_logo.png){kind=logo} Sydney logo adopted 2019 | ||
| Union | NSW Rugby [1] | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 (2007) (as Central Coast Rays) re-formed as North Harbour 2014, Sydney 2016. | |
| Disbanded | 2020 (competition disbanded) | |
| Location | Sydney, Australia | |
| Ground | (Capacity: 5,000) Woollahra Oval | |
| Coach | Chris Whitaker | |
| Captain | Lalakai Foketi | |
| League | National Rugby Championship | |
| 2019 | 8th | |
| ||
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Sydney, formerly theSydney Rays andNorth Harbour Rays, was an Australianrugby union team that competed in theNational Rugby Championship (NRC). It was one of two sides from New South Wales that played in the final season of NRC in 2019; the other was theNSW Country Eagles.
The team played as the all-of-Sydney side in 2019 and wore the traditional blue and yellow colours of Sydney's representative rugby teams,[2] drawing on the metropolitan sides that represented the city for more than a century.[2][3] It adopted as its logo the anchor insignia of the Sydney Rugby Union, which dates back to at least 1970.[4]
Known asNorth Harbour Rays for the first two NRC seasons,Sydney Rays became the team name for the next three seasons as the number of NRC teams in the city reduced from three in 2014 to eventually just one by 2018.[2] The team's name becameSydney in 2019 afterNew South Wales Rugby took control of the side and dropped the Rays moniker.
North Harbour Rays had been formed as a consortium of four Northern Sydney clubs;Gordon,Manly,Northern Suburbs, andWarringah in 2014.[5] North Harbour took its identity from the Central Coast Rays side that played in the earlier national competition, theAustralian Rugby Championship (ARC) in 2007. The original team had been backed by the same four Sydney clubs, along with theCentral Coast Waves.[5]
In 2007, an attempt was made to form a third tier of rugby in Australia, similar to New Zealand'sITM Cup and South Africa'sCurrie Cup. The newly formed competition included eight teams and was called theAustralian Rugby Championship.[6] Three of those teams were based inNew South Wales, including a Central Coast team.[7]
The Central Coast Rays team was officially launched in March 2007 by theNew South Wales Rugby Union (NSWRU). The Rays' emerald and navy colours represented the ocean and bush landscape of the region.[8] The team logo featured amanta ray in navy blue, outlined in white, on a stylised emerald green and white rugby ball.[8]
The Rays' local rivals in the ARC were theSydney Fleet and theWestern Sydney Rams. The three ARC teams from New South Wales were aligned with existing clubs and regions. The clubs aligned with the Central Coast Rays wereGordon,Manly,Northern Suburbs, andWarringah, from theShute Shield competition, as well as theCentral Coast Waves.
The Central Coast Rays played their home games at theBluetongue Central Coast Stadium atGosford, on the New South WalesCentral Coast. Bluetongue Stadium, with an all-seater capacity of 20,159, had previously hosted numerous rugby union fixtures includingCentral Coast Waves matches andNew South Wales Waratahs matches during theAustralian Provincial Championship.[9]
John McKee was the head coach of the Central Coast team.[10][11] He had previously coached theEastwood club and worked with French clubMontferrand and Irish teamConnacht.[10]
After finishing second on the league table, the Central Coast Rays came from behind against thePerth Spirit in their semi-final, winning 27 to 19. The Rays hosted theMelbourne Rebels in the inauguralARC Grand Final and won 20 to 12, becoming the inaugural (and only) champions of the ARC.
The Australian Rugby Championship was terminated at the end of 2007 after only one season of competition, with the Australian Rugby Union citing higher costs than budgeted and further projected financial losses.[12] The Central Coast Rays team was disbanded at the end of the ARC.
TheNational Rugby Championship was announced in December 2013 to commence in 2014 with expressions of interest open to any interested parties and the accepted bids decided early in 2014.
In March 2014 it was announced that the Rays would be revived as the North Harbour Rays to compete in the new National Rugby Championship.[13] The new Rays team was backed by a consortium of the same fourShute Shield clubs involved in earlier Central Coast Rays team:Manly,Warringah,Northern Suburbs andGordon.[14]
The team played in a quartered harlequin-style strip composed of blue, red, and two shades of green from the four constituent clubs. The sleeves were gold and black, collar and shorts were white and all four clubs’ colours were featured on the socks.[15]
The Rays securedMacquarie University as their principal partner on a two-year deal, to be officially be known as the Macquarie University North Harbour Rays for the 2014 and 2015 NRC seasons.[16]
Phil Blake was initially appointed as the Rays head coach for the2014 season, withScott Fava,Haig Sare andGeoff Townsend as part of the coaching staff,[17] but after Blake accepted a coaching opportunity withLeicester Tigers, Geoff Townsend was promoted to the head coaching position,[18]
Damien Cummins replaced Fava as the forwards coach in 2014,[18] andGreg Peterson was named as captain.[19] In 2015, Townsend was reappointed as head coach,[20] andLuke Holmes was named as captain.
