The NRC kicked off in a big way last weekend, and with a few surprise results.

More than a few teams thought to be well placed this season discovered the hard way that the 2016 competition will be an open affair.

Melbourne discovered that set piece dominance alone isn’t enough, and that playing at 11am in Perth after a day of travel is not anything like the novelty it might have seemed when the draw first came out.

Brisbane City discovered the same thing, while also realising that as promising as their young backs might be, you’ll need a little more than promise alone.

Queensland Country, too, discovered that having a crack coaching team counts for nothing once the team leaves the dressing room. And that the Canberra Vikings will be a tough team to crack in 2016.

The big ticket item this weekend, however, is undoubtedly the return of the Wallabies squad members.

The competition pays for itself right here, with the non-playing Wellington contingent coming back for top level game time that they just wouldn’t have got previously.

It’s a fair swag of names, too: Morahan, Frisby, Skelton, Smith, Hanson, Timani, Slipper, Simmons, Alaalatoa, Carter, Speight, Arnold, Robertson have all been named to play in Round 2, and spread across all four games.

Round 2 is the Father’s Day round, too, where all four home teams will be wearing light blue socks in support of the #Pass4Prostate campaign, raising awareness of prostate cancer in men.

You can be involved in the initiative this weekend, too, by using the aforementioned social media hashtag, which will trigger donations toward Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia (PCFA). Head to the PCFA website for more details.

TONIGHT: Sydney Rays v Perth Spirit; North Sydney Oval, 6:30pm AEST
The Rays have injected their Australian Sevens stars for the one and only Friday night game of the competition, with Cameron Clark staring at fullback and Con Foley coming off the bench. Waratahs signing Michael Wells replaces Jack Dempsey at blindside, with Dempsey copping two weeks for the double yellow card received last week. Former NSW Country lock Nick Palmer also starts in his Rays debut.

Perth coach Dwayne Nestor has shuffled his front row in an otherwise unchanged starting side. Western Force hooker Anaru Rangi starts alongside Laione Mulikihaamea and the wonderfully-named Shambeckler Vui, after both props impressed off the bench in last week’s win over Melbourne.

SYDNEY (1-15): Rory O’Connor, Damien Fitzpatrick, Angus Ta’avao, Connor Vest, Nick Palmer, Michael Wells, Will Miller, Hugh Sinclair, Matt Lucas ©, Angus Sinclair, Harry Jones, Irae Simone, Seb Wileman, Richard Woolf, Cameron Clark.
Reserves: James Hilterbrand, Ezra Luxton, Lawrance Hunting, Adrian Hall, Michael Smith, Dewet Roos, Sam Lane, Con Foley.

PERTH: Laione Mulikihaamea, Anaru Rangi, Shambeckler Vui, Kieran Stringer, Grayson Knapp, Brynard Stander, Richard Hardwick, Onehunga Havilli, Ryan Louwrens, Jono Lance ©, Eric Vasukicakau, Ben Tapuai, Billy Meakes, Luke Morahan, Manihera Eden.
Reserves: Harry Scoble, Mees Erasmus, Beau King, Auega Seumanutafa, Hadleigh May, Michael Ruru, AJ Alatimu, Ammon Matuauto.

SATURDAY: Brisbane City v Western Sydney Rams; Ballymore Oval, 3pm AEST
Brisbane City have made six changes to their starting side for their first Horan-Little Shield defence of the season, with halves Nick Frisby and Jake McIntyre the notable ‘in’.

McIntyre comes in for young Jake Strachan, who picked up a shoulder injury. Elsewhere, flanker Luke Beauchamp shuffles into lock, and Chris Kuridrani shuffles into outside centre, allowing former Perth Spirit rep Brad Lacey a debut City start.

The Rams welcome Waratahs hooker Hugh Roach for his first game of the season, while BIG off-season recruit, ‘Tahs and Wallabies lock Will Skelton will make his Rams debut. David Minute replaces Apo Latunipulu at inside centre, after Latunipulu copped a head knock last week against the Rays.

