Mafi to make most of break
Fierce rivals set for fiery rematch after close battle last start
ALL eyes will be on the highly anticipated Gold Coast District Rugby Union rematch between arch-rivals Helensvale and Surfers Paradise this afternoon.
The last time the sides BIG Ben Toolis has buried his tag as the Phil Duke of Scottish rugby in time for today’s uprising against the Wallabies he once dreamt of playing for.
The owner of the Aussie accent in Scotland’s pack made a sharp U-turn four years ago to reach this Test match-up at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.
“Strange but also very spe- game and have a look at areas where they can improve and add to their own game,” Mafi said of the Reds break.
“A lot of us are running around in club rugby this weekend so I think a lot of us will be looking to implement some of those things.”
For Mafi it’s not simply a skill area that he’s targeting.
“Mine has more so been an attitude approach rather than a particular skill,” he said.
“I think my attitude, I could apply myself with a bit more effort in parts of the game. Just from that attitude of wanting to bring more than you thought into different areas of the game, I think that will have a positive effect on different particular skills.”
Bond coach Sean Hedger said the main change he had seen in Mafi since his Reds call-up was his voice.
“He’s always been what I would describe as a strong silent type. If anything, he has got a little bit more vocal,” Hedger said.
“He is talking more and asking more of his teammates.”
Today’s match is crucial for Bond’s chances of avoiding the wooden spoon. A win will put them within reach of leapfrogging Norths, who are second last on the ladder. squared off, it ended in a flurry of fists. Trailing 15-10 in a tense contest, the Hogs had come as close as any team has in the past 18 months to defeating the dominant Dolphins.
But fans were robbed of a nailbiting finish when an ugly brawl forced the contest to be cial” was how the Brisbaneborn Toolis, 25, sized up this possibility months ago and the vibe has intensified. cut short nine minutes before full-time. At the centre of the drama were Helensvale forward Dean Brunsdon and Surfers winger Pila Fifita, a former Tongan international.
Both players were red carded, only for another fight to break out as they left the field,
“I did grow up wanting to play for the Wallabies but I knew I had a second option with my Scottish heritage.”
New Scotland coach Gregor Townsend recalled Toolis for last weekend’s Test against Italy, his first since a spectacular crash-landing on debut two years earlier.
A yellow card in his few minutes as a replacement in a galling loss to Italy in 2015 sparking match officials to call time on safety grounds.
The rematch at Albert Park from 3.15pm today shapes as an intriguing latest chapter in the clubs’ history, with both sides coming off wins.
In other games this weekend, Palm Beach Currumbin might have been his epitaph like Duke’s State of Origin bungle of 1982 as a one-game wonder. Toolis has purged that demon and can now prove a point against the Wallabies.
He is already thriving with Townsend’s more attacking style and a joust today against Rory Arnold would be against an old training partner.
The missing piece to today’s celebration fit into place last will look to stay in the hunt for finals by attempting to spring a surprise against third-placed Colleges. Bond Pirates will take on Coolangatta Tweed, while Coomera face the Gold Coast Eagles. night when brother Alex Toolis flew into Sydney from Melbourne where a neck injury prevented his Rebels debut.
“It’s an awesome moment for Ben and there’s family, cousins and mates coming from everywhere,” Alex said.
“You can’t write this script ... Ben left Australia to get a break in rugby and now he’s back to play the country of his birth.” AUSTRALIAN under-20s flyhalf Hamish Stewart has warned his side still has another 30 per cent improvement in them ahead of their final match at the world championships in Georgia.
Australia will take on Scotland tomorrow night in the fifth place playoff – though the prize could easily have been so much bigger.
The side lost only one match all tournament, a 20-19 defeat to England, who kicked the winning penalty goal with two minutes on the clock.
That result was enough to drop Australia out of silverware contention, while England have progressed to the decider against New Zealand.
Stewart however denied they’ve been hard done by.
“We had our opportunities in the game against England,” the Bond University 19-yearold said.
Eligible for another year of under-20s rugby, Stewart said it’s imperative they finish their campaign in style.
“It’s a very big opportunity,” he said.
“The last couple of years I think we’ve finished fifth and sixth but I think this year to go through with just the one loss would be very important for our under-20s and for the future of the under-20s rugby program.”
He added there’s even more to come than their last-start 42-19 win over Italy.
“It was dominant in a sense but I think we have still got a lot more in the tank. We’re only showing about 60 or 70 per cent, we have still got an extra 30 per cent left,” he said.
“That’s what we’re trying to bring against Scotland, to bring our full A-game.”
A win would cap a big week for Stewart, whose inked a new deal with the Queensland Reds until the end of 2019.