Brisbane spreading it from wing to wing, after a very long passage of play, Kerevi loses the ball forward at the ruck.

Brisbane are attaking near the Perth 22m line, getting over the advantage line with ease thus far.

A number of Perth players go off their feet at the ruck. McIntyre sets up a lineout on halfway.

Penalty to Brisbane soon after the kickoff.

Hello and welcome to Ultimate Rugby's coverage of the NRC opening match between last years Grand Finalists, Brisbane City and Perth Spirit. The Perth Spirit took a few people by surprise in 2014, making it all the way to the final despite losing more games than they won during the preliminary rounds. Their policy of rotating players regularly was heavily criticised yet turned out to work in their favour as they caused many upsets on their way to the final. They’ll have to do without two of their stars of 2014 in Sam Wykes and Dane Haylett-Petty, but will still boast a host of Super Rugby talent. Brisbane look to be even stronger than last year, with some serious quality in Karmichael Hunt, James O’Connor, Scott Higginbotham and Cadeyrn Neville joining the squad. Brisbane are, on paper, looking like the team to beat this year. Ultimate Rugby has you covered and will keep you up to date throughout the NRC.