NRL Auckland Nines

The NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Downer NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) is a rugby league nines competition first held by the National Rugby League at Auckland's Eden Park between 15 – 16 February 2014. The 2014 event was the first of five to be held at Eden Park.

All sixteen NRL clubs compete in the tournament. Each squad included at least 12 of their top 25 players in their squad, and at least one marquee player. The winner of the tournament received AUD$500,000 with a total prize pool of AUD$2,250,000.

In the 2015 the Kiwiferns and the Jillaroos also competed in a three-game series, with the Kiwiferns winning the series 2-1. In 2015, the pool names were chosen by a public vote and were: Rangitoto, Waiheke, Piha and Hunua Ranges.

Rules

There are a number of rule variations that are implemented to ensure the games are faster and to ensure fewer delays and stoppages.

The major rule changes that differ from regular NRL games are:

Auckland

Auckland (/ˈɔːklənd/ AWK-lənd), in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country. Auckland has a population of 1,454,300, 32 percent of New Zealand's population. It is part of the wider Auckland Region, which includes the rural areas and towns north and south of the urban area, plus the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, resulting in a total population of 1,570,500 that is governed by the Auckland Council. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world. In Māori, Auckland's name is Tāmaki Makaurau and the transliterated version of Auckland is Ākarana.

The Auckland urban area (as defined by Statistics New Zealand) ranges to Waiwera in the north, Kumeu in the northwest, and Runciman in the south. It is not contiguous; the section from Waiwera to Whangaparaoa Peninsula is separate from its nearest neighbouring suburb of Long Bay. Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf of the Pacific Ocean to the east, the low Hunua Ranges to the south-east, the Manukau Harbour to the south-west, and the Waitakere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west and north-west. The central part of the urban area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitemata Harbour on the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the few cities in the world to have two harbours on two separate major bodies of water.

Tournament (disambiguation)

A tournament is a form of organized competition.

Tournament may also refer to:

In media:

See also

Shaun Johnson

Shaun Johnson (born 9 September 1990) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League. A New Zealand international representative goal-kicking halfback, he has played his entire career to date with the Warriors.

Early years

Johnson's mother is Laotian and his father is a Pākehā (New Zealander of European origin). From Whangaparaoa, Johnson attended Orewa College and played many sports, including basketball and rugby union, but made his name playing touch and Australian rules football. He represented New Zealand in both touch and Australian rules football and played rugby union in his school's First XV.

Playing career

Johnson played for the Hibiscus Coast Raiders in the Auckland Rugby League competition before being signed by the New Zealand Warriors in 2009. Johnson started his professional career playing for the Junior Warriors in the Toyota Cup. In March 2009, league great Andrew Johns commented: "I haven't been this excited about a player in a long time." Johns was referring to the first time he saw Stacey Jones play, which was in 1995, when Stacey was a junior. Johnson spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Junior Warriors and played 45 matches, scoring 25 tries, 159 goals and 4 field goals to finish his Toyota Cup career with 422 points. Johnson made his NSW Cup debut for the Auckland Vulcans in 2010 and also represented the Junior Kiwis that year. His final Toyota Cup match was being part of the Junior Warriors winning the 2010 Grand Final.

Nines

Nines may refer to:

See also