Hogs star primed for history in Super W
HELENSVALE Hogs veteran Alexandra Hargreaves will be part of history in Queensland’s Super W season opener against NSW at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
One of four Helensvale players in the wider Queensland squad, Hargreaves, 37, was yesterday named as the starting no. 8 for round 1 of the inaugural competition.
A late edition to the squad, Hargreaves brings experience from Women’s XV World Cups in 2002, 2006 and 2010, and the 2009 Women’s Sevens World Cup, where she was part of the title-winning side.
The Queensland team features 10 capped Wallaroos, including an all-international front row of Liz Patu, Cheyenne Campbell and Hana Ngaha, as well as former New Zealand sevens and XVs representative Lavinia Gould.
Queensland beat NSW 10-5 in last month’s Brisbane Global Rugby Tens Women’s final.
“We’ve put in a lot of hard work over the last few months and the girls have made a lot of sacrifices to ensure the squad are ready for Saturday’s competition opener,” Queensland coach Michael Hayes said.
“We’ve assembled a strong squad with a great mix of experience and youthful talent. We have plenty of players who have been tested at the international level, which is a great benefit. NSW have dominated women’s XV rugby for some time and our side are hungry to back up their performance at the Tens with a win in the XVs.
“We’re lucky to host NSW in the tournament opener here at Suncorp Stadium.”
Kick off is at 4pm, with the Reds’ Super rugby clash with the Bulls to follow at 6.30pm.