BRISBANE CITY: Pettowa Paraka, Andrew Ready, Sam Talakai ©, Luke Beauchamp, Lukhan Tui, Isi Naisarani, Michael Gunn, Leroy Houston, Nick Frisby, Jake McIntyre, Alex Gibbon, Toby White, Brad Lacey, Patrick James.
Reserves: Matt Mafi, Markus Vanzati, Feao Fotuaika, Criff Tupou, Jake de Guingand, Moses Sorovi, Mitch Felsman, Jayden Ngamanu.

WESTERN SYDNEY: Matt Gibbon, Hugh Roach, David Lolohea, Will Skelton, Senio Toleafoa, Rhys Allen, Tupou Sopoaga, Tyrone Viiaga, Scott Gale, Paul Asquith, Fabian Goodall, David Minute, Denny Godinet, Rob Buaserau, Albert Nikoro.
Reserves: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Andrew Tuala, Jack Payne, Tom Alexander, Bradford Kapa, Waldo Wessels, Mitch Walton, Luke Smart.

SUNDAY: Melbourne Rising v Queensland Country; Harlequin Oval, Ashwood, 1pm AEST
The Rising thought they had it easy this week, naming an unchanged side yesterday morning, but by the afternoon there was a pleasant surprise, in the form of Toby Smith, James Hanson, and Lopeti Timani – at no.8, encouragingly – all coming straight back into the starting side. Lock Alex Toolis, who made his NRC debut in last weekend’s 20-16 loss to the Spirit in Perth, now gets a debut start at blindside.

Country have pulled in a promising prop from the Gold Coast for his NRC debut, a highly-regarded young player named James Slipper. Some say he may even go on to captain the Wallabies at some point, so remember him for the future. Duncan Paia’aua is out with a shoulder injury, pushing Tyrone Lefau to inside centre and Reds squad member Izaia Perese comes off the bench into outside centre.

MELBOURNE: Toby Smith, James Hanson, Tim Metcher, Sam Jeffries, Steve Cummins, Alex Toolis, Jordy Reid, Lopeti Timani, Nic Stirzaker, Jack Debreczeni, Tom English, Sione Tuipulotu, Sefa Naivalu, Ah-Mu Tuimalealiifano, Jonah Placid.
Reserves: Pat Leafa, Cruze Ah Nau, Tyrel Lomax, Rob Leota, Harley Fox, Mick Snowden, Ben Meehan, Taiso Silafai-Leaana.

QUEENSLAND COUNTRY: James Slipper, Alex Casey, Taniela Tupou, Izack Rodder, Rob Simmons, Apisai Naiyabo, Conor Mitchell, Lolo Fakaosilea, James Tuttle ©, Mack Mason, Eto Nabuli, Tyrone Lefau, Izaia Perese, Liam McNamara, Tom Banks.
Reserves: Feleti Kaitu’u, Ben Daley, Sef Fa’agase, Phil Potgieter, Tyrell Barker, Isaak Fines-Leleiwasa, Mitch Third, Josh Birch.

Canberra Vikings v NSW Country Eagles; Viking Park, 3pm AEST
The home side has made an already excellent pack even better with the inclusion of young Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa, and with Brumbies and Wallabies lock Sam Carter to play his first game for the Vikings, coincidentally against the side he played two games for last season. Henry Speight replaces James Dargaville on the wing.

It’s an all-Waratahs front row for Country, with Paddy Ryan and Tom Robertson coming into the pack alongside Tolu Latu. Sevens star Sam Figg comes into the backrow after a pretty handy performance off the bench last week against Brisbane City.

CANBERRA: Sione Taula, Josh Mann-Rea, Allan Alaalatoa, Blake Enever, Sam Carter, Tom Staniforth, Jarrad Butler ©, Jordan Smiler, Joe Powell, Nick Jooste, Lausii Taliauli, Jordan Jackson-Hope, Andrew Smith, Henry Speight, Robbie Coleman.
Reserves: Robbie Abel, Faalelei Sione, Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin, Rory Arnold, OJ Noa, Dean Oakman-Hunt, Brent Hamlin, Isaac Thompson.

