The Queensland Rugby Union will field two teams in the inaugural Australian National Rugby Championship this year.
Brisbane City and Queensland Country will compete in the competition and the schedule was unveiled by the Australian Rugby Union on Wednesday.
Brisbane City will host the Sydney Stars in a first-round blockbuster at Ballymore Stadium in Brisbane on Thursday 21 August.
rugby365
Queensland Country has the bye in Round One and will kick its season off hosting NSW Country Eagles at Bond University on Saturday 30 August.
A highlight of the schedule sees the two Queensland-based teams play in curtain-raisers to Wallabies Tests in the inaugural year of the NRC.
Queensland Country will host the North Harbour Rays on Saturday, September 13 on the Gold Coast (Round Four) ahead of the Test between Australia and Argentina; and Brisbane City will host Vikings at Suncorp Stadium prior to the final Bledisloe Cup Test on Saturday 18 October (Round Nine).
The new competition, which was flagged in December last year, is an exciting development for fans and will enhance the Australian rugby pathways.
Starting on Thursday 21 August, the 11-week competition will see almost 300 players, including current and former Wallabies, Super Rugby players and the best young talent in club rugby, take part in the nine-team national competition.
All teams will play eight regular season fixtures, with one bye. Brisbane City will play its other home games at Ballymore Stadium, while Queensland Country will spread its home games between Gold Coast, Townsville and Brisbane.
Queensland Rugby CEO Jim Carmichael said: “These two teams are representative of the scale, volume and pathway of Queensland Rugby.
“The NRC is designed to provide the appropriate level of competition to bridge the development pathway between club rugby and Super Rugby.”
“This will be of great benefit to our players, coaches, match officials and broader stakeholder base. Queensland Rugby has continued to advance its talent and development pathway model in relation to the NRC.”
“We have built a strategic framework around Brisbane City and Queensland Country to ensure the game continues to see the improved high performance results that will deliver the long-term outcomes for the Queensland Reds and the various national teams.”