Local rugby adopts new system
The RugbyWA competition kicks off tomorrow boasting several new initiatives for the season and on Sunday the WA under-15 and under-17 sides play in their respective grand finals of the National Junior Gold Cup at UWA Sports Park.
The RugbyWA Cup has been introduced in premier grade and will be played for in one match in each round of the season.
One game a week will also be streamed live for the first time.
The RugbyWA Cup format has been based on New Zealand’s Ranfurly Shield and will be contested on a challenge system with the holder defending it in home fixtures during the regular season.
Once a team has successfully defended it on three occasions, all of their subsequent matches, both home and away, will be mandatory defences.
The winner is the team in possession after Round 18.
The cup will be played for the first time between between newly promoted Joondalup and Kalamunda.
In other premier grade games UWA host Associates, Nedlands take on Wests Scarborough, Perth Bayswater travels to Cottesloe and Wanneroo play Palmyra.
RugbyWA general manager Andrew Hill said the the organisation was expecting a big season of local rugby.
“The start of a new season is always a fantastic time of the year, and we’re particularly excited about what the 2015 season has in store,” Hill said.
“The RugbyWA Cup will provide additional interest to matches throughout the season and provides a competition within the competition as teams challenge one another for the right to hold the cup at the end of the season.
“Similarly, we’re very excited to be broadcasting one match a week online.
“This will provide the opportunity for those not at the match to be able to view it live, including a large number of former players and club members no longer in Perth who still take a strong interest in the local game here.”
Both junior representative sides will play the ACT with the under-17 side out to retain the prize they won last year in the 28-19 grand final win.
They were both undefeated throughout the tournament and won through to the grand finals with victories in their Northern Conference finals in Brisbane. The under-15 side beat Brisbane Pink 18-14 and the under-17s also also beat Brisbane Pink 33-0.
