Given the NRL has decided to begin the 2014 NRL pre-season with the Auckland 9’s tournament, I have decided to look at the history of Rugby League Sevens and Rugby League Nines. I will look at the possible future of the Auckland 9’s and where it could head in future years. I will also touch on the Facebook page/Twitter account going forward and where this is all headed.
The first Rugby League Sevens tournament played in Australia was held in 1961 between the NSWRL clubs at the Sydney Sports Ground. The tournament was part of a testimonial day for Keith Holman. Rugby League Sevens would return to Sydney as a pre-season competition in 1988. Between 1988 and 1991, the completion was a straight knockout competition held at Parramatta Stadium, featuring the sixteen NSWRL clubs.
In 1992, the tournament was expanded to feature international teams battling alongside the NSWRL teams. The tournament was also moved to the Sydney Football Stadium. Teams in 1992 would be put into groups and play each of the other teams in their group before the top team moved on to play for the Cup, with the second team in each group playing for the trophy and the third team playing for the plate. 1995 saw the addition of the four new ARL teams to play Sevens for the first time. The 1995 and 1996 tournaments were extended to three days, with the first day in 1995 played at Parramatta Stadium, whilst the first day in 1996 was played at Lang Park. The eight clubs who had signed with Super League did not participate in the 1996 or 1997 tournaments.
The non-NSWRL/ARL clubs that took part between 1992 & 1997 were:
1992: Wigan, Wainuiomata (NZ), Oceania, Port Moresby, France, Fiji, Russia & USA
1993: Wainuiomata (NZ), USA, France, Fiji, South Africa, Port Moresby, Samoa & Russia
1994: Fiji, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, France, USA, New Zealand, Tonga, Japan, Russia, Great Britain & Western Samoa
1995: New Zealand, Fiji, Russia, South Africa, Canada, Japan, Papua New Guinea, France, Tonga, Western Samoa, Morocco & Italy
1996: Tonga, Great Britain, NSW Country. Port Moresby, Canada, New Zealand, American Samoa, Fiji, Japan, Aboriginal Dream Team, Melbourne & USA
1997: NRL Fiji, American Samoa, Tonga, Aboriginal Dream Team, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Italy, Japan, USA, Lebanon, Melbourne & NSW Country
After a five-year absence, the World Sevens returned for two pre-seasons in 2003 and 2004, both of which were held over two days at the Sydney Football Stadium. The tournaments would feature all 15 NRL teams, several non-NRL teams, and one team who qualified through a midweek qualifying tournament. The 2004 tournament would drop the Plate and Trophy tournaments, with the winners of each group moving to the Cup. Several international teams would play for a second cup. Two qualifying teams were added to the 2004 tournament. 2004 would be the last time the World Sevens tournament was held. The non-NRL clubs for 2003 & 2004 were:
2003: Russia, Lebanon, England, Tonga, National Aboriginal Sports Cooperation of Australia, Papua New Guinea, France, Samoa & Fiji
2004: NSW Country, Widnes, Lebanon, NZ Residents, National Aboriginal Sports Cooperation of Australia, France, Tonga, Fiji, Russia, Samoa & Papua New Guinea
In 1996, Super League decided instead of playing Sevens, they would play a Nines tournament (which is the same principle of Sevens but with two more forwards in the scrums). Another difference was instead of club teams mixing with representative teams, the tournament would feature only international teams. The 1996 tournament was held over two days in late February in Fiji. The competition was meant to kick off the 1996 Australian Super League season; however, that did not eventuate due to a court ruling. The competition was played for a second and final time in 1997, over three days in late January in Townsville. Given the ARL and Super League reunification at the close of the 1997 season, the Super League Nines would never again be contested.
Rugby League Nines has been played all over Europe since 2002, starting with the York Nines. Tournaments have been held in England, Ireland, Wales, Germany, France, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway & Italy. The biggest Nines tournament in Australia is the Cabramatta Leagues and NSW Rugby League International Nines, which was first held in 2008. The tournament begins in early February at New Era Stadium in Cabramatta. The tournament features a mix of several club sides from NSW competing against international sides.
Part of the success of the World Sevens of the past had been seeing international teams compete alongside the NRL clubs. Given that the first year of the NRL Nines is only made up of NRL clubs, I would run a separate international competition featuring eight international teams: Australian Indigenous, Cook Islands, Fiji, Papa New Guinea, New Zealand Maori, Samoa, Tonga and the highest team not already qualified from the Cabramatta Leagues and NSW Rugby league International Nines. Over the five years, I would expand the tournament to include other international teams and the highest two teams not already qualified from the Cabramatta Leagues and NSW Rugby league International Nines to participate in the Auckland Nines.
