Defending champions Aidan Brice All Stars, Newcastle’s Wanderers, Terry Brown Memorial, Jack Blunt Legends and Westruss.
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If you ask Royal Hotel Invitational 10s coordindator Fletcher Niven, they’re the five teams to watch out for in this weekend’s edition of the now annual tournament.
Once again Orange City will welcome 12 teams to Pride Park for the three-pool open division and another four sides in the second division, although the entry list has changed substantially since the original nominations.
Last year’s Newcastle-Hunter Rugby Union champions Hamilton won’t turn out despite nominating originally, leaving Wanderers as the only side coming from that region.
In the blockbuster pool A, Wanderers will clash with reigning Royal Hotel Invitational 10s champions Aidan Brice All Stars, a side which come together each year in memory of its namesake.
It’s the 10-year anniversary of Brice’s death too, making the 2017 competition extra special for the All Stars, fondly known as the Mullets to the players as well.
Hosts Orange City and Blayney Rams will also compete in pool A, while the Terry Brown Memorial side in undeniable favourites to claim pool B.
The side, playing in memory of the premiership-winning Lions colt who passed away at the beginning of 2016, will face Avoca, Forefront and the unknown-quantity Mighty Ducks.
Westruss, another memorial side playing in memory of Jordan Cheney, faces a tough pool C campaign against perennial contenders