Following on from a historic first Buildcorp Super W season, the Brumbies Women will be lacing up their boots again to take on the Fiji Women’s team in a one-off game.
The exhibition, slated for this coming Monday 11 June, will be a perfect cure for long weekend boredom – with entry free-of-charge- as the Fijian flyers take on the Brumbies Women at ANU Oval on the Queen’s Birthday.
A historic occasion for Women’s rugby in the region, it’s the first time since an ACT Women’s side played the USA in 1997 that a women’s team from Canberra will play a national side.
The Brumbies Women have named a strong squad for the clash with the evergreen Louise Burrows lining up for the Brumbies against international competition as she did against that American side in 1997.
Five of the Brumbies squad are currently in the Wallaroos extended squad, so this game could be vital experience for those girls moving forward.
It was announced in April that the Wallaroos would be playing back-to-back curtain raisers against the Black Ferns later this year, so whether the Brumbies Women play against New Zealand or Fiji, they will get tested at the highest level.
Peta Cox and Violeta Tupoula in the front row, Georgia O’Neill and Tayla Stanford in the loose forwards and Sammie Wood at fullback have all been selected to train with the national side.
One of those players, Tayla Stanford, scored an incredible 10 tries in a recent club game for her side the Tuggeranong Vikings.
The rest of the squad showcases a blend of youth and experience, with many of the selection involved in the Brumbies Super W campaign this season.
This is the first time that the Fijian Rugby Union is sending a women’s 15s team to Australia, which is part of their build up towards their test tournaments at the end of the year.
Fiji are scheduled to play two matches in Australia, the first being against the Brumbies Women’s team and the second being a clash in Newcastle five days later.
SQUAD
Britney-Lee Bedford
Bridgette Cunningham
Kiahan Bellchambers
Louise Burrows
Skye Churchill
Peta Cox
Harriet Elleman
Courtney Frankl
Jane Garraway
Jess Howard
Ash Kara
Anna Korovata
Sophie Lambie
Michaela Leonard
Paremo Marsh
Ema Masi
Georgia O’Neill
Darcy Read
Tayla Stanford
Violeta Tupuola
Remi Wilton
Sammie Wood
MATCH DETAILS
Monday 11 June 2018
Brumbies v Fiji
(ANU North Oval, 14:00)
