Round 10 of the Oilsplus South West Rugby Competition sees the Young Yabbies take on the top of the table Cootamundra Tri-Colours at the home of Young Rugby, Cranfield Oval. This round also will also mark the inaugural SWSCU Ben Smith Memorial Trophy match, which will continue to be an annual event alternately hosted by these two old rivals to honour the memory of an outstanding young man who had played for both clubs.
The Forward Pack The Front Row sees the only change in the line up from the Yabbies squad that took victory over Boorowa in Round 9 with Tom Wills returning from injury to start as Tighthead Prop. Up front with Tom will be Hooker Will Munday who will be flanked on his left by Loosehead Prop Hagon Williams. Rowan Daley and Dan Cormie have their spots firmly cemented as the starting Second Row. Flanking on the side of the scrum this week will be Dan Parker and the Irish Recruit Kevin McLaughlin. Dan Dowson is expected to lead the pack from the back this week in the No. 8 position.
The Backs
The Backs this week will be commanded, as usual, by Brendan Shoard as Flyhalf, with his partner in crime Captain Coach Ned Mullany as Scrumhalf. The Centres this week see Inside Centre Jesse Pittman partnering up with the speedster James Schiller as Outside Centre. The Yabbies Wingers are cementing themselves in with some outstanding performances from Beau O’Connor and Hugh McInerney. Owen Griffiths will snipe from the back and more than hold his own in defence this week, running on as Fullback for the Yabbies.
The Bench
This week the Yabbies’ First XV will be complemented by a string of high-calibre substitutes including Ben Fuller, Jeshua Smith, Cam Rosser, Nick Schiller, Hamish Kaveney, Ed Brand, Fabian Laffargue and Mick Hudson.
Following an intense clash in Round 3 of the Oilsplus South West Rugby Competition, which saw Cootamundra take the full opportunity of a 20 minute lapse in the Yabbies concentration to well and truly run away with the match 64-19, the game this weekend is expected to be another high-octane hit out between 1st & 4th on the ladder.
Coach Ned Mullany is confident that the squad named has the ability to be a serious threat to the expected Minor Premiers this weekend. “Every week we are still going from strength to strength, and I really think the Yabbies are starting to hit their stride. We’ve got a very solid starting team and a solid line-up on the bench, so the key will simply be to make sure that we aren’t caught napping like last time. We’ve shown in recent weeks that when we turn up to play a full game, we can take the chocolates. It’s going to be a simple game plan, in line with what we’ve done in recent weeks. If we can keep our composure in defence for the full 80 minutes and then we can really turn it on when we have the ball in hand, I think we’ll be in with a chance to get our name on the silverware first.”
Vice-President Jeshua Smith comments, “This weekend is an important weekend for the Yabbies, with a big game on the field and even more importantly taking the opportunity for both teams to come together and honour the memory of Ben Smith. Those who had the opportunity to play with Ben knew that he was a top bloke, on and off the field, so I really think that the creation of this memorial trophy is a really fitting tribute to provide both teams with another incentive to give their all on the field against an old foe.”
The weather for this weekend is expected to be pretty fresh, with a top of 11°C predicted for this Saturday in Young. Perfect Rugby weather! As always, a Rugby match means that there is a high chance of some delicious cold beers for Supporters on the sidelines and in the Oilsplus South West Rugby Competition it means that there is an excellent chance of some highly competitive and entertaining Rugby.
Make sure that any plans you have for the weekend, you can find a way to make sure you're down at Cranfield Oval to see the Young Yabbies take on the Cootamundra Tri-Colours this Saturday 22nd June, with kick off at 3.15pm.
Always remember - Saturday’s a Rugby Day!
