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Matt Henjak Named Inaugural Captain of the Perth Spirit
The Mazda Australian Rugby Championship was officially launched at the Sydney Opera House today, with Matt Henjak named as the inaugural captain of the Perth Spirit.
The Mazda ARC has been developed to fill the identified gap between traditional club rugby and the game’s professional or elite level.
More than 120 professional players, including current and former Wallabies have signed on to take part in the exciting eight team national competition.
The teams from Western Australia (Perth Spirit), Victoria, the ACT, NSW and Queensland will compete across eight (8) rounds for the Mazda Cup from August 10 until the final on the weekend of October 13/14.
The Perth Spirit is expected to name its squad next week.
Australian Rugby Union (ARU) Managing Director John O’Neill AO says the Mazda ARC is the most significant development in rugby in Australia since the Super rugby competition came into being in 1996.
“In recent years it has been very evident that New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship and South Africa’s Currie Cup have been the breeding ground for some very polished players at the professional level,” John O’Neill said.
“Our Tri Nations partners have a competitive edge on us in the depth of talent for elite rugby,” he said.
“The Mazda ARC is the perfect platform for Australian rugby to launch our Super rugby and Wallaby players of the future.
“Our development pathways are reasonable, but the piece of the jigsaw which has been missing on the Australian Rugby landscape has been the ARC.
“From next month excitingly, the landscape changes,” he said.
Mazda Managing Director Doug Dickson says the company is pleased to be associated with another major sporting initiative.
“Mazda is delighted to be playing such a key role in bringing this new sporting innovation to rugby’s exciting sporting landscape,” Doug Dickson said.
“Mazda’s major support of events like this and other partnerships such as Opera Australia, the AFL through the Kangaroos and the Fremantle Dockers, is our way of saying thank you to the Australian people for supporting our Zoom-Zoom vehicles.”
“Mazda is seen as an automotive innovator, creating Stylish, Insightful and Spirited cars that are a pleasure to drive and that are of a superior quality and value for money.
It is this passion that makes supporting initiatives such as the ARC a natural fit for our brand.”
The eight teams which make up the Mazda Australia Championship are:
* Perth Spirit - Member’s Equity Stadium
* Melbourne Rebels - Olympic Park, Melbourne
* East Coast Aces - Gold Coast Stadium
* Sydney Fleet - North Sydney Oval
* Western Sydney Rams - Parramatta Stadium
* Canberra Vikings - Manuka Oval
* Ballymore Tornadoes - Ballymore, Brisbane
* Central Coasts Rays - BlueTongue Stadium, Gosford.
The Mazda ARC teams will be led by a number of Wallabies, including;
Matt Henjak, Scrumhalf (Perth Spirit and Emirates Western Force)
David Croft, Flanker,( Melbourne Rebels and Reds;
Alister Campbell, Lock (Canberra Vikings and Brumbies);
Lloyd Johansson, Utility back (East Coast Aces and Queensland Reds)
Matt Henjak Named As Perth Spirit Captain At ARC Launch
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 4:56pm
RugbyWA