Bill Pulver releases details on the new National Rugby Championship, which kicks off in August

JUST IN: The Australian Rugby Union has released details of the new nine-team National Rugby Championship which will kick-off in August this year.

AUSTRALIAN Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver has released details of the new National Rugby Championship which will kick-off in August this year.

The competition will feature nine teams, and will be played over 11 weeks.

Four NSW teams — North Harbour Rays, Sydney Stars, Greater Sydney Rams and NSW Country — will be joined by two teams from Queensland — Brisbane City and Qld Country — along with Melbourne Rising, Perth Spirit and Canberra University Vikings.

Each team will play eight games and have one bye. The top four teams will make the finals.

One game a week will be broadcast on Fox Sports.

The NRC will kick off in August.

“We’re absolutely delighted with the development,” Pulver told Fox Sports News rugby correspondent Gerard Middleton.

“Last Friday we got the approval from the Australian Rugby Union board and we’ve also got the support of the Rugby Union Players Association so the National Rugby Championship is go.

“We’ve got a Sydney Stars team which is going to be made up of Sydney University and Balmain. We have a North Harbour Rays team which is going to be a combination of four clubs around the north region, a Greater Sydney team which will be Souths, Wests, Parramatta, Penrith and Eastwood.

“And in a wonderful development for rugby a NSW Country team … both Easts and Randwick will have an association with the NSW Country team who will actually be based out of Moore Park.

“We’ve got two in Queensland, we’re going to have a Brisbane City team and a Queensland country team.

“And then we’ll have a Perth Spirit team, a Melbourne Rising team and a University of Canberra Vikings team — so nine teams in all.”

National Rugby Championship teams

Teams to compete in the 2014 season are:

— Brisbane City (QRU/Reds)

— Queensland Country (QRU/Reds)

— North Harbour Rays (Manly, Warringah, Gordon and Norths)

— Sydney Stars (Sydney University and Balmain)

— Greater Sydney Rams (West Harbour, Penrith, Parramatta, Eastwood and Southern Districts)

— NSW Country

— University of Canberra Vikings (ACT Rugby/Brumbies, University of Canberra and Tuggeranong Vikings)

— Melbourne Rising (VRU/Rebels)

— Perth Spirit (Rugby WA/Force)