On Saturday I got my first live taste of the new National Rugby Championship at Ballymore, where Brisbane City were comprehensively outplayed by Melbourne Rising, who ran in 11 tries to three in a 79-18 point thrashing.
Melbourne further consolidated their position at the top of the NRC table and subjected Brisbane City to their first defeat. My man of the match, Melbourne winger Tom English, scored four tries in an impressive all-round performance.
In a team bursting with Super Rugby talent, Melbourne’s backs ran riot, scoring a plethora of tries by Jonah Placid, Telusa Veainu, Sefanaia Naivalu and Lloyd Johannson with forwards Pat Leafa and a brace from Lopeti Timani also getting in on the act. Jack Debreczeni added six conversions and Johannson a further two.
Brisbane were very much in the hunt at the break after a competitive and exciting first half ended 18-29. Chris Kuridrani, Samu Kerevi and the returning Liam Gill scored Brisbane’s tries, with Jake McIntyre adding one conversion. That Brisbane were able to stay within striking distance of the competition leaders, despite Nick Frisby being sent to the bin by Steve Walsh for taking Telusa Veainu out in the air, was a good sign.
Although the warning signs were there for Brisbane, such as the intensity of the Melbourne forwards in getting to the breakdown and their power in the scrum. Several missed tackles and sloppy play in midfield cost Brisbane dearly throughout the game, allowing the Melbourne back line to slip through and create numerous opportunities out wide to pile on the points.
There were some positives for Brisbane coach Nick Styles to take from the game. Wallabies scrum half Will Genia made his comeback in the second period, and showed glimpses of his trademark sharpness around the breakdown.
Also, 2014 Reds debutant Samu Kerevi showed just what a powerful ball carrier he is in the centres. The Fijian-born centre scored a try and made a number of strong ball carries, line breaks and offloads that got fans up on their feet. Already becoming a favourite due to his strong running and uncompromising tackling, Kerevi is a player that we will see a lot, maybe even in the gold of Australia.
One thing that the NRC provided on Saturday was a real sense of nostalgia (apart from the naff name of the Melbourne team – what is wrong with just Melbourne?). Top level rugby, kicking off on Saturday afternoon, at Ballymore. That sentence evokes memories of a previous age in rugby.
With a very healthy crowd of kids, families and elder statesmen of the game, Ballymore felt alive to the possibilities that staging regular games here throws up. Despite the NRC being largely funded by Fox as a TV competition, getting bums on seats is the real test as to whether it can survive as a sustainable competition in its own right.
Saturday’s crowd of about 3000 was a very positive sign. The fans were treated to some excellent running rugby in Ballymore’s intimate surroundings by some top quality players.
And running rugby is the main crux of the argument for this competition. The new scoring system is heavily favoured to scoring tries. With eight points available for a converted try and just two for a penalty or drop goal, this meant that for the first time in my rugby watching life I saw a game that did not feature a single penalty kick at goal. That’s something that I won’t be feeling nostalgic about any time soon.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
That puts me in mind of the football team from Glasgow, Queen's Park FC. They play at Hampden Park, the Scottish national stadium which has a capacity of over 52,000. The club attract average attendances of around 750.
Bakkies
Guest
They do that at Murrayfield for Edinburgh games it doesn't work.
Bakkies
Guest
the bandwagon effect there is just as big as it is in Australian Rugby.
ozinsa
Guest
We hear your views on this comp loud and clear Sheek but I have to question your view on the crowds. Pulver stated in interviews conducted on this site that they would be happy with crowds around 3000 and that their budgets were based on less. If the weather played ball that might be achievable each week. I do agree that they should be playing "proper rules" but there's rugby to discuss post Shute Shield and that has to be a positive. And some decent prospects coming through - and was this not the ultimate goal?
chis
Guest
In this day and age we shouldn't have 3 codes of Rugby.