NSW COUNTRY: Paddy Ryan ©, Tolu Latu, Tom Robertson, Ned Hanigan, Tim Buchanan, Sam Figg, Rowan Perry, Sam Ward, Jake Gordon, Andrew Deegan, Alex Newsome, Kyle Godwin, David Horwitz, Reece Robinson, Andrew Kellaway.
Reserves: Jed Gillespie, Folau Fa’ainga, Sam Needs, Ryan McCauley, Mark Baldwin, Sam Croke, Tayler Adams, Angus Roberts.

REMINDER: How to watch the Fox Sports live streams
Fox Sports will broadcast both 3pm games each Saturday and Sunday (Ch.502), and the 1pm live streamed games (and the Friday night game next week in Round 2) can be viewed via www.foxsports.com.au, via the Fox Sports mobile app, or via Apple TV or Telstra TV through the FOX SPORTS NOW app.

But to access the streams, you will need a Fox Sports online account, which is not the same as your Foxtel pay-tv account.

If you have a Fox Sports (TV) subscription, or a digital subscription to any of the News Limited mastheads, you could be eligible for a free FOX SPORTS Digital Subscription that gives you full access to the NRC live streams. Head to www.foxsports.com.au/fox-sports-subscription to find out more, create your online account, and then you’re away.

If you created an account last season to access the streams, then you’re already good to go.

Tips

Right then, so last week didn’t go so well for two-thirds of the experts and more than a hundred Roarers, with perhaps a little too much blind faith toward the Queensland teams first up. Last week was just a warm-up, though, right?

Ha, not a chance. I’ve got a lead to protect now!

Brett
Wha-hey! Nice view from up here; I can see my house! Of course the danger now is that I have no experience front-running in these competitions, so this can only end in tears and be short-lived to boot.

I had the Rays pencilled in for tonight’s game, mainly because of extreme doubts as to the strength of the side Perth would travel with. But since the Spirit have been good enough to make few changes to last week’s winning side, I’m happy to stick with them. Plus, I think they’ll be too good at the breakdown and too dangerous out wide; the Rays missed a thousand tackles last week, but the Rams couldn’t make them pay in the way Lance-Tapuai-Morahan will.

Easy picking the other three, though: City, Melbourne, Canberra. The first two pretty comfortably; the Vikings, probably, will have to work hard early to secure dominance, then it might be comfortable after that.

Paddy
“My tipping result befits my knowledge of the current National Rugby Championship, and has confirmed my status of ‘lowly comic relief’ in this competition. Though I believe even that status is up for serious debate.

“To the games this weekend! The Sydney Rays… I like the look and sound of that. Let me tip the only team that didn’t let me down last game. As for the rest of ’em… Brisbane City to bounce back against Western Sydney, Melbourne Rising to win in a high-scoring cracker and the Vikings, who I honestly thought would struggle pre-comp, to come home with a wet sail over a strong Queensland Country team.”

Geoff
“Well, that went well didn’t it? Thanks Paddy for sharing my tipping shame, although now with some exposed form there’s reason to approach this week with more optimism.

“The Sydney Rays to get the job done over the travelling Spirit. The Brisbane City players obviously felt out of sorts being on a University campus and will surely bounce back at home against the Rams. The Rising also return home and will be too good for Qld Country, which leaves the UC Vikings, who looked the best organised of all eight sides last week, to finish off the round with a win against NSW Country.”

The Summary

For Round 2, The Crowd picks…
..all the home teams. Though the Sydney Rays-Perth Spirit pick was a close run thing. Thanks once again to everyone who lodged a vote. The final picks were:

51.6% Sydney Rays
84.2% Brisbane City
78.9% Melbourne Rising
71.6% Uni of Canberra Vikings