The weather wasn't going to stop the teen girls from making history on Friday night as Downs Rugby held its first Under 14 and U16 Girls' XVs grand final.
Dalby Wheatchix and Toowoomba Bears consistently pushed each other in the U16s, with an extremely close season that ended, quite fittingly, in a 5-all draw.
In a spectacular game, Toowoomba Uni became the first Downs U14 Girls' XVs premiers showing just an edge over Highfields on the night leading to a 20-5 finish.
Downs Rugby general manager Sally Johnston said that faced with adverse weather the girls really had to dig deep and concentrate in the wet and they did just that.
"We are so proud of the girls and the growth all our teams have shown this year and are thrilled with their attitudes and willingness to work together as we build," she said.
"These girls are improving every time they play and we are excited to be opening up new opportunities for girls in sport. A huge shout out to the clubs for getting involved and particularly the coaches for getting behind these young women and giving them an opportunity to play the game they love.
"Also a massive thank you to Mort and Co who have supported girls' rugby from the start. We will
head into the Mort and Co Girls' 7s Series in term 3 but without the support of this great company we wouldn't be able to continue to build our girls' rugby program on the Downs. Girls XVs is here to stay," Ms Johnston said.
Condamine Codettes round up:
Last weekend the Cods and Codettes were thrilled to play their first home games together for the season at the Fish Tank. The Codettes had a great day, starting strong by taking the win in a hard fought first game 28-19 against Goondiwindi Emus.
The girls' second game was against Uni and they showed their dominance coming away with a good 25-5 win. The Codettes then stepped up to play for first and second overall in the day against Toowoomba Bears Rugby Club who are undefeated. The Codettes certainly showed their strength and commitment and were in every play of the game despite the narrow 19-12 loss. Next week will be the final round for the women's 7s and the winner will take home the coveted Emillee Cherry Cup.
St George Frillies round up:
After a poor first round out St George Frillies bounced back against the Rangers in Roma, with a convincing 38-12 win in the B grade comp. The forwards dominated through the middle setting a nice platform for the back to attack. A hat-trick to outside centre Billy Packer and tries from Cameron Knights, Jack Stokes and Billy English contributed to the score line.
Warwick Water Rats round up:
The Water Rats gave their all in a great hitout against a very competitive Dalby Wheatmen side. Despite losing by only two tries, the Wheatmen were able to keep on the pressure through the boot due to some ill-discipline from the Rats.
Standout performances came from Jay Mitchell for running some strong lines from backplay and Ross Murray for his outstanding work in both scrums and lineouts. Player of the match for Round 3 awarded to Michael Cahill for his relentless carries in attack and putting in a solid shift for the full 70 minutes scrummaging in the front row.
RESULTS:
Round Three
A Grade - RDO Risdon Cup
Goondiwindi 38 def Uni Rugby 24
Condamine 20 def by Bears 26
Roma Echidnas 33 def by Rangers 39
Gatton 7 def by A Grade 22
B Grade - Nutrien Ag Bill Flamsteed Cup
Goondiwindi bye
St George 38 def Rangers 10
Condamine 7 def by Bears 44
Warwick 3 def by B Grade 26
C Grade - Verifact ES Dooney Hayes Cup
Chinchilla bye
Gatton 45 def C Grade 12
Goondiwindi 19 def by Uni Rugby 27
Roma Echidnas 24 def Rangers 10
Women's 7s - Emilee Cherry Cup
Wheatchix 12 def by Roma Echidnas 15
Goondiwindi Emus 19 def by Condamine Codettes 28
Toowoomba Rangers 10 def by St George Frilly Fillies 19
Toowoomba Bears 26 def Wheatchix 0
Condamine Codettes 25 def Uni Rugby 5
St George Frilly Fillies 19 def Gatton Black Sows 5
Toowoomba Bears 27 def Roma Echidnas 10
Goondiwindi Emus 36 def Uni Rugby 5
Toowoomba Rangers 7's 22 def Gatton Black Sows 5
FINALS
Gatton Black Sows 31 def Uni Rugby 5
Goondiwindi Emus 14 def by Toowoomba Rangers 24
St George Frilly Fillies 10 def by Roma Echidnas 17
Toowoomba Bears 19 def Condamine Codettes 12
DRAW:
Round Four - May 11
Men's
A Grade: RDO Risdon Cup
Gatton Black Pigs v Roma Echidnas
Toowoomba Bears v Toowoomba Uni
Toowoomba Ranger v Condamine Cods
Dalby Wheatmen v Goondiwindi Emus
B Grade: Nutrien Ag Bill Flamsteed Cup
Toowoomba Rangers v Condamine Cods
Toowoomba Bears v BYE
Dalby Wheatmen v Goondiwindi Emus
Warwick Water Rats v St George Frillnecks
C Grade: Verifact Traffic ES Dooney Hayes Cup
Toowoomba Uni v BYE
Gatton Black Pigs v Roma Echidnas
Dalby Wheatmen v Goondiwindi Emus
Toowoomba Rangers v Condamine Cods
Women's
Emilee Cherry 7s Cup finals, Tournament Four, will see all women playing at Toowoomba Rangers' home ground, Gild Park. Full tournament schedule can be found at www.downsrugby.com.au.
Juniors
Cluster carnivals will be hosted by Dalby Juniors and Toowoomba Bears this weekend.
Dalby Cluster Carnival: Dalby v Goondiwindi Emus v Toowoomba Grammar
Toowoomba Bears Cluster Carnival: Toowoomba Souths v Toowoomba Bears v Highfields Redbacks and Uni
Draws for all Downs Rugby competitions can be found at www.downsrugby.com.au.