30mmtags
Guest
Baldwid, great summary. We need contrary views and Sheek forces us all to analyse and counter his argument. Sheek, inadvertently, is doiing the growth of the NRC a favour by generating positive and crystal clear rebuttals of his King Canute stance. Your response and those of many others could not be more logical.
carnivean
Roar Rookie
It may contain a bunch of Super Rugby level players, but it also contains equal numbers (approx) club rugby players. The head coaches are assistants at the next level up. It's still 3rd tier as it doesn't match the quality of the 2nd. Even though we'd like it to be a continuation of Super Rugby standard, it just can't be. Again, the points differential is also incremental. Unlike what a certain old grump or 2 believe, the points change isn't revolutionary, but it is a difference and it will have a consequence. You could bet your bottom dollar that a well drilled backrow of international standard would be cynically gaming the ref with penalties for as long as they could (and have been coached and trained at it), where that is far less likely at this level. I share your optimism about how it will play out, but it does need referees to be on board to make it work.
Marlins Tragic
Guest
You can't "pay" google to get to the top of the ladder & it looks to me like only the ARU have invested in advertising on Google known as Adwords, there the ones with "Ad" next to them.
Marlins Tragic
Guest
Midfielder, your failing to take into account that these websites are, for the most part, only months old & more than likely in the Google Sandbox, had you known about SEO you would not be making this stupid assumptions, sorry :)
Mike
Guest
Yes ... which "NRL" and "AFL" did you think I meant?
Marlins Tragic
Guest
He stole a bunch of quotes from a recent article on the Roar about GPS rugby, aT least he does his research before trolling :) http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/07/17/anabolics-12-year-olds-search-edge-starts-early/
Marlins Tragic
Guest
I thought listening to Steve Walsh was a laugh, lost of "oh dears" & "goodness gracious" comments when watching tackles, plus listening to him trot around breathlessly was funny also.
Eddard
Roar Guru
It's not really a third tier though is it. It includes all the best Australian based players except the top 25 or so Wallabies. The standard is pretty high, and the coaches all top level. It gives a pretty good indicator. The incentive to give away a penalty rather than concede a try already exists with 3 vs 7 points. Changing it to 2 vs 8 doesn't really change much in that regard. The major effect is that the team awarded the penalty will more often than not try and score a try rather than kick points. In this sense they get less immediate (and near certain) reward, but in another sense the defensive team comes under more pressure. And if they concede more penalties while under that pressure they are very likely to receive yellow cards for repeated or cynical infringements. So the potential reward for the attacking team is greater. Instead of kicking points and then the game going back to neutral territory, the continued attack might result in a yellow card and a couple of tries.
ncart
Roar Rookie
Hi Stripes, yes I reached out to the Reds and discovered that I wasn't on their email list so was missing out on their promo material, but do see it on their website. Their streaming is good, because I wasn't seeing the emails I wasn't getting the push marketing but getting that sorted now. Question then is, since they are promoting it to their database, what needs to be done to get more of them turning up?
carnivean
Roar Rookie
The problem with this logic is that this (despite the article) is the 3rd tier of rugby. Larger variances in performance levels, less at stake, less coaching expertise. Club rugby had less cynicism than Super Rugby, which had less than Test Rugby. The NRC will fit the same pattern. You have to test the rules at a higher standard than this to prove the rules won't provoke more cynical play. I don't hold any hopes for it doing so at test level (should they ever make it that far), but if they are counterbalanced with referee's who are happy to wield the yellow card then I think we'd be better off.
clipper
Guest
He is often amusing, but behind it all there is a kernel of truth, something which the NRC has taken steps to alleviate with low entry costs and a team in the Western Suburbs (a bit too late, in my opinion)
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
They only open the lower tier of one of the stands in Aami Park for Rising games, so a crowd of 3,000 makes for almost a full house. It is a pity that there isn't a smaller rectangular stadium in Melbourne that they could use though, as it does make for quite a soulless atmosphere sitting opposite banks of empty seats.
Bakkies
Guest
There has been a lot of wet weather and one game a week (Thurs) played at a terrible time for ground support. I can understand Melb doing that the ground is far too big for the Rising. The country based games will be interesting. Having country sides is vital for the future in terms of opening doors. Country league has been struggling but they have more opps for players. Sam Windsor is one of the top performers but he is 27. If the side was around earlier he might have had a better level to test bites apart from his trial at the Brumbies. Possibile contract in Europe perhaps at least to make a decent living out of the game if he couldn't crack sufficient Super Rugby game time.
Bakkies
Guest
Don't forget that only a few years back the Reds were struggling to pull 17,000 in the bleak years so I say they are your true die hard fan base.
Bakkies
Guest
Mike this is Australia we are talking about.