Watch the replays of every King of the Country game (King of the Country )

The King of the Country has finished and four champions have been crowned. WATCH EVERY REPLAY FROM EVERY DAY HERE >>

THE new King of the Country champions have been crowned.

In an event livestreamed by News Corp publications, with four titles handed out in the under-13s to under-16s.

The Surfers Pardise Dolphins (under-13’s), USQ Saints (under-14’s), Maroochydore Swans (under-15’s) and Far North Coast NSW (under-16’s) were the successful teams.

Event organiser Grant Steffek said the tournament had been a huge success.

“It has been fantastic,” Steffek said.

“We had about 400 to 500 people come and watch the games on each of the four days.

“There was such good spirit on display on the field and on the sideline.

“The games have been great and the competition has been so close, particularly in the under-13 division.

“Everyone could beat anyone and it was the high standard of rugby you would expect of champions from the various regions, despite it only being pre-season for many.

“The weather played its part too.”

Steffek said officials would have a debrief about the tournament in a week but expected little changes to be needed for 2023 where they will look to include teams from places like Rockhampton and Central Queensland.

WATCH THE DAY FOUR REPLAYS HERE:

ACCESS THE DAY THREE REPLAYS HERE:

DAY TWO

The first King of the Country champions have been crowned in the under-14 and under-15 divisions.

Some tense clashes and seesawing contests epitomised the under-15s, while a frightening scene in the under-14s final delayed proceedings.

Re-live all the action from the opening two days of the competition below.

You can see all of the replays from day one below and watch all of the action from day two here.

UNDER 14s RESULTS

Bond Pirates 0 def. by Far North Coast 14

Maroochydore Swans 10 def. by University of Southern Queensland Saints 12

Bond Pirates 5 def. by. USQ Saints 54

Maroochydore Swans 12 def. by Far North Coast 17

Maroochydore Swans 0 def. by Bond Pirates 10

USQ Saints 12 def. by Far North Coast 21

FINALS

Maroochydore Swans 26 def. Bond Pirates 5 (playoff for third)

USQ Saints 17 def. Far North Coast 7 (winners)

UNDER 15s RESULTS

USQ Saints 12 def. Invitational Barbarians 5

Maroochydore Swans 11 def. Far North Coast 5

Maroochydore Swans 26 def. USQ Saints 10

Invitational Barbarians 15 def. by Far North Coast 17

Maroochydore Swans 15 def. Invitational Barbarians 10

USQ Saints 0 def. by Far North Coast 19

FINALS

Invitational Barbarians 14 def. USQ Saints 0 (playoff for third)

Far North Coast 0 def. by Maroochydore Swans 12 (winners)

DAY TWO REPLAYS:

Meet the 18 Gold Coast players to watch at the King of Country

DAY ONE:

AN expanded King of the Country rugby tournament is set to return for a second year as some of the best clubs from Queensland and Far North NSW compete for one of the most prestigious junior titles on offer.

The champion under-16 clubs from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Darling Downs and Far North NSW will join a program that already boasts under-13, 14 and 15 divisions.

News Corp will be on hand to livestream all of the 32 matches through the Gold Coast Bulletin, Courier Mail, Toowoomba Chronicle, Northern Star and Sunshine Coast Daily publications.

Games will be played from April 9 to 12 at the Gold Coast Eagles Rugby Union Club.

SEE THE FULL LIST OF FIXTURES BELOW

Tournament director Grant Steffek said the event provided high class players who often have limited opportunities to play at higher levels the chance to truly test themselves.

“There are some country tournaments that pop up here or there but they might target just one age group,” Steffek said.

“There are pockets of tournaments but this one is different as it brings together four regions from the country.

“Next year we are also looking to lock in teams from Central Queensland like Rockhampton.

“We get regional representative sides that are formed but there is currently nothing at the club level for these players to compete in.

“In city rugby there are often multiple divisions across each grade so there is a good opportunity to see balanced games each week.

“In country rugby there is usually a single grade and some real variance between the top and bottom teams. This tournament gives them a chance to really test themselves.

“It’s an invitational tournament and we use some key criteria when looking for potential teams.

42 OF THE STARS FROM THE 2021 KING OF THE COUNTRY

IN PICTURES: 2021 KING OF THE COUNTRY DAY ONE

IN PICTURES: 2021 KING OF THE COUNTRY DAY TWO

IN PICTURES: 2021 KING OF THE COUNTRY DAY THREE

“The first is making sure they display the values of rugby and the second is their record in the previous season, taking the top sides in and sometimes the runner-up.”

Steffek said the tournament was the cornerstone of the Gold Coast Eagles junior funding model.

“We launched this last year after a couple of years of planning and really took a leap of faith with everything that has happened with Covid,” he said.

“We don’t make a lot of profit out of it and anything we do make goes directly towards funding our junior program and helps us reduce fees and invest in equipment for players.

“We are really chuffed that other clubs and districts buy into the concept.”

Originally published as Watch the replays of every King of the Country game (King of the Country )