Bill Pulver has announced Super Rugby players will play in the NRC kicking off in August © Getty Images

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Tournaments/Tours: National Rugby Championship

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has confirmed the inaugural National Rugby Championship (NRC) will kick off in August with nine teams. The competition will include two teams from Queensland, four from New South Wales and one each from ACT, Victoria and Western Australia.

Kicking off after the completion of the State Premier Rugby competitions in August, the championship will run for 11 weeks ending in November. The competition will include eight preliminary rounds, with each team playing four home and four away games, and one bye week before finishing with semi-finals and a grand final.

Teams to compete in National Rugby Championship 2014

• Brisbane City (QRU/Reds)
• Queensland Country (QRU/Reds)
• North Harbour Rays (Manly, Warringah, Gordon, Norths)
• Sydney Stars (Sydney University and Balmain)
• Greater Sydney Rams (West Harbour, Penrith, Parramatta, Eastwood, Southern Districts)
• NSW Country
• University of Canberra Vikings (ACT Rugby/Brumbies, University of Canberra, Tuggeranong Vikings)
• Melbourne Rising (VRU/Rebels)
• Perth Spirit (Rugby WA/Force)

ARU chief executive Bill Pulver was delighted the entire Australian Rugby community had come together to form teams, saying the NRC was "the missing link in [players'] development pathway towards Super Rugby".

"The National Rugby Championship is an important strategic development for the growth of rugby in Australia. For players it represents the missing link in their development pathway towards Super Rugby and ultimately Wallaby selection. For rugby fans it will provide an opportunity to engage with an elite rugby competition during the second half of the year, once the Super Rugby competition is completed."

Eleven tenders were received and were assessed on a range of factors including financial capacity; venue facilities and infrastructure; professional team staffing, structure and environment; commitment to player development; links to Super Rugby clubs; and current or potential fan base. Unsuccessful tenderers were advised they would be considered for inclusion as the competition matured

"We have been very impressed with the quality of all the tenders and grateful for the efforts of all involved," Pulver said. "Our vision for the future of the NRC involved expansion of the number of teams involved in the coming years, and we look forward to welcoming new teams into the competition as soon as 2015.".

All Super Rugby players will be required to play in the championship, with a quota system in place to ensure each of the nine teams have a mixture of Super Rugby players and the best up-and-coming players from local club competitions.

The Wallabies will be playing Tests while the NRC is contested, but members of the national squad will be allocated across the nine teams and will play if they become available.

CLARKE | "Professionalism has opened up that gap between club rugby and professional rugby. The NRC fills that gap"

— RaboDirect Rebels (@MelbourneRebels) March 24, 2014