Queensland Rugby has confirmed Bond University Queensland Country’s first game in the inaugural National Rugby Championship (NRC) will be free of charge to fans.
Bond University, who are the naming-rights partner of Queensland Country as well as the official hosts of the game, will be underwriting the costs to acknowledge the support of the local rugby community, which will allow all fans to celebrate the first game under Bond’s new partnership with Queensland Rugby.
Queensland Country will have a bye in the first round of the NRC next week and will begin their campaign on Saturday 30 August, against the NSW Country Eagles at Bond University's main field at 3.00pm.
The NRC, which begins on Thursday 21 August, is a new domestic Rugby competition, involving nine teams from across Australia. The inaugural season will run from August to November and will provide another link in players’ development pathway towards Super Rugby and ultimately Wallabies selection.
Queensland Rugby is fielding two teams in the competition – Brisbane City and Queensland Country – with Reds players split between the two squads. Players were chosen for either City or Country based on their existing player pathway and high performance discretion, to ensure an even split of talent between the two sides.
Hospitality packages for the Queensland Country game against the NSW Country Eagles at Bond University on Saturday August 30 are still available.