Sunnybank claim inaugural Queensland Premier Rugby Sevens crown

Sunnybank have claimed the inaugural Queensland Premier Rugby Sevens series title, topping the table with 68 points.

Souths, Bond and Easts rounded out the top four, after Easts hosted the final of four tournaments.

Bond University claimed the crown at Easts in tournament four, defeating University of Queensland 19-0 in the final. 

The Dragons won tournaments one and three at St Lucia and Wests respectively, whilst a third-placed finish at Brothers and a tied seventh-place at Easts was enough to secure them the title.

Head Coach Denis Sim said the victory meant a lot to the whole club.

“We’re a tight group, we work hard for each other and make the second efforts, which is massive when you’re playing Sevens,” Sims said. 

“We’re really happy to have won the inaugural competition.”

Sims lauded the Sevens Series for making a pathway for players to play elite Sevens.

“To have Tim Walsh and the Australian guys in and around the tournament with four weeks of really solid Sevens Rugby is good for everyone involved.

“It’s only going to get stronger, not just here in Queensland but all across Australia.”

Queensland Rugby Union Sevens High Performance Manager Lachlan Parkinson also praised the series.

“It’s been a great competition,” Parkinson said.

“Players have had the opportunity to play against the best Sevens players in Queensland and in front of some of the best coaches in the nation.

“It’s created a new and needed pathway for men to progress to the elite level of Sevens and I can’t wait to see some of the players from the series in representative colours soon.”

Australian Sevens head coach Tim Walsh said he was excited by the pathway and level of skills on display throughout the tournaments.

“It’s been a huge step for Rugby Sevens in Australia,” Walsh said.

“To see the teams improve, their resilience, their combinations and the coaching and management of players and tactics has been incredible.

“A tournament like this has been something that most teams aren’t exposed to because of the one-off nature of most Sevens competitions, so to be able to see players in a Sevens-only-setting for multiple tournaments has been really helpful.

“It makes an incredible pathway into further representative levels and it’s an awesome concept that I think will only grow.”

Walsh said that he could one day see some of the series finest talents in an Australian jersey one day.

“There’s a number of players here that would not be out of place at Australian training,” he said.

“Give them 6-12 months of professional Sevens training I could see players developing into Olympic standard players who aren’t just participating but are winning medals for Australia.

“There are certainly a few players who we have offered some contracts to which is a huge credit to the tournament.

“It’s about getting the talent the opportunity to play and give them the chance to prove themselves at the next level.”

The culmination of the tournament saw a ‘Series Dream Team’ selected, as well as the James ‘Chuckie’ Stannard medal awarded to the player of the series – Souths’ flyer Josh Coward. 

The Series Dream Team is as follows: 

1. Charlie Tupu – Sunnybank 
2. Neal McNamara – Sunnybank 
3. Corbin Keiran – Bond University 
4. Hayden Sargeant – Bond University 
5. Josh Coward – Souths 
6. Will Maddocks – Northern Territory 
7. Connor Clancy – University of Queensland 

The tournament has also helped Queensland Sevens coaches select a 24-man squad ahead of the National Championships, which will take place at Ballymore from Thursday 6 December – Sunday 9 December. The Queensland squad will be announced later this week. 

The final series ladder is as follows: 

1. Sunnybank – 68 points
2. Bond University – 61 points 
3. Souths – 59 points
4. Easts – 52 points
5. University of Queensland – 51 points 
6. Wests – 50 points
7. Norths – 38 points 
8. Northern Territory – 35 points 
9. Brothers – 30 points 
10. Iconz – 27 points 
11. GPS – 18.5 points 
12. Australian Barbarians – 15 points 
13. Defence Force – 5.5 points 
14. Caloundra – 0 points