New South Wales Country Eagles

New South Wales Country Eagles
NSW Country Eagles
Founded 2014
Region NSW Regions, excl. Sydney & Southern NSW
Ground(s) Bellevue Oval (Armidale)
Camden Rugby Park (Goulburn)
Glen Willow Stadium (Orange)
Scully Park(Tamworth)
Coach(es) Darren Coleman
Captain(s) Paddy Ryan
League(s) National Rugby Championship
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
nswcountryeagles.com
Sam Figg runs the ball against the Rams in 2016.

The New South Wales Country Eagles is an Australian rugby union football team competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team was founded by a group of patrons associated with country rugby in New South Wales. The Eagles team plays home matches in regional centres of New South Wales including Armidale, Goulburn, Orange, and Tamworth.[1]

Name and colours

The Country Eagles' name derives from the wedge-tailed eagle, a large bird of prey found across all areas of Australia. Golden hackles highlight the eagle's predominantly black feathers and these have been adopted as the team's colours.[2] The team's logo features a wedge-tailed eagle. The logo and mascot, “Wedgie”, were chosen in consultation with the NSW Country Rugby Union to differentiate the team from the existing Cockatoos representative side. The Eagles, however, still wear the traditional black and gold (amber) colours of NSW Country.[1]

Sponsorship

Elders Limited formed a partnership with NSW Country Eagles in 2015, and has been the team's main front-of-jersey sponsor since 2016.[3] The major naming sponsor of the Country Eagles for the 2014 and 2015 seasons was Charles Sturt University (CSU).[4]

History

The ARU announced in December 2013 that the National Rugby Championship (NRC) would commence in 2014. Expressions of interest were open to all parties, with the accepted bids announced in early 2014.[5] A group of rugby patrons headed by businessmen Rick Hutchinson and Peter Tonkin founded the bid for a New South Wales Country team.[6][7] On 24 March 2014, it was announced that New South Wales Country would be in the new competition.[8]
2014 NSW Country Eagles kit and logo.

Originally it was thought the Country team for the NRC would be wholly composed of city-based players of country origin, but a goal of recruiting between four and eight players that were country-based was announced.[8] Sydney clubs Easts and Randwick also have a direct link as feeder clubs for the NSW Country team in the NRC.[8] The Sydney University club took a 25% stake of the team ahead of the 2016 season and provided many of the Eagles players from that season onwards.[9]

General manager of the NSW Country Eagles in 2014, former Wallabies player James Grant, indicated that the team would be based in Sydney but would travel to regional centres in New South Wales to play home games. Cities including Orange, Dubbo, Mudgee, Lismore, Tamworth, Moree, Armidale and Newcastle expressed an interest in staging country matches.[7]

Darren Coleman was appointed as the first head coach of NSW Country team. Coleman had previously guided Japanese team Toyota Shokki to Top League promotion for the 2013–14 season.[10][11] He was also the assistant coach of the Central Coast Rays team which won the ARC in 2007.[12] Matthew Carraro was named as captain of the Eagles' team for the opening match of the 2014 season.[13]

Coleman continued as head coach through to 2018.[14][15][16]

Grounds

NSW Country Eagles home venues for the 2018 National Rugby Championship

The Country Eagles team plays its home games in regional centres of New South Wales. In previous seasons, the team has also hosted some matches in Sydney.[1] The team played home matches at the following locations for the 2018 season:

City   Venue   Capacity
Armidale Bellevue Oval 3,000
Camden Camden Rugby Park 3,000
Mudgee Glen Willow Stadium 10,000
Tamworth Scully Park 11,000

Other home venues used in previous seasons:[17]

City   Venue   Capacity
Bathurst Ann Ashwood Park 3,000
Dubbo Caltex Park [18] 12,000
Gosford Central Coast Stadium 20,059
Goulburn Simon Poidevin Oval 3,000
Lismore Oakes Oval [19] 10,000
Newcastle Sports Ground No. 2 5,000
Orange Wade Park [20] 8,000
Tamworth Chillingworth Oval 3,000
Magpies Rugby Park 3,000
Sydney Concord Oval 20,000
Coogee Oval [21] 5,000
University Oval No. 2 5,000
Woollahra Oval 5,000

Current squad

The squad for the 2018 National Rugby Championship season:[22]

Props

Hookers

Locks

  

Loose Forwards


Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

  

Centres

  • Australia Denny Godinet
  • Australia Apolosi Latunipulu
  • Australia William McDonnell
  • Australia Seb Wileman

Wingers

Fullbacks

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped, 1 denotes allocated national player additional to the contracted squad.

