrell [14]
 Western Australia Western Force Tim Sampson Ian Prior [15][16]

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.[1] 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.[17] As such, the NRC 2017 trial changes to Laws 15, 16 and 20 (renumbered as 14, 15 and 19 in the simplified 2018 laws) [18] 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.[19]

NRC Law Variations 2018
Existing Law of the Game Variation
Television Match Official / Global law trial: Law 5
  1. A match organiser may appoint a television match official (TMO), who uses technological devices to clarify situations relating to:
  1. The grounding of the ball in in-goal.
  2. Touch or touch-in-goal in the act of grounding the ball or the ball being made dead.
  3. Where there is doubt as to whether a kick at goal has been successful.
  4. Where match officials believe an infringement may have occurred in the playing area leading to a try or preventing a try.
  5. Foul play, including sanctions.
  1. Any of the match officials, including the TMO, may recommend a review by the TMO. The reviews will take place in accordance with the TMO protocol.[20]
 Television match official to only be consulted about tries and in-goal plays.
Conversion: Law 8
  1. (d) [The kicker] takes the kick within 90 seconds (playing time) from the time the try was awarded, even if the ball rolls over and has to be placed again.

Sanction: Kick is disallowed.

 Time limit reduced to 60 seconds for conversion kicks.
Penalty goal: Law 8
  1. The kick must be taken within 60 seconds (playing time) from the time the team indicated their intention to do so, even if the ball rolls over and has to be placed again.

Sanction: Kick is disallowed and a scrum is awarded.

 Time limit reduced to 45 seconds for penalty kicks.
During a maul: Law 16
  1. The ball-carrier in a maul may go to ground provided that player makes the ball available immediately. Sanction: Scrum.
  2. All other players in a maul must endeavour to stay on their feet.
  3. All players in a maul must be caught in or bound to it and not just alongside it.
  4. Players must not:
  1. Intentionally collapse a maul or jump on top of it.
  2. Attempt to drag an opponent out of a maul.

Sanction: Penalty.

 Greater policing of this law, in order to discourage "hold up tackles", by ensuring that the tackler, who holds up a ball carrier in an effort to form a maul, does not collapse the maul as soon as it has formed.
Quick throw: Law 18
  1. A quick throw is disallowed and a lineout is awarded to the same team if:
  1. A lineout had already been formed; or
  2. The ball had been touched after it went into touch by anyone other than the player throwing in or the player who carried the ball into touch; or
  3. A different ball is used from the one that originally went into touch.
 Players will be allowed to take quick throw-ins regardless of whether someone else has touched the ball
Location of a penalty or free kick: Law 20
  1. A penalty or free-kick is taken from where it is awarded or anywhere behind it on a line through the mark and parallel to the touchlines. When a penalty or free-kick is taken at the wrong place, it must be re-taken.
 Increased latitude will be given to where penalty and free kicks are to be taken
Competition rule - Bonus point awarded for scoring 4 tries Bonus point awarded if a winning team scores at least 3 more tries than its opponent.

This particular system was first used in the French professional leagues during the 2007–08 northern hemisphere season.[21][22]

Regular season

The eight teams competed in a round-robin tournament for the regular season.[3] During this section of the competition, teams also played for the Horan-Little Shield, a challenge trophy put on the line when a challenge is accepted by the holders or mandated by the terms of competition for the shield.

Points for the regular season standings were accumulated by the same method as for The Rugby Championship and Super Rugby. A slightly modified version of the standard competition points system was used, with a bonus point awarded to a winning team scoring at least 3 tries more than their opponent; and a bonus point awarded to a losing team defeated by a margin of 7 points or under.[23] Four points were awarded for a win and none for a loss; two points were awarded to each team if a match was drawn.

Each team's placement was based on its cumulative points total, including any bonus points earned. For teams level on table points, tiebreakers apply in the following order:[24]

  1. Difference between points for and against during the season.
  2. Head-to-head match result(s) between the tied teams.
  3. Total number tries scored during the season.

