TIME TO PARTY
FESTIVAL KICKS OFF
THREE weeks on from the Wallabies Test at Cbus Super Stadium, rugby union will roar back to life on the Gold Coast with a ‘Festival of Rugby’ at Bond University.
The Queensland junior girls’ state championship will be held today and tomorrow before the Aon Uni Sevens Series comes to Robina across the weekend. Saturday will also feature a 3pm National Rugby Championship showdown between Queensland Country and Sydney Rays.
Ireland national sevens player Eve Higgins, who has joined Bond University for the Aon season, is eager to get a look at the next generation of talent.
“It will be good to watch a lot of rugby and it will be great to see the young girls coming through and we’ll hopefully see a lot of them in the Aon next year,” she said.
“We’ve trained against them a few times … they’re all very good and quick and steppy.”
Bond head into the fourth round of the series in equal sixth place, while derby rivals Griffith University are in a tie for the overall lead.
On the NRC front, Harry Nucifora will hope to line up at his home club’s field after being given his first Queensland Country game time of the season last weekend.
Nucifora was a standout for Bond in 2018 but had to bide his time for an NRC opportunity in the extended training squad, with Tate McDermott and James Tuttle ahead in the scrumhalf pecking order.
An injury to the latter opened the door for the 21year-old and he is hoping to make his chance count having returned to Country following stints at Brisbane City (2016) and the Sydney Rays (2017).
“It was good to get a bit of a reward off the back of the club season. It was only 10 or 12 minutes but it was good to get back out there on the NRC field,” Nucifora said.
He insisted the defending premiers remain composed despite back-to-back losses that have dropped them to fourth, with ruck speed identified as a must-fix area to return to the winners’ circle against the Rays.
“Once we get front foot ball, we have got electric backs out there who can make metres and make gaps out of absolutely nowhere,” Nucifora said.
IT WILL BE GREAT TO SEE THE YOUNG GIRLS COMING THROUGH AND WE’LL HOPEFULLY SEE A LOT OF THEM IN THE AON NEXT YEAR. BOND SEVENS STAR EVE HIGGINS