Records

Honours

Season standings

National Rugby Championship

Year Pos Pld W D L F A +/- BP Pts   Play-offs
2017 5th 8413219217+2220   Did not compete
2016 1st 7601280190+90428   Grand final loss to Perth Spirit by 20–16.
2015 5th 8404225260−35319   Did not compete
2014 2nd 8602251202+49327   Semi-final loss to Brisbane City by 26–32.

Head coaches

Captains

Squads

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "NRC update part 2: NSW Country and the Sydney teams". The Roar. 9 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "About Us". NSW Country Eagles. 2014. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Sponsorships: New South Wales Country Eagles". Elders Rural. 2015. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "CSU supports NSW Country Eagles". Charles Sturt University. 12 August 2014. Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "ARU unveils new domestic competition, a third tier of rugby". The Australian. News. 10 December 2013. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Adams, Hugh (15 August 2014). "NSW Country Eagles Preview". Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  7. 1 2 Findle, Matt (26 March 2014). "Country players to audition for National Rugby Championship side". Central Western Daily. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "Australian Rugby Union says National Rugby Championship to start in August". ABC. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  9. ↑ McKay, Brett (16 November 2016). "Comment @ 2:31pm". The Roar. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "Ashley-Cooper to stay in Australia". msn Sport. 22 March 2013. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Toyota Shokki promoted, Sanix relegated". Rugby Redefined. 3 February 2013. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Coleman to coach Brumbies Academy". Rugby Week. 19 September 2008. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  13. ↑ "NSW Country Eagles team to play Greater Sydney Rams". NSW Country Rugby. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  14. ↑ "The Eagles haven't landed ... yet: Orange in fight to host NRC game". Central West Daily. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 31 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  15. ↑ "Coaching staff announcement". NSW Country Eagles. 4 June 2016. Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  16. ↑ "NRC coaches for 2018 announced". NSW Waratahs. 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  17. ↑ McKay, Brett (15 July 2014). "NRC update part 3: All systems go for launch". The Roar. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  18. ↑ "Apex Oval". Austadiums. 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "Oakes Oval". Austadiums. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  20. ↑ "Wade Park". Austadiums. 5 July 2007. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  21. ↑ "Coogee Oval". Austadiums. 22 March 2005. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "Izzy Folau's brother John joins NRC ranks". rugby.com.au. 4 September 2018.
  23. ↑ "NRC Live: Sydney Rays vs NSW Country Eagles". Rugby.com.au. 19 September 2018.
  24. 1 2 3 "NRC: Wallabies return for Sydney-Country clash". Rugby.com.au. 18 September 2018.
  25. ↑ "NRC Teams: Dempsey to make rugby return". rugby.com.au. 14 September 2018.
  26. ↑ "NRC Teams:Big names in for penultimate regular round". Rugby.com.au. 5 October 2018.
  27. ↑ "NRC Teams: Powell to start for Vikings". Rugby.com.au. 21 September 2018.
  28. ↑ Team announcement. NSW Country Eagles 7 September 2018.
  29. ↑ "Why change a winning formula? The Country Eagles coaching staff and captain confirmed for 2017". NSW Country Eagles. 17 July 2017. Archived from the original on 17 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  30. ↑ "Jono Lance and Will Miller named CSU Country Eagles captains". NSW Country Eagles. 19 August 2015. Archived from the original on 19 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  31. ↑ NSW COUNTRY EAGLES PLAYING SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT
  32. ↑ "CSU NSW Country Eagles announce 2015 NRC squad". NSW Country Eagles. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  33. ↑ "Meet the team". NSW Country Eagles. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  34. ↑ "NSW Country Eagles announce NRC Squad for 2014". The Roar. 1 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  35. ↑ Qantas Wallabies player alignments unveiled for 2014 Buildcorp National Rugby Championship
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.