USyd entry confirmed for national rugby tournament
It is the University's first national team since 2015
A University of Sydney team will compete in a national rugby tournament for the first time in three years, in the 2018 Aon Uni 7s. The Australian Rugby Union confirmed on Tuesday that the women’s 7s rugby competition will include new teams from the USyd and University of Melbourne.
The Aon Uni 7s is the first domestic Australian 7s competition for women. It returns in August with an expanded pool of ten teams. The new teams, first announced in May, will continue in its second season, after its successful inaugural year with eight teams. The expansion will continue with the addition of a team from the University of Western Australia in 2019.
USyd’s entry means that the Uni will be represented in all top-level club competitions: the Shute Shield men’s competition, the Jack Scott Cup women’s tournament, and now the Aon Uni 7s.
USyd Head Women’s Coach Stephen Bennie told rugby.com.au earlier this year that the club plans “to offer a really professional program and a clear pathway to some Olympic dreams… [This is] a great opportunity for a wide range of players to get involved in the sport…”
USyd’s last national foray was an entry in the men’s National Rugby Championship. The ‘Sydney Stars’ team joined USyd with the Balmain Rugby Football Club, competing in 2014 and 2015 before the competition was consolidated and the team’s license was lost.
The Aon Uni 7s will take place over August 25-26, over five rounds split across the University of Tasmania, the University of Canberra, the University of Queensland, Bond University and the University of Adelaide. It is broadcast live on rugby.com.au and its platforms.