The team was renamed the Sydney Rays for the2016 season.[21]Southern Districts considered switching allegiance to the Rays in 2016,[21] but remained with the Rams.[22] Damien Cummins was initially named as head coach in 2016 but he stepped down andSimon Cron was appointed to the job.[23] The Rays performed well that year and lost only once in the regular season – to eventual minor premiers NSW Country – before being knocked out in a semi-final by thePerth Spirit, who went on to win the NRC title.
Twowooden spoon seasons followed in 2017 and 2018 under, respectively,Julian Huxley [24] andChris Whitaker.[25] The Rays' moniker and logo were dropped in 2019, a year afterNew South Wales Rugby had taken control of the Sydney team. Whitaker was reappointed head coach [26] and Sydney adopted the traditionalmasoned crown and anchor insignia of the Sydney Rugby Union for the NRC team's logo, although the anchor had been used on theplaquet of the collar [27] and in promotional material the year before.[28] TheSydney Fleet ARC team had a similar crest in 2007.[29]
The Sydney team plays in a blue jersey with two yellow hoops on the chest that is based on the traditional design worn by Sydney representative teams for many years.[2] The blue and yellow colours were adopted in 2018, and are the colours featured on theCity of Sydney coat of arms.
For the ARC in 2007, the Central Coast Rays played in a predominantly green and blue jersey. From 2014 to 2017, the North Harbour Rays team wore harlequin-style quartered strips in the various colours of its four constituent clubs.[15]
         2007 (ARC) |   2014–2015 |  2016–2017 |     2018 |     2019 |
| Venue | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Brookvale Oval | Brookvale | 23,000 |
| Central Coast Stadium | Gosford | 20,059 |
| Concord Oval | Concord | 20,000 |
| Leichhardt Oval | Leichhardt | 20,000 |
| Macquarie University | Macquarie Park | 3,000 |
| Manly Oval | Manly | 5,000 |
| North Sydney Oval | North Sydney | 20,000 |
| Pittwater Park | Warriewood | 10,000 |
As of 2019[update], Sydney play their home matches at Woollahra Oval No.1. The team has its training base at theUniversity of NSW in Sydney's eastern suburbs, the same facility used by theWaratahs.[1]
From 2014 to 2017, the team played at several venues north of the harbour includingMacquarie University andBrookvale Oval, as well as the home grounds of three of the four clubs from the Ray's ownership consortium at the time:Northern Suburbs,Manly andWarringah (i.e. atNorth Sydney Oval, Manly Oval andPittwater Park, respectively). In 2018, the Sydney Rays played south of the harbour atConcord,Leichhardt and Woollahra.
For theARC in 2007, the Rays played atBluetongue Central Coast Stadium.
With the reemergence of the competition in the form of the NRC, fans from Manly and Warringah rugby heartland - tragic supporters of the game - formed the 'STRAYS'. In the spirit of rugby and the NRC they came together to make sure the new club had support in the local community and to 'enrich the sideline experience'. Its members were drawn to the common cause by the founder, Michael Gordon.[citation needed]
National Rugby Championship
| Year | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | BP | Pts | Play-offs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 8th | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 220 | 325 | −105 | 2 | 6 | Did not compete |
| 2018 | 8th | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 167 | 364 | −197 | 1 | 1 | Did not compete |
| 2017 | 8th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 238 | 322 | –84 | 1 | 13 | Did not compete |
| 2016 | 2nd | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 258 | 174 | +84 | 3 | 27 | Lost semifinal by 24–42 toPerth Spirit |
| 2015 | 7th | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 275 | 339 | −64 | 3 | 11 | Did not compete |
| 2014 | 7th | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 240 | 327 | −87 | 0 | 12 | Did not compete |
Australian Rugby Championship
| Year | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | BP | Pts | Play-offs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2nd | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 268 | 159 | 109 | 6 | 26 | Champions |
| 2019 Sydney squad – NRC | |
|---|---|
Prop Hooker Lock Backrow | Scrum-half Fly-half Centre Wing
Fullback |
| Notes The initial squad was named in late August.[34] Players joining in subsequent rounds were: | |
| Bold denotes player is internationally capped. (c) Denotes team captain.1 denotes marquee player. |
| 2016 Sydney Rays squad – NRC | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The following players were named in the Sydney Rays' squad for the2016 National Rugby Championship:[37] | |||||||||
Props
Hookers Locks
| Loose forwards
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
| Centres
Wingers Fullbacks
(c) Team captain | |||||||
| 2015 North Harbour Rays squad – NRC | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The following players were named in the North Harbour Rays' squad for the2015 National Rugby Championship:[38] | |||||||||
Props
Hookers
Locks
| Loose forwards
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
| Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks
(c) Team captain | |||||||
| 2014 North Harbour Rays squad – NRC | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The following players were named in the North Harbour Rays' squad for the2014 National Rugby Championship:[39][40][41] | |||||||||
Props
Hookers
Locks
| Loose forwards
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
| Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks
(c) Team captain | |||||||
| 2007 Central Coast Rays squad – ARC | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Props Hookers
Locks
| Loose forwards
Scrum-halves Fly-halves
| Centres
Wings
Fullbacks (c) Team captain | |||||||
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