The NRL Nines is a rugby league nines competition held during the preseason in Perth. It was formerly held in Auckland, staged by Duco Events with the National Rugby League and played annually prior to the beginning of the NRL season proper from 2014 until 2017. The inaugural tournament was staged between 15 – 16 February 2014, with subsequent tournaments being played earlier in the year normally at the end of January. The NRL signed a five-year agreement for Auckland's Eden Park to host the tournament with the 2014 event being the first. This expired in 2018, and the 2020 Nines were held in Perth at Perth Oval.
Competition Format
Auckland (2014-2017)
Two national women's teams compete in one section of the tournament and sixteen NRL club men's teams compete in the other. Each of the men's squad must include at least 12 of their top 25 players in their squad, and at least one marquee player. The winner of the men's tournament received AUD$500,000 with a total prize pool of AUD$2,250,000. In the first four editions, the competition has had eight different finalists and four different winners, though the 2016 title was later stripped from the Parramatta Eels for breaching the salary cap. Since 2015 the Kiwiferns and the Jillaroos also competed in a three-game series, with the Kiwiferns winning the series 2-1. These games are played during the final stages of the men's tournament and allow the male players more of a break between their games while providing a broader tournament. Also in 2015, the pools were given traditional Maori names that were chosen by a public vote and were: Rangitoto, Waiheke, Piha and Hunua Ranges.
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:
Two nine-minute halves with a two-minute half time period.
Nine players a side with five unlimited interchange players.
Scrums are only formed after a double knock on, with attacking teams electing which side to feed the ball.
No video referee, with one on-field referee, two touch judges and two in-goal judges.
Five minute golden try period in qualifying rounds with the match deemed a draw if there is no score, while unlimited golden try for the finals.
A tap restart takes place after a 40/20.
Five points for a try scored in the bonus zone under the posts, with two point drop kick conversion attempts.
The scoring team will have a drop-kick kick-off at the half way mark to restart play.
Three minute sin bins.
Five tackles in a set.
Finals
Note – The Parramatta Eels were stripped of their 2016 Auckland Nines title due to a breach of the NRL salary cap. The 2016 title was withheld by the NRL rather than awarding it to the runners up.
Men's
Team Performance
Women's
Team Performance
Women's Series
From 2015 to 2017, the New Zealand Kiwi Ferns and the Australia Jillaroos played a three match series, as the NRL Women's Premiership had not yet been formed. The NRL Women's competition was formed in 2018, and in 2020 the structure of the Women's competition changed to a club competition similar to the Men's.
