Bond and Sydney Uni are the teams to beat after day of the Aon Uni Sevens National Round.
The best teams from the regional rounds of the Aon Uni Sevens have converged at Forshaw Rugby Park to play off in the national rounds of the tournament.
This weekend's matchups see top qualifiers from NSW in Sydney Uni, UTS and University of Newcastle go up against the Queensland finalists Griffith, Bond and University of Queensland.
It is the first time in this year's tournament that the Queensland teams have been able to travel to meet their NSW counterparts, and the games should provide a competitive edge with twelve players from the national sevens squad scattered across the six teams in action.
Round 1
The first match of the day saw competition heavyweights UTS take on Griffith University. A try to Aussie Womens Sevens squad member Lily Dick and a double for Demi Hayes proved the difference for the Griffith side getting an early win. FT 22-17
Bond University got on the board early and often against Sydney Uni, with a double to Caitlyn Costello and another to Teagan Levi. Bond showed the benefit of combinations, showing good form early. FT 17-0
A tightly fought contest between UQ and Newcastle was finally broken open with some decisive scores from Sharni Williams towards the backend of the game, allowing UQ to pull away for a comfortable win. FT 29-10
Round 2
Rebounding from a disappointing opening round, Sydney Uni responded by putting in an assured performance against Griffith. Uni's top performers Lori Cramer and Grace Hamilton showed their class, leading the team to the win. FT 22-12
It was a tighter contest between Newcastle and Bond to start. The margin could have been bigger, but a long-range effort from Bond was shut down after a big defensive shift from young gun Faith Nathan. In the end, Bond was able to show width in their attack to work around a fading Newcastle side. FT 22-14
It was an entertaining game between UTS and UQ, with plenty of ball in play. UQ put the result beyond doubt when Georgia Hannaway scored out wide in the corner. FT 31-12
Round 3
Griffith put in a commanding performance, crushing competition underdogs Newcastle. Ivania Wong scored a hat-trick and Terri-Anne Egan got a double to put Griffith back in the winners circle. FT 41-12
Bond continued to power through this weekend’s competition, keeping their unbeaten record intact with an important win over NSW leaders UTS. The Sydney side got on the scoreboard through Maya Stewart and Olivia White, but the Levi sisters and Evania Pelite each scored for Bond, with the margin further stretched out thanks to the boot Faythe Manera. FT 21-10
For the last match of the day, Sydney Uni finished strong, running out victors over UQ. The Lionesses ran in four tries to two, booking their spot in the play-offs. FT 22-10
