The NRL Nines is a
rugby league nines
Rugby league nines (or simply nines) is a version of rugby league football played with nine players on each side. The game is substantially the same as full rugby league, with some differences in rules and shorter games. Nines is usually played in ...
competition, normally held during the
NRL preseason each year. It was initially held in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, between 2014 and 2017 before going on hiatus. Returning in 2020, hosting duties moved to
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
,
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
Competition Format
Auckland (2014–2017)
Two national women's teams compete in one section of the tournament and sixteen NRL club men's teams compete in the other. Each of the men's squad must include at least 12 of their top 25 players in their squad, and at least one marquee player. The winner of the men's tournament received
AUD
The Australian dollar (sign: $; code: AUD) is the currency of Australia, including its external territories: Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island. It is officially used as currency by three independent Pacific Island s ...
$500,000 with a total prize pool of AUD$2,250,000. In the first four editions, the competition has had eight different finalists and four different winners, though the 2016 title was later stripped from the Parramatta Eels for breaching the salary cap.
Since 2015 the
Kiwiferns and the
Jillaroos also competed in a three-game series, with the Kiwiferns winning the series 2-1. These games are played during the final stages of the men's tournament and allow the male players more of a break between their games while providing a broader tournament. Also in 2015, the pools were given traditional Maori names that were chosen by a public vote and were:
Rangitoto
Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. The wide island is a symmetrical shield volcano cone, reaching a height of . Rangitoto is the youngest and largest of the approximately 50 volcanoes of the ...
,
Waiheke
Waiheke Island (; Māori: ) is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland.
It is the most po ...
,
Piha
Piha is a coastal settlement in West Auckland, on the western coast of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is one of the most popular beaches in the area and a major day-trip destination for Aucklanders throughout the year, and especially ...
and
Hunua Ranges
The Hunua Ranges is a mountain range and regional park to the southeast of Auckland city, in the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand's North Island. The ranges cover some and rise to 688 metres (2255 ft) at Kohukohunui. .
Perth (2020)
The women's teams were
NRL Women's Premiership
The Telstra NRL Women's Premiership (NRLW) is Australia's national rugby league competition for female players. The first season of the league began in September 2018 with four teams. The league is run by the National Rugby League (NRL) and is ...
sides instead of national teams.
Series Cancellations (2021–2022)
The 2021 series was cancelled entirely, not due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...
, but due to an overly-crowded preseason schedule.
The NRL released the 2022 fixtures list in November 2021, with the season due to start in March 2022. The list included no mention of the
World Club Challenge
The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league competition between the winners of the Australasian National Rugby League (NRL) and the European Super League, for the de facto club world championship of the sport. The first such match was pl ...
or NRL Nines competitions. As of 29 April 2022, the NRL has not made any official comment on whether this competition will go ahead.
Rules
There are a number of rule variations that are implemented to ensure the games are faster and to ensure fewer delays and stoppages.
The major rule changes that differ from regular NRL games are:
* Two nine-minute halves with a two-minute half time period.
* Nine players a side with five unlimited interchange players (six interchanges in 2014).
* Scrums are only formed after a double knock on, with attacking teams electing which side to feed the ball.
* No video referee, with one on-field referee, two touch judges and two in-goal judges.
* Five minute golden try period in qualifying rounds with the match deemed a draw if there is no score, while unlimited golden try for the finals.
* A tap restart takes place after a 40/20.
* Five points for a try scored in the bonus zone under the posts, with two point drop kick conversion attempts.
* The scoring team will have a drop-kick kick-off at the half way mark to restart play.
* Three minute sin bins (Five in 2014).
* Five tackles in a set.
Finals
Note – The
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League.
The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...
were stripped of their 2016 Auckland Nines title due to a breach of the
NRL salary cap. The 2016 title was withheld by the NRL rather than awarding it to the runners up.
Men's
Team Performance
Women's
Team Performance
Women's Series
From 2015 to 2017, the New Zealand Kiwi Ferns and the Australia Jillaroos played a three match series, as the
NRL Women's Premiership
The Telstra NRL Women's Premiership (NRLW) is Australia's national rugby league competition for female players. The first season of the league began in September 2018 with four teams. The league is run by the National Rugby League (NRL) and is ...
had not yet been formed. The NRL Women's competition was formed in 2018, and in 2020 the structure of the Women's competition changed to a club competition similar to the Men's.
Sponsorship
Since 2001, the National Rugby League premiership has been sponsored by
Downer Group
Downer Group is an integrated services company active in Australia and New Zealand.
Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and New Zealand Stock Exchange as Downer EDI (DOW), Downer is an ASX 100 company.
Downer Group employs approximat ...
and known as the 'NRL Telstra Premiership'. Subsequently, the competition was simply known as the '
Dick Smith NRL Nines', being sponsored by the Australasian electronics retail chain until 2016.
See also
*
Rugby League World Sevens
The Rugby League World Sevens, usually referred to as the World Sevens and sometimes as the World Cup Sevens, was a pre-season rugby league sevens tournament made up over the years primarily of New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), Australian Ru ...
*
Super League World Nines
The Super League World Nines (known as the ''Gatorade Super League World Nines'' due to sponsorship), was a pre-season rugby league nines tournament between national sides. Set up in the midst of the Super League war and created in opposition to t ...
*
Rugby League World Cup 9s
The Rugby League World Cup 9s (currently known as the Downer Rugby League 9s World Cup for sponsorship purposes) is an international rugby league tournament played in the rugby league nines format of the sport. The competition will be held ever ...
References
External links
*
{{NRL
National Rugby League
Rugby league nines
Rugby league in Auckland
Recurring sporting events established in 2014
Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2017
2014 establishments in New Zealand
2017 disestablishments in New Zealand