Western Plains Rugby Union — Barbarians get their first win of the season
Western Plains Rugby Union kicked off the 2023 season on Saturday 29th April in wet conditions all over the zone.
The Ewes set the bar high with a 20-5 win over the Gulargambone ladies, and what a game it was!
Thankfully the rain cleared before the men’s game. Although it was cloudy with a chilly breeze and a wet ground, making for an interesting game. Gular unfortunately played short, which most clubs have experienced in recent years.
It didn’t take long before Jack Cunningham found the line against a very solid Gular forward pack, unfortunately it wasn’t quite strong enough to hold the unit himself out!
This won’t be the last we see of Jack this year, there’s a big season in store for him. Jack has stepped into the Bourke President’s role for 2023, taking over the reins from highly devoted Bernard Davis, who stepped down after a long stint as President.
Baden Barker successfully kicked the conversion to take it out to 7-0 nice and early. New Barbarian, Ned Dawson, bagged himself a try as well on debut for the newly and officially formed Bourke and Brewarrina Barbarians.
William Foristal has a blinder of a game, finding the line repeatedly. Foristal was told pre-game that if he didn’t score, there was no pub. Not liking the sound of this, he crossed the line four times in 80 minutes, proving he definitely deserved his beers!
Coach Rory Finlayson also joined in on the action, sneaking in twice and pushing the score further and further out. Baden Barker successfully converted 5 from 8 tries for the Barbarians, playing a brilliant game - once again, being the loudest fella on the field and we’re excited to see it this year!
We lost Richie Steele to a shoulder/collarbone injury early in the game as well. Rest up and we’ll see you soon Richie!
A massive thank you to Gular for making the trip to Brewarrina despite not having a full team. You all put in a solid 80-minutes each and need to be applauded for your efforts.
Thank you to the spectators for braving the cold weather to watch our boys first hit out of the season! The final score was 50-0 with the Barbarians getting their first win of the season.
Next weekend we head to Puma country to take on Warren. We hope to see some supporters there too!
In other matches played on Saturday, the Bogan Bulls beat the Warren Pumas 13-7, Walgett Rams beat the Cobar Camels 29-22 and Coonamble had the bye.
In the only other Ladies Touch 7s match played on Saturday, the dominant Walgett Ewes trounced the Cobar side by 90-5.
This Saturday Gulargambone plays Cobar at Gular, Warren and the Bre/Bourke Barbarians meet at Warren, and Coonamble plays host to the Walgett Rams. The Bogan Bulls have the bye.
Emily Bowden
Publicity Officer