The top four teams at the end of the regular season qualified for the title play-offs in the form of semi-finals followed by a final to determine the champion team.[3]

Standings
National Rugby Championship
# Team P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts
1 Fijian Drua HL 7601283175+1083027
2 Queensland Country 7502299211+883124
3 Western Force 7502284202+822123
4 Canberra Vikings 7502221169+521122
5 Brisbane City 7403205245−401118
6 Melbourne Rising 7205239192+472313
7 NSW Country Eagles 7106140280−140026
8 Sydney Rays 7007167364−197011
Updated: 14 October 2018

Source: rugbyarchive.net
 • Teams 1 to 4 (Green background) at the end of the regular season rounds qualify for the title playoffs.
HL denotes the holder of the Horan-Little Shield.

Team progression
National Rugby Championship progression
Team Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 NSW Derby [lower-alpha 1] Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7
Brisbane City 0
(7th)		 0
(8th)		 5
(6th)		 5
(6th)		 9
(5th)		 13
(5th)		 17
(5th)		 18
(5th)
Canberra Vikings 0
(6th)		 5
(4th)		 9
(3rd)		 9
(3rd)		 13
(3rd)		 17
(3rd)		 18
(4th)		 22
(4th)
Fijian Drua 5
(1st)		 10
(1st)		 10
(2nd)		 10
(2nd)		 14
(1st)		 19
(1st)		 23
(1st)		 27
(1st)
Melbourne Rising 0
(8th)		 1
(5th)		 6
(5th)		 6
(5th)		 7
(6th)		 7
(6th)		 8
(6th)		 13
(6th)
NSW Country Eagles 0
(4th)		 0
(6th)		 0
(8th)		 4
(7th)		 5
(7th)		 5
(7th)		 6
(7th)		 6
(7th)
Queensland Country 4
(3rd)		 8
(3rd)		 13
(1st)		 13
(1st)		 14
(2nd)		 14
(4th)		 19
(3rd)		 24
(2nd)
Sydney Rays 0
(4th)		 0
(7th)		 0
(7th)		 0
(8th)		 1
(8th)		 1
(8th)		 1
(8th)		 1
(8th)
Western Force 4
(2nd)		 9
(2nd)		 9
(4th)		 9
(4th)		 13
(4th)		 18
(2nd)		 22
(2nd)		 23
(3rd)

The table above shows a team's progression throughout the season.
For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets.
Key: win draw loss bye

Competition rounds

All times are local (and subject to change).

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Title playoffs
Semi-finals Final
      
1 Fijian Drua 35
4 Canberra Vikings 28
1 Fijian Drua 36
2 Queensland Country 26
2 Queensland Country 45
3 Western Force 24

Semi-finals
20 October Fijian Drua 35–28 Canberra Vikings Churchill Park, Lautoka  
3.00 pm FJT Attendance: 5,000 
21 October Queensland Country 45–24 Western Force Bond University, Gold Coast, Gold Coast  
3.00 pm AEST Attendance: 2,000 

Final
Horan-Little Challenge[25] 27 October Fijian Drua 36–26 Queensland Country Churchill Park, Lautoka  
2.30 pm FJT Try: Tuisue (2) 33' c, 50' c
Radrodro 10' c
Naulago 20'
Veitokani 60' c
Con: Waqatabu (4/5) 11', 34', 51', 61'
Pen: Veitokani (1/1) 79'
Malele (0/1)
 Try: Feauai-Sautia 4'
Petaia 29' c
Daugunu 52' c
Maafu 68' c
Con: Stewart (3/4) 30',
53, 70'
 Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)

Statistics

Leading point scorers
No.PlayerTeamPointsAverageDetails
1Apisalome WaqatabuFijian Drua9110.117 T, 28 C, 0 P, 0 D
2Ian PriorWestern Force789.751 T, 35 C, 1 P, 0 D
3Hamish StewartQueensland Country717.891 T, 30 C, 2 P, 0 D
4Quade CooperBrisbane City639.003 T, 21 C, 2 P, 0 D
4Archie KingMelbourne Rising639.003 T, 24 C, 0 P, 0 D

