Round 7 of the Oilsplus South West Rugby Competition marks the halfway point in the regular season. Round 7 sees the Young Yabbies take on the Temora Tuskers at the home of Temora Rugby, Temora Recreation Ground.
The Forward Pack
The Front Row remains unchanged again this week, with Hooker Will Munday being flanked by Loosehead Prop Hagon Williams and Tighthead Prop Tom Wills. The Second Row this week is changed with Ben Fuller getting his run-on debut for the Yabbies and partnering up with Rowan Daley. This week the Back Row consists entirely of Dan's with Dan O'Connor and Dan Parker solidifying their starting positions as Flankers with stand-out performances throughout the season and Dan Dowson returning from injury to anchor the scrum and lead from the back in the No. 8 position.
The Backs
The Backs this week will be commanded, as usual, by Captain Brendan Shoard as Flyhalf, with his partner in crime this week Coach Ned Mullany as Scrumhalf. The Centres remain unchanged from last week with Tom Kent and Nick Schiller having cracking performances last week as Inside and Outside Centre, respectively. Another change this week sees the French Recruit Thomas Dudek on the Wing, with Beau O’Connor maintaining his position on the other Wing. Owen Griffiths has found himself sliding back into the fullback position through his impressive kicking game and outstanding one-on-one defence over the past few weeks.
The Bench
This week the Yabbies’ First XV will be complemented by a string of high-calibre substitutes including Jeshua Smith, Cooper Green, Ash Pointer, Matt Reid, Hugh Wills, Michael Hudson and new recruit Kevin McLaughlin.
Coach Ned Mullany has commented that he's excited to be back in the fold and on the field following his return from injury last week in West Wyalong. "Morale is high in the squad and around the club at the moment, with so many quality players making it a tough job to choose a first XV every week. That energy has been following us all year and has really shown through the effort that the boys have been putting into training and on the field. This week, we know Temora are going to be tough, they always are, but I've asked the boys to focus on two things: first-up tackles and structure. If we tick those two things off, I'm confident we can add another Win to the board."
The weather is expected to be warm like the rest of the week has been, with a top of 23°C predicted for this Saturday in Temora. 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.
If you're thinking about what you should be doing tomorrow, consider heading over to Temora and maybe go out for lunch, but definitely be at Temora Recreation Ground to see the Young Yabbies take on the Temora Tuskers this Saturday 25th May, with the rugby day kicking off with the Tuskerettes playing Orange City from 1pm.
Always remember - Saturday’s a Rugby Day!