I would establish Rugby League Nines World Series five years after expanding the Auckland Nines. I would start the tournament in Fiji’s sevens/nines powerhouse in October. I would move the tournament to Australia in late October/early November, where there is a lack of sport with the domestic football seasons finishing and international cricket yet to start. In December, the third leg would be played in the island country of Jamaica, which is making tremendous strides in the international game. The tournament would begin in the New Year in January in Dubai, with the possibility of attracting tourists from nearby. The tournament would then resume during February in New Zealand, on the weekend of the NRL Auckland 9’s. In March, the tournament would be held in the USA, where the fast-paced game of Rugby League 9’s would be a strong possibility of cracking the US market. In April, the tournament would head to the birthplace of Rugby League, England, before heading to Wales in May and finishing the tournament in the south of France in June.
The Australian Indigenous and the New Zealand Maori sides would be replaced by Australia and New Zealand, respectively. Twelve teams would compete in most tournaments, with a separate qualifying tournament held post the French tournament featuring the top two ranked teams from the regular series. Below the blog are the teams and groups they were in for 1992-1997, 2003-2004 World Sevens, the Super League Nines and the Cabramatta Leagues & NSW Rugby League Nines. Thanks to the https://marathonstadium.com/ forum pages, I found much information regarding which team was in which pool.
If you like the Facebook page or follow the Twitter account, you will notice that there are news articles from various sources every day and might be thinking, what does this have to do with a blog? I plan to run a site (hopefully from next year). This site will be a one-stop-shop for Rugby League news, results & opinion from around the world. Currently, the blog & podcast (which is on hiatus) are run as two separate accounts; they will be merged into one account when the site is up and running. The blog post news stories contain news articles which are the style I will have on the website, from a variety of pages, including the Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian, Daily Mail, Guardian, Independent, Yorkshire Post, BBC, Sky Sports, Rugby Football League, National Rugby League, New South Wales Rugby League, Queensland Rugby League, Country Rugby League NSW, NZ Herald, Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand Rugby League, Rugby League European Federation, Pac news, Rugby League International Federation and RLWC2013.com. The stories usually go up at 8 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 5 pm or 8 pm Sydney time. If I miss all those, I will aim for 12 pm UK time.
Quote of the week: Dennis Cometti names his favourite one-liner in his commentary: “The good thing is they still talk about it, but it’s bad because it looks like you’ve had nothing since. It was a decade ago, but it was, ‘He went into the pack optimistically and came out misty optically.'”
If you want to contact me, you can email me at:1895blog@hotmail.com. Remember to like the page on Facebook to find out when new blog posts are available and the latest news, views and opinion from the world of Rugby League at http://www.facebook.com/1895blog. Also, follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/1895blog to get all this plus live and full-time scores from every game in the NRL. Full-Time scores from Super League, NSW Cup, Intrust Super Cup, Championship, League 1, Ron Massey Cup and the new Brisbane Rugby League.
Till next time
Cheese
1992 World Sevens
A. Wigan, Cronulla, Gold Coast
B. Penrith, Wainuiomata, Parramatta
C. Balmain, St. George, Oceania
D. Manly, Illawarra, Port Moresby
E. Brisbane, North Sydney, France
F. Canberra, Western Suburbs, Fiji
G. Eastern Suburbs, Canterbury, Russia
H. Newcastle, South Sydney, USA
1993 World Sevens
A. Canterbury, Brisbane, Wainuiomata
B. Illawarra, South Sydney, USA,
C. Manly, Balmain, France
D. St George, Parramatta, Fiji
E. Eastern Suburbs, Cronulla, South Africa
F. Newcastle, Western Suburbs, Port Moresby
G. Penrith, North Sydney, Western Samoa
H. Russia, Canberra, Gold Coast
1994 World Sevens
A. St George, Balmain, Penrith
B. Newcastle, Illawarra, Brisbane, Western Suburbs
C. Fiji, South Africa, Papua New Guinea
D. France, USA, New Zealand
E. Canterbury, Parramatta, Eastern Suburbs, South Sydney
F. Manly, Cronulla, North Sydney, Gold Coast
G. Tonga, Japan, Russia
H. Great Britain, Canberra, Western Samoa
1995 World Sevens
A. Manly, Cronulla, Parramatta, Illawarra
B. St. George, North Sydney, Great Britain, Penrith
C. Sydney Bulldogs, South Sydney, Newcastle, Sydney City
D. Western Reds, Brisbane, Western Suburbs, South Queensland
E. New Zealand, North Queensland, Auckland Warriors, Canberra
F. Sydney Tigers, USA, Fiji, Russia, South Africa
G. Canada, Japan, Gold Coast, Papua New Guinea
H. France, Tonga, Western Samoa, Morocco, Italy
1996 World Sevens
A. Illawarra, South Sydney, Tonga
B. Sydney Tigers, Great Britain, NSW Country
C. Parramatta, Western Suburbs, Port Moresby
D. Canada, New Zealand, Newcastle
E. Manly, American Samoa, South Queensland
F. North Sydney, Gold Coast, Fiji
G. Sydney City, Japan, St. George
H, Aboriginal Dream Team, Melbourne, USA
1997 World Sevens
A. NRL Fiji, American Samoa, Tonga
B. Newcastle, South Sydney, St. George
C. Aboriginal Dream Team, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand
D. North Sydney, Sydney City, Gold Coast
E. Italy, Japan, USA
F. Illawarra, Manly, Western Suburbs
G. Lebanon, Melbourne, NSW Country
H. Balmain, South Sydney, Parramatta
1996 World Nines
A. Australia, Western Samoa, Scotland, United States
B. England, Tonga, Italy, Morocco
C. New Zealand, France, Ireland, Japan
D. Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Wales, Cook Islands
1997 World Nines
A. Australia, USA, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Western Samoa, Fiji
B. New Zealand, France, Great Britain, Tonga, South Africa, Japan
2003 World Sevens
A. Canterbury, Cronulla, North Queensland
B. Sydney, South Sydney, Russia
C. Parramatta, Penrith, Lebanon
D. Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra
E. England, Tonga, National Aboriginal Sports Cooperation of Australia
F. Papua New Guinea, Frane, Samoa
G. Newcastle, Manly, Wests
H. St. George Illawarra, Warriors, Fiji
Qualifying tournament: NSW Country, Coogee Dolphins, USA, Japan, American Samoa, Italy, NZ Maori, National Aboriginal Sports Cooperation of Australia, Japan, Newtown
2004 World Sevens
A. Parramatta, Cronulla, NSW Country, Widnes
B. Penrith, Wests, South Sydney, Canberra
C. Canterbury, St. George Illawarra. Lebanon, Melbourne
D. Sydney, Brisbane, North Queensland, NZ Residents
E. Newcastle, Warriors, Manly, National Aboriginal Sports Cooperation of Australia
F. France, Tonga, Fiji
G. Russia, Samoa, Papua New Guinea,
Qualifying tournament:
A. New Zealand Maori, Newtown, Sydney Bulls
B. NSW Country, Balmain, Italy
C. Western Suburbs, Cook Islands, Japan
D. National Aboriginal Sports Cooperation of Australia, North Sydney, American Samoa
2008 Nines
A. Western Suburbs, Mounties, Windsor, Newtown
B. Balmain Ryde-Eastwood, Cabramatta, Campbelltown, NSW Tertiary
C. The Cook Islands, Australian Indigenous, PIRLA, JAPAN
D. Shellharbour, Fiji A, American Samoa, Portugal A
2009 Nines
A. Western Suburbs, Windsor, Campbelltown, Southern Districts
B. Balmain Ryde-Eastwood, Wentworthville, Cabramatta
C. Brothers, Chester Hill, Mounties, Campbelltown
D. Newtown, Bankstown, Shellharbour, Cabramatta
E Indigenous, Tonga, Niue, NSW Universities
F. Fiji, Cook Islands, Appin, Japan
2010 Nines
A. Balmain Ryde-Eastwood, Bankstown, Campbelltown (1)
B. Mounties, Wentworthville, Penrith Brothers (2)
C. The Entrance, Penrith Brothers, Campbelltown
D. Windsor, Cabramatta (1), Campbelltown (3)
E. Australian indigenous, Cook Islands, Japan
F. Nz Tonga, Cabramatta (2), Fiji Panthers
G. Fiji Australians, NSW Maori, Canley Vale
2011 Nines
A. Balmain Ryde-Eastwood, Cabramatta, Liverpool
B. Cabramatta, Wentworthville, Macarthur
C. The entrance, Bankstown, Canley Heights
D. Windsor, Maitland, Mounties
E. Fiji Australians, Australian Indigenous, Japan
F. Tonga, Cook Islands, Japan
2012 Nines
A. Indigenous, Balmain Ryde-Eastwood, Penrith Brothers
B. Mounties, Blacktown, Cabramatta (2)
C. Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Portugal
D. Auburn (2), The Entrance, Burwood North Ryde
E. Western Suburbs, Canley Vale, Kingsgrove, Liverpool
F. Cabramatta, Auburn, Liverpool (2)
G. Fiji Parkes, Niue, Philippines
2013 Nines
A. Mounties, Burwood United, Shellharbour
B. Cabramatta, West Illawarra, NSW Police, Auburn (2),
C. Auburn (1), Blacktown (1), Kingsgrove
D. Hills District, Philippines Red, The Entrance, North Ryde United
E. Australian Indigenous, Fiji, Blacktown (2), Papua New Guinea Development
F. Portugal, Greece, Philippines White, Italy
G. Japan, Niue, Philippines Blue, Australian Cook Islands
H. Tonga, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea National Re=