Leading try scorers
No.PlayerTeamTriesAverage
1Jordan PetaiaQueensland Country101.11
2Tom EnglishMelbourne Rising91.29
3Levani KurumuduFijian Drua80.89
4Jock CampbellQueensland Country70.78
4Apisalome WaqatabuFijian Drua70.78

2018 Emerging States Championship

From 2018 an additional competition was formed for teams from so-called "Emerging States",[26] featuring the Adelaide Black Falcons, Victoria Country Barbarians, Northern Territory Mosquitoes and Tasmania Jack Jumpers. The first Competition was held in Adelaide in September 2018, and the Black Falcons were the inaugural winners.[27]

Notes
  1. Round 1 match for NSW teams played at a later date due to Shute Shield Final.

References
  1. Tucker, Jim (4 July 2018). "NRC returns to grassroots with streamlined 2018 structure". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  2. "New-look NRC provides improved pathways in NSW as royal blue jersey makes a return for Sydney". NSW Waratahs. 6 June 2018. Archived from the original on 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  3. "NRC teams spread their wings in 2018". Rugby Australia. 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  4. Dutton, Chris (22 August 2018). "Canberra Vikings could be flooded by Wallabies for NRC season-opener". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  5. "Duo for Drua". Fiji Sun. 8 July 2018. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  6. "Koka leads Drua". Fiji Sun. 22 August 2018. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  7. McGrath, Nick (13 September 2018). "Country set to rise to Melbourne challenge as NRC rolls into Glen Willow". Central Western Daily. Archived from the original on 13 September 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  8. "National Rugby Championship 2018 squads, preview, draw, odds". Fox Sports. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018. Alt URL
  9. Savage, Nic (5 September 2018). "Chris Whitaker interview: NSW great starts job as Sydney Rays coach". Fox Sports. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  10. "Damien Fitzpatrick extends Waratahs stay". Sport 24. 28 August 2018. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  11. Tucker, Jim (1 August 2018). "NRC 2018: Quade Cooper, Karmichael Hunt picked in Brisbane City squad". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. Archived from the original on 22 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  12. "NRC lifeline unlikely for Cooper, Hunt". Rugby.com.au. 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  13. "Editorial: Next Focus Drua, Prep time for 2018 NRC is now". Fiji Sun. 5 August 2018. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  14. "NRC squad announcement Melbourne Rising". Behind the Ruck. 30 August 2018.
  15. "Sampson appointed Force coach". Rugby.com.au. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  16. Taylor, Nick (20 August 2018). "Wallabies full-back Dane Haylett-Petty locks in Western Force return". The West Australian. Perth. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  17. "World Rugby adopts 12 global trials into law book with immediate effect". The42.ie. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  18. 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. – MacLean, Scott (1 January 2018). "2018 Laws of Rugby Update–LWOR Resident Referee Evaluation". Last Word on Rugby. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  19. McKay, Brett (30 August 2018). "NRC Season 5: Less means much, much more". The Roar. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018.
  20. "Television Match Official (TMO) Global Trial Protocol" (PDF). World Rugby. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  21. "French try out new bonus point system". Planet-Rugby.com. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
  22. "Article 330, Section 3.2. Points "terrain"" (PDF). Règlements de la Ligue Nationale de Rugby 2008/2009 (in French). LNR. Chapitre 2 : Règlement sportif du Championnat de France Professionnel. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
  23. "Rugby Championship to adopt bonus-point system used by Super Rugby". Sky Sports. Reuters. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  24. McKay, Brett. "NRC tie breaker method". Green and Gold Rugby. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016.
  25. "No Tomorrow for Drua". Fiji Rugby. 25 October 2018. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  26. "South Australia claim Emerging States Championship". Rugby Australia. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  27. Jack Hislop (26 September 2018). "The NT's representative rugby team has finished second at the Emerging States Championships". Northern Territory News. Retrieved 14 October 2018.

Team webpages
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