Legend: A major change was made for the 2016 season with the scrapping of the Sydney Stars team.
The Australian Rugby Union did not renew their licence for the competition to consolidate playing strength of the teams in New South Wales.
Source: rugbyarchive.net • Teams 1 to 4 (Green background) at the end of the preliminary competition rounds qualify for the Title play-offs.
The top four sides in the regular season advanced to the semifinals of the knock-out stage, which was followed by the final to decide the National Rugby Championship title.
The leading scorers in 2016 over the regular season and finals combined were: ^a The venue for the Round 5 fixture between NSW Country Eagles and Perth Spirit was moved from Orange due to heavy rains causing Endeavour Oval to become waterlogged.