This Sunday will prove to be an exciting day for rugby fans across Sydney as the inaugural Sydney v Country Junior Rugby rolls around the corner.
At Maitland, a lot of budding Junior Rugby candidates from around New South Wales are looking to make their mark.
The City v Country fixtures will be streamed live & exclusively to NSW Rugby TV, from 9:30am on Sunday 23 July.
The Sydney v Country series is a perfect opportunity to witness the lifting standard of Rugby Union for younger generations in recent years. In this tournament, we see rugby at all ranges from under 14s, under 16s and under 18s for both the boys’ and girls’ teams.
Sydney v Country remains one of the many pathways that demonstrate NSW Rugby’s commitment to the pathway for the women’s game.
“We are impressed with what we have seen in the Under 16s and Under 18s in recent years for the girls. It is great to see the growth of rugby for girls in younger years” said NSW Waratahs head of talent ID Andrew Cleverley.
Keep your eyes peeled this weekend to see some budding Sky Blue stars.
The Under 18s sides are looking to make their mark this weekend too.
Cleverley tells us to keep our eyes on Country talent Brendan Palmer and Sid Harvey.
Hunter Wildfires Brendan Palmer has stood out already as a strong attacking player. The opportunities presented by the NSW Waratahs Academy would have no doubt helped. Not only does he read play well, but he inspires his teammates with his confident decision-making.
Narrabri Rugby’s Sid Harvey has made his mark too. Hailed as a Country’s leader, Harvey’s dominant kicking game and ability to thrive under pressure has turned heads already.
Both Palmer and Harvey have already been part of a successful Waratahs U18 program resulting in victories over the Reds in their two fixtures in July.
“Sid and Brendan were standout performers in their respective teams against the Reds.
I am sure they will be looking for a repeat performance at this high level of Rugby in the Sydney v Country tournament” said Cleverley.
This exciting Sydney v Country tournament also provides opportunities for selectors to see who the successive Super Rugby and Super W stars will be.
Last year certainly did.
Brooke McKinnon, the young gun from Bingara in rural NSW, caught the eye of Waratahs Women’s Super W Head Coach and current Waratahs Pathway Coordinator/Programs Coach Matthew Evrard. Her performance was so impressive it subsequently led to her selection in the Waratahs’ 2023 Squad.
Last year also saw Illawarra’s Brook Wilson make her mark leading to a Waratahs Super W squad selection too.
This weekend’s clashes are the players final opportunity to turn heads, according to Andrew Cleverley.
“It is the last chance to see the players.
“We are looking for them to execute their skills in a high speed and high impact game”.
Ultimately, there is a lot of growing talent amongst the Sydney v Country tournament sadly leaving a lot of players on the side.
Cleverley, amongst other selectors, has been excited by the talent at recent Under 16 squad trials, which serves as a snippet of what they will see this weekend. The Waratahs Academy pathways have helped in having raw talent come into fruition due to the hard work, focus and consistency maintained at the academy.
Cleverley makes note of the successful Under 16 program the Waratahs Academy had last year as an example of the growing success of a lot of players. Sadly, a lot will miss out for the 15-a-side game and match day 23.
“Great players will miss out on making the squad” claimed Cleverley.
Here are your fixture details for Sunday’s Sydney and Country competition.
