New South Wales Country Eagles
NSW Country Eagles
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| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Region | NSW Regions, excl. Sydney & Southern NSW |
| Ground(s) | Endeavour Oval
(Orange)
Magpies Rugby Park (Tamworth)
University Oval No. 2 (Sydney)
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| Coach(es) | Darren Coleman |
| Captain(s) | Paddy Ryan |
| League(s) | National Rugby Championship |
| Official website | |
| nswcountryeagles |
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The New South Wales Country Eagles is an Australian rugby union football team competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team was founded by a group of patrons associated with country rugby in New South Wales. The Eagles team plays home matches in regional centres of New South Wales, including Orange, and Tamworth.
The Country Eagles' name derives from the wedge-tailed eagle, a large bird of prey found across all areas of Australia. Golden hackles highlight the eagle's predominantly black feathers and these have been adopted as the team's colours. The team's logo features a wedge-tailed eagle. The logo and mascot, “Wedgie”, were chosen in consultation with the NSW Country Rugby Union to differentiate the team from the existing Cockatoos representative side. The Eagles, however, still wear the traditional black and gold (amber) colours of NSW Country.
The major naming sponsor of the Country Eagles for the 2014 and 2015 seasons was Charles Sturt University (CSU).
The ARU announced in December 2013 that the National Rugby Championship (NRC) would commence in 2014. Expressions of interest were open to all parties, with the accepted bids announced in early 2014. A group of rugby patrons headed by businessmen Rick Hutchinson and Peter Tonkin founded the bid for a New South Wales Country team. On 24 March 2014, it was announced that New South Wales Country would be in the new competition.
Originally it was thought the Country team for the NRC would be wholly composed of city-based players of country origin, but a goal of recruiting between four and eight players that were country-based was announced. Sydney clubs Easts and Randwick also have a direct link as feeder clubs for the NSW Country team in the NRC. The Sydney University club took a 25% stake of the team ahead of the 2016 season and provided many of the Eagles players from that season onwards.
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