Welcome to the second issue of HC’s Highlights as kindly platformed by the guys at Green and Gold Rugby, where the World’s Game will be talked about nonstop. Today, we will touch on the various forms of rugby that have made for a great week of entertainment for all fans involved.

Over the previous weekend we had many a fixture in the rugby world, but none was as prestigious as the friendly between the touring Barbarians and the Welsh at the newly crowned Allianz Stadium (aka Twickenham). Wales had a less-than-convincing result in the end, winning 33-31 after holding off a late come back from the “Baabaas”, as they had a 33-17 lead with 10 minutes remaining.

Credit Wales Rugby Insta

Within the domestic space, the Shute Shield in NSW was very close in the 6 games played as the majority of games (5 out of 6) had losing differentials of 11pts or less, whilst Easts beat Randwick in convincing fashion, winning 47-7.

Credit Shute Shield Insta

The competition within the midtable of the Shute Shield is quite incredible as there are only 7 points separating 5th placed Hunter Wildfires (32 Points) and 10th placed Manly Marlins (25 Points). With only 6 teams in the finals series for the Shute Shield, there will be critical competition for these last two places among the 6 teams qualifying throughout the second half of this season.

Credit Shute Shield Insta

As we look ahead towards the next week in Shute Shield, the fixture list for this Saturday, the 2nd of July, is going to be significant in deciding the direction of all 12 teams for the rest of their competitive seasons.

Credit Shute Shield Insta

Furthermore, the weeks previous fixtures of Sydney Subbies were great entertainment for all rugby fans and players alike, with results in all 4 of the First Grade Div 1 matches ending in close scorelines and note six of the eight teams gaining at least one bonus point despite winning or losing (excluding Waverly and Drummoyne).

Credit FuseSport

Within the Div 1 Club Championship, there is a competitive race to avoid relegation to Div 2 between Drummoyne and Petersham, with the Shammies currently holding a 200-point advantage over the Dirty Reds, who sit in last place (28 points for every competition point, win, loss or draw). With Drummoyne hosting Waverly at home and Petersham to play Colleagues at Woollahra Oval in Rose Bay, it’s a desperate weekend for both teams ahead as they attempt to gain critical results in order to avoid the embarrassment of going down.

As we continue to steam ahead to this weekend of rugby, we cannot help but note the international fixture that is occurring between the Australians and the Irish this weekend at the Sydney Football Stadium (known as Allianz Stadium), which is going to be the match to watch for the first round of the newly formed Rugby Nations Championships. With both teams “locking in” for this weekend’s game, the Irish have recent form on their side, as in the last fixture between these sides the Shamrocks put the
Wallabies to the sword, winning 46-19 at the Aviva Stadium in Ireland.

And lastly, as a proud supporter of the game of Rugby Union, I had a significant moment in my playing career last week when I played alongside my Dad for the first time for Drummoyne against Petersham. It was a feat that is monumental to my family as a whole, showing the power of rugby to unite families as one. I did have the advantage over my dad in the game, as I scored my team’s only points with a try and a conversion from in front of the posts, though we did eventually lose 17-7. And it was just fantastic that someone got a photo of it, so I made it this week’s banner pic.

That’s it for HC’s Highlights this week.
All effort
Run hard tackle hard
Don’t be soft
Play for your Badge
HC out

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