Happy New Year to all the Rugby community of the Gold Coast and District. I hope all families had an enjoyable Christmas and restful break.
We are now into the preparation stage of the 2024 Gold Coast District Rugby Union’s 2024 season.
Various Rugby Union activities are occurring over these next coming months before competition starts after Easter, including an education series, management workshops and the Smart Tackle roll out, providing details around the World Rugby Tackle Height Law Trial that Rugby AU have committed to.
This year South Queensland Championships are being held on the Gold Coast in May. Information about the GCDRU Cyclones representative program can be found on the GCDRU website at https://www.gcdru.com.au/cyclones
Queensland Country State Championships are held again in Rockhampton at the end of June. After numerous conversations with Queensland Country, there have been changes in respect to the way the competition looks, and the Gold Coast Cyclones will once again stand alone in the teenage boy’s divisions.
The Under 18 Lightning Series began last weekend with several local players from various schools and clubs playing. An excellent preseason opportunity for a number of aspiring representative players for Gold Coast Cyclones. All the best in the coming weeks to those participating and look forward to having you back, participating on the Gold Coast, once the Lightning Series is complete.
The Modified Rugby Program (MRP) focuses on moving young people off the sidelines and into the main game and nurturing a generation of young people for whom disability is normalized. It is a tag-only form of rugby union in which each girl, boy or young adult with a learning and perceptual disability has a Player Mentor on field with them. The GCDRU opened discussions with the Ginger Cloud Foundation who are deeply entrenched with the MRP. A meeting was held with club officials and Mr Cameron Russell, CEO of Ginger Cloud to discuss what this might look like on the Gold Coast.
What a great win by the Queensland Reds in their Super Rugby Pacific season opener against the NSW Waratahs! They are off to Super Round in Melbourne this weekend to play the Hurricanes from Wellington on Sunday afternoon, before heading home to play the Gallagher Chiefs from Waikato on Saturday the 9th of March at Suncorp Stadium.
The Queensland Reds Women also got a win against Penina Pasifika at Ballmore Stadium in a Super W trial match, ahead of their Super W Campaign. Penina Pasifika are an invitational side of players from the Pacific Nations of Samoa, Tonga and Niue just to name a few. They have two more games against the ACT Brumbies (March 2) and NSW Waratahs (March 9), both games to be played at Bond University.
Lastly, congratulations to Joe Schmidt and Jo Yapp on their selections as the new Wallabies and Wallaroos Coaches respectively, for 2024 and 2025. Exciting times this year with various tours by Canada, USA, Fiji, New Zealand, Wales, Georgia and South Africa to challenge the Wallaroos and Wallabies and the British Lions to come in 2025.
Wallaroos v Canada, Saturday May 11 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallaroos v USA, Friday May 17 at AAMI Park, Melbourne
Wallaroos v Fiji, Saturday July 6 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallaroos v New Zealand, Sunday July 14, Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane
Wallabies v Wales, Saturday July 6 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallabies v Wales, Saturday July 13 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallabies v Georgia, Saturday July 20 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallabies v South Africa, Saturday August 10 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Wallabies v South Africa, Saturday August 17 at Optus Stadium, Perth
Argentina v Wallabies, Saturday August 31 in Argentina (TBC)
Argentina v Wallabies, Saturday September 7 in Argentina (TBC)
Wallabies v New Zealand, Saturday September 21 at Accor Stadium, Sydney
New Zealand v Wallabies, Saturday September 28 at Sky Stadium, Wellington
All the best for the coming season,
Jed Hogan Chairman GCDRU
