Australian Provincial Championship
Encyclopedia
The Australian Provincial Championship, often abbreviated to the APC, is a now defunct Australian
national Rugby union
tournament that commenced for just one season in 2006. Each team plays every team twice throughout the six week round robin tournament.
, Canberra
and Brisbane
, where there are strong local competitions. In order to expose fringe state players to a high level of rugby, the state teams New South Wales Waratahs
, the Brumbies
and Queensland Reds
, have previously played for the Ricoh National Championship at the completion of the Super 12.
Before the professional rugby era, the NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds played annually in a competition known as the State of the Union, a name which is still commonly used to refer to Australian interstate games. This was expanded and renamed the Ricoh National Championship in 1998 to accommodate the ACT Brumbies. This competition also ran in 1999 and 2000.
In 2006, a Western Australian team Western Force
, joined New South Wales, Queensland and ACT for the Australian Provincial Championship at the completion of the Super 14, the winner of which was awarded the Bob Templeton trophy. It was suggested that in 2007 or 2008 some Japanese teams could play this competition, however the competition was discontinued beyond 2006 due to the new Australian Rugby Championship
. Additionally, the Australian Rugby Shield
is a national competition featuring teams from outside the traditional rugby areas.
or more in one match and/or lose by seven points or less. The standard system is four points for a win, two for a draw and zero for a loss (depending on bonus points).
The four teams will be as strong as possible, but will be without their respective Wallabies
, due to the South African leg of the 2006 Tri Nations Series
. The Western Force ended up having all-away fixtures, whilst the Brumbies will be playing all their games on Friday nights, the Waratahs will take games to Gosford
and Bathurst
, whilst the Reds will kick off in the afternoon at Ballymore
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
national Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
tournament that commenced for just one season in 2006. Each team plays every team twice throughout the six week round robin tournament.
Overview
There had previously been no national rugby union club competition in Australia because of a lack of player depth outside of the rugby strongholds of SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, where there are strong local competitions. In order to expose fringe state players to a high level of rugby, the state teams New South Wales Waratahs
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
, the Brumbies
Brumbies Rugby
The Brumbies are a Super 15 rugby union team based in Canberra, Australia and named for the wild horses which inhabit Canberra's hinterland...
and Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
, have previously played for the Ricoh National Championship at the completion of the Super 12.
Before the professional rugby era, the NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds played annually in a competition known as the State of the Union, a name which is still commonly used to refer to Australian interstate games. This was expanded and renamed the Ricoh National Championship in 1998 to accommodate the ACT Brumbies. This competition also ran in 1999 and 2000.
In 2006, a Western Australian team Western Force
Western Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
, joined New South Wales, Queensland and ACT for the Australian Provincial Championship at the completion of the Super 14, the winner of which was awarded the Bob Templeton trophy. It was suggested that in 2007 or 2008 some Japanese teams could play this competition, however the competition was discontinued beyond 2006 due to the new Australian Rugby Championship
Australian Rugby Championship
The Australian Rugby Championship, often abbreviated to the ARC , was a domestic Rugby union football club competition in Australia which ran for only one season in August–October 2007...
. Additionally, the Australian Rugby Shield
Australian Rugby Shield
The Australian Rugby Shield is a national Rugby union competition intended to unearth new talent and foster rugby union development outside the traditional Rugby states New South Wales and Queensland....
is a national competition featuring teams from outside the traditional rugby areas.
Format
The points system used for the APC was the same as the one that is used for the Super 14; with bonus points being awarded to teams who score four triesTry
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
or more in one match and/or lose by seven points or less. The standard system is four points for a win, two for a draw and zero for a loss (depending on bonus points).
The four teams will be as strong as possible, but will be without their respective Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, due to the South African leg of the 2006 Tri Nations Series
2006 Tri Nations Series
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:* All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-External links:* * *...
. The Western Force ended up having all-away fixtures, whilst the Brumbies will be playing all their games on Friday nights, the Waratahs will take games to Gosford
Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...
and Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, whilst the Reds will kick off in the afternoon at Ballymore
Ballymore Stadium
Ballymore is the name of a rugby union stadium situated in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It was the home of Queensland Rugby Union, and used to be the home ground for the Queensland Reds and the Brisbane Strikers Football Club. The Queensland Reds have since moved to Suncorp Stadium...
.
See also
- Australia national rugby union teamAustralia national rugby union teamThe Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
- Australian Rugby ChampionshipAustralian Rugby ChampionshipThe Australian Rugby Championship, often abbreviated to the ARC , was a domestic Rugby union football club competition in Australia which ran for only one season in August–October 2007...
(ARCARCARC may refer to:- Business :* African Rainforest Conservancy, an environmental nonprofit* Airport Regions Conference, a European organization of major airports* Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation, a British stone quarrying company...
) (defunct) - Australian Rugby ShieldAustralian Rugby ShieldThe Australian Rugby Shield is a national Rugby union competition intended to unearth new talent and foster rugby union development outside the traditional Rugby states New South Wales and Queensland....
(ARSArsArs , or Arsim is a derogatory Hebrew slang term for the Israeli stereotype of a low-class young man. The stereotype may also refer to attributes such as flashy jewelry and clothing...
) - Super Rugby