Rugby League-NRL Final to Be Staged Outside Sydney for the First Time
Rugby has been one of the most popular, most played sports in Australia since the sport was introduced in the country back in 1908. At the time, rugby was particularly popular in the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales. The most elite professional rugby competition is the NRL or the National Rugby League, in which three Queensland, ten New South Wales, and one team each from New Zealand, the Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria compete.
In Australia, rugby has a long and rich history. More specifically, the very first rugby international was played in the country in 1899, but the very first professional rugby team, the Wallabies, was formed nine years later. The Wallabies was also the first Australian rugby team to compete in an international competition. Before the Wallabies, the University of Sydney formed its amateur rugby team in 1864 and at the time, the team members played against visiting Brits or among themselves.
The rugby team at the University of Sydney has its own rules, and the rules were inspired by the game played in England at the time. In 1864, rugby was almost banned by a member of the New South Wales parliament Eldred Harmer. Eldred Harmer was determined to ban the game but other members of the parliament disagreed. Six years later, the rugby team from the University of Sydney played professionally for the first time as the Wallaroo Club.
At the time, only five players competed and the team’s first opponent was a newly formed team from the University of Sydney. In the following years, new professional rugby teams were formed at The King’s School, St Leonards, Burwood, Calder House, and Newington College. At the time, the teams moved from Hyde Park to Moore Park. In 1874 the Southern Rugby Union was formed and this is the first rugby governing body to be formed in Australia.
Rugby Expansion in Australia and the Formation of the NRL
Two years after the Southern Rugby Union was formed, the English Rugby Union was introduced, and in the following years, rugby bodies formed in New Zealand, Wales, and Ireland following the rising popularity of rugby. The National Rugby League or the NRL was born twenty-three years ago or in 1998. In this rugby league, sixteen teams from New Zealand and Australia compete with several teams from the Sydney Rugby League that has been running for over one hundred years continuously.
The National Rugby League was formed following a dispute between the Australian Super League and the Australian Rugby League. In 1997, both professional rugby leagues had parallel rugby competitions. Their business agreement dissolved in 2012 and the National Rugby League was taken over by the reconstructed Australian Rugby League. That same year, the Australian Rugby League Commission was born.
National Rugby League matches are played in both New Zealand and Australia, starting from March and finishing in October with the National Rugby League final. Winners of the NRL Grand Final also play against teams of the Super League in the World Club Challenge. The most recent NRL champion is the Melbourne Storm team that won its fourth title in 2020 after defeating Penrith Panthers. Needless to say, all National Rugby League matches, including every NRL Grand Final, are covered by all major sports betting sites operating in Australia, and one of these sites is renowned bet365. If you want to know more about bet365 Australia, check out this page.
The Upcoming National Rugby League Grand Final
Traditionally, the National Rugby League Grand Final is taking place in Australia, Sydney. More specifically, the NRL Grand Finals have been held in Sydney since 1908. From 1908 to 1987, the NRL Finals were held at the Sydney Cricket Ground before moving to the Sydney Football Stadium. Since 1999, the NRL Grand Finals were organized at the Stadium Australia that has the second-highest capacity. For the first time since the National Rugby League was formed, the NRL Grand Final 2021 will not be held in Sydney.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions in place currently in the Australian state of New South Wales, the National Rugby League Grand Final will take place in Brisbane at the Suncorp Stadium. Also known as Brisbane Stadium and Lang Park, Suncorp Stadium located in Milton has a capacity of 52,500 spectators. It is mainly used for rugby union and rugby league matches.
It opened its doors in 1914 and at the time, Lang Park was home to many different sports including soccer, athletics, and cycling. In 1957, the Brisbane Rugby League leased the stadium, and ever since, the Queensland Reds play their home matches here alongside the Brisbane Broncos and the Australian Wallabies.
