BLK Queensland Premier Rugby Preview – Preliminary Final
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Loading...University of Queensland and Souths will square-off this Sunday, 26 July, in the BLK Queensland Premier Rugby 2015 preliminary-final at Ballymore, for the chance to take on minor premiers Easts in next week’s grand final.
Tune in from 3:05pm via RedsTV where the match will be LIVE streamed on the www.redsrugby.com.au homepage.
University of Queensland
In the major semi-final last Sunday, University fell to a determined Easts outfit in a narrow 11-10 contest. The battle between Premier Rugby’s strongest teams produced a physical arm-wrestle neither side was willing to back down from. Good defence from both teams caused the score to stand at just 10-6 leading into halftime with the Students in the lead. The Red Heavies were unable to put any more points on the board in the second half, despite last minute desperation from James Dalgleish and Harry Parker, while Andrew Ready crashed over for the Tigers to edge Easts ahead on the scoreboard. University has one more shot for a grand final appearance when they take on Souths this Sunday.
Player to Watch: Harry Parker
Position: Outside Centre
Harry Parker is no stranger to Premier Rugby final match ups, after he had a stand out performance in the 2014 Grand Final for University. Parker will be eager to defend the Red Heavies’ 2014 mantle however an essential victory over Souths on Sunday afternoon stands in their way. The 22 year-old’s versatility allows him to play both on the wing and in the centres and his presence on the field is both exciting and unpredictable. Parker is one of University’s best attacking weapons and he will have to be at the top of his game this Sunday as he lines up opposite Reds and Souths powerhouse Chris Feauai-Sautia.
University: Reuben Leilua, Campbell Wakely, Sef Fa’agase, Phil Potgeiter, Angus Ryan, Will Brown, Conor Mitchell, Jack Cornelsen, Scott Gale, James Dalgleish, Clifton Setu, Nathan Russell, Harry Parker, Tom Pincus, Jamie-Jerry Taulagi
Coach: Mick Heenan
Souths
Last weekend’s minor semi-final saw a composed Souths outfit defeat Brothers in a nail biting finish at Ballymore Stadium, 35-33. With minutes left on the clock, James Turner managed to find the try line and, with seconds to go, Scott Malolua slotted the conversion and the underdogs were through to the preliminary final. After spending three years at GPS assisting in premier grade and coaching the forwards, South’s head coach Brett Picone has succeeded in his first season at the Magpies in 2015. With the inclusion of a number of new back line players including wingers Stephan Van Der Walt and Mika Tela, flyhalf Teti Tela and inside centre Paul Brown, Picone has orchestrated successful combinations that have proved valuable when taking on the strongest teams in the BLK Queensland Premier Rugby competition. Although the Magpies claimed the win against the Brethren last Sunday, they struggled to keep their physicality for the full 80 minutes, which will be vital for this weekend’s match up against University of Queensland. The last time Souths won a Grand Final was in 2000 – 15 years later the Magpies have a chance to make the Grand Final and claim the Hospital Cup once more.
Player to Watch: Scott Malolua
Position: Scrum Half:
In-form Scott Malolua was on fire with the boot in last Sunday’s minor semi-final and remained composed even into the final seconds of the match when he slotted the winning conversion for the Magpies. Malolua has wrapped up 138 individual points for the 2015 season so far. His impressive foot work and agility allows him to continuously find gaps and break the opposition’s defensive line, which was evident in the match up last weekend. Consistent kicking was the point of difference in the minor semi-final against Brothers and will most likely be the same for the Preliminary Final against University.
Souths: Markus Vanzanti, Alex Casey, David Faeo, Stuart Williamson, Matt Bennetts, Anton Mineko, Simana Halafonua, James Turner, Scott Malolua, Teti Tela, Mika Tela, Paul Brown, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Stephan Van der Walt, Andrew Muirhead
Coach: Brett Picone
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