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Bondi Tens 2008 The wider rugby fraternity joined forces and came alive on Friday the 10th and Saturday 11th February as the 2006 Bondi Tens rugby tournament was staged in Sydney's east, to significant acclaim from players and spectators alike. In only the second year of the tournament, hosted by the Woollahra Colleagues Rugby Club, the Bondi Tens is fast becoming one of the showpieces of the Asian Tens calendar. Modelled on the format which has seen successful tens tournaments created in Bali, Manila and Hong Kong, "rugby by the sea" is Australia's newest answer to these events. The Bondi Tens was the brainchild of the Colleagues club, after its participation in the Bali Tens tournament which was ravaged by the initial Bali bombing in October 2001. All the proceeds from the tournament go to The Royal North Shore Hospital Burns Unit, the Zero-To-One Foundation and Plan Australia - three charities all directly responsible for assistance related to the events in Bali. The 2005 tournament raised over $20,000 for the 3 charities. This year's two-day carnival featured an unprecedented 18 sides contesting the Cup, Plate and Bowl tournaments with a mixture of established clubs and scratch sides making up an intriguing line-up at Friday's kickoff. The Royal Australian Navy sent a side, as did the ultimate Tens stalwarts the Sydney Schooners. Former dual international and Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart and former Sydney Rooster-now-dancer-with-the-stars Luke Ricketson strapped on the boots for Bondi United, and many current and former district first-grade players could be seen featured in some of the sides during the tournament. With the referees sporting on-field microphones, the sizeable crowds on both days were taken right into the Tens cauldron, and were treated to enterprising and attacking rugby played hard and fair in the true spirit of the event. After a victory in the Bowl competition by the NSW Fire Brigade, and the clean-sweep of the Plate competition by UTBNB, a strong side drawn primarily from Cowra Rugby Club, the showpiece of the tournament, the Cup Final, was contested late on Saturday evening. The two sides left standing after the high-quality knockout stages were the Misfits, a group of players chiefly from the neighbouring Eastern Suburbs club but hailing from far and wide, as described in the match program as "from the rough streets of Paddington to the ghettos of Edinburgh", and the enigmatic but supremely talented Gents Club Barbarians. The Misfits had shown virtually unbeatable form throughout the tournament, and headed into the Cup Final as warm favourites. The Gents Club had started slowly on day one, but were improving steadily with each match and after a stunning and comprehensive semi-final victory over last year's defending champions, the Hurricanes, looked to have hit their straps at the business end of the tournament. Immediately from the kickoff both teams traded tries. The crowd showed its appreciation, as it was clear from the outset that it would be receiving the calibre of Final it had been hoping for. The ball was spun wide and often, and both sides unleashed a series of sweeping counter-attacking moves, and time and again launched wave after wave of punishing defence. After good work from, among others, former Warringah first-grader Mark Owens and skipper Hugh Baggie , The Gents Club held a narrow 12-7 lead going into half-time. The Misfits scored early in the second half through excellent lead-up work from the Player of the Tournament, Morgan Sigg, and appeared to hold the upper hand as the clock wound down. But two of the Gents Club's best, Northern Suburbs first-grader Elliott Tourle and Colleagues wunderkind Matt Prowse, carved up the Misfits out wide with two sensational tries, and the Gents Club eventually ran out 26-12 winners. Overall, another very enjoyable and successful tournament that helped raise $18,000 for three very worthy charities.
2006 Champions - Gents Club Barbarians Rugby by the sea, all in the name of charity - players and spectators are counting down until 2007.
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© Woollahra Colleagues RUFC 2004 - 2006 |
