2016 National Rugby Championship
| 2016 National Rugby Championship | |
|---|---|
| Date | August – October 2016 |
| Highest attendance | |
| Lowest attendance | |
| Top point scorer | |
| Top try scorer | |
| Official website | |
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buildcorpnrc | |
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← 2015 2017 → | |
The 2016 National Rugby Championship (known as the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the third season of Australia's National Rugby Championship, involving eight professional rugby union teams from around Australia. This is one team less than the previous two seasons. The competition will kick off in August 2016.
Teams
This season sees two major changes in the teams competing in the championship. The first being the scrapping of the Sydney Stars after the Australian Rugby Union axed them from the tournament due to consolidation reasons.[1] The second change will be a rename of the Canberra based team, the Canberra Vikings. They will be renamed the Canberra Kookaburras in a return to the traditional name of the ACT team.[2]
Television coverage and streaming
One (or more) of the NRC matches each round is broadcast live via Fox Sports, typically the Thursday night match. Streaming of the three non-broadcast matches per round, usually played on Saturday or Sunday, is hosted by Fox Sports online.[3] Discussion of the NRC competition is included on Fox Sports' Rugby HQ program on Thursday nights following the live match broadcast, and on the review show NRC Extra Time on Monday nights.[3]
Experimental Law Variations
The ARU was given approval by World Rugby (then known as the International Rugby Board) to conduct experimental law trials as part of the 2014 National Rugby Championship.[4] These law variations were retained for the 2016 season.[3] Consideration was given to reverting the value of a successful conversion kick to 2 points to restore a converted try to 7 points,[5] but the 3 point conversion variation was retained.[3]
| Existing Law of the Game | Variation |
|---|---|
| Law 9.A.1 Value of a Conversion goal - 2 points Value of a Penalty goal - 3 points Value of a Dropped goal - 3 points |
Value of a Conversion goal - 3 points Value of a Penalty goal - 2 points Value of a Dropped goal - 2 points
|
| Law 5.7(e) If time expires and the ball is not dead, or an awarded scrum or lineout has not been completed, the referee allows play to continue until the next time that the ball becomes dead. The ball becomes dead when the referee would have awarded a scrum, lineout, an option to the non-infringing team, drop out or after a conversion or successful penalty kick at goal. If a scrum has to be reset, the scrum has not been completed. If time expires and a mark, free kick or penalty kick is then awarded, the referee allows play to continue. |
Non-offending team is allowed to kick the ball into touch after being awarded a penalty kick, which has been blown after time expires, and the lineout will take place. |
| Law 19.6 The player taking the throw-in must stand at the correct place. The player must not step into the field of play when the ball is thrown. The ball must be thrown straight, so that it travels at least 5 metres along the line of touch before it first touches the ground or touches or is touched by a player. |
Latitude will be given to the throwing team if the opposing team does not compete for the ball near where the ball is received |
| Law 9.B.1(e) The kicker must take the kick within one minute and thirty seconds (ninety seconds) from the time a try has been awarded. The player must take the kick within one minute and thirty seconds even if the ball rolls over and has to be placed again. |
Time limit reduced to 60 seconds for conversion kicks, and 45 seconds for penalty kicks. |
| Law 20.1(d) No delay. A team must not intentionally delay forming a scrum. |
Team has 30 seconds to form a scrum from the time the referee gives the mark. |
| Law 20.12(c) When a team has won the ball in a scrum, the scrum half of the opposing team is offside if that scrum half steps in front of the ball with either foot while the ball is still in the scrum. |
Opposing scrum half is not allowed to enter the gap between the flanker and number 8, even if they stay behind the ball |
| Law 21.2(a) The kicker must take the penalty or free kick at the mark or anywhere behind it on a line through the mark. |
Increased latitude will be given to where penalty and free kicks are to be taken |
| Law 19.2(d) For a quick throw-in, the player must use the ball that went into touch. A quick throw-in is not permitted if another person has touched the ball apart from the player throwing it in and an opponent who carried it into touch. The same team throws into the lineout. |
Players will be allowed to take quick throw-ins regardless of whether someone else has touched the ball |
| Law 17.2(d) Keeping players on their feet. Players in a maul must endeavour to stay on their feet. The ball carrier in a maul may go to ground providing the ball is available immediately and play continues. |
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. |
| Competition rule - Bonus point awarded for scoring 4 tries | Bonus point awarded if winning team scores 3 or more tries than their opponents. This particular system has been used in France's professional leagues since the 2007–08 northern hemisphere season.[6][7] |
| Television match official protocols | Television match official to only be consulted about tries and in-goal plays. |
Regular season
The eight teams compete in a round-robin tournament for the regular season. Each team has four matches at home and four away,. The top four teams qualify for the title play-offs with semi-finals and finals.
During this section of the tournament, teams can also play for the Horan-Little Shield, a challenge trophy that is played for when a challenge is accepted or offered by the holders.
Title play-offs
The top four sides in the regular season advanced to the semifinals of the knock-out stage, which was followed by the final to decide the National Rugby Championship title.
Players
The leading scorers in 2016 over the regular season and finals combined were:
See also
- Australian Rugby Championship (predecessor tournament)
- Super Rugby
References
- ↑ Payten, Iain; Pandaram, Jamie (11 February 2016). "Sydney Stars victims of National Rugby Championship consolidation". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ↑ http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/brumbies-scrap-vikings-to-introduce-act-kookaburras-for-nrc-season-three-20160318-gnm5p7.html
- 1 2 3 4 McKay, Brett (13 Aug 2015). "Law variations to continue in NRC Season 2". The Roar. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- 1 2 "LAW VARIATION". Australian Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
- ↑ Payten, Iain; Pandaram, Jamie (17 April 2015). "Running rugby here to stay". The Daily Telegraph. News. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
- ↑ "French try out new bonus point system". Planet-Rugby.com. 27 June 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
- ↑ "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. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
External links
- buildcorpnrc.com official website
- BuildcorpNRC on twitter.com
- NRC on Fox Sports
Team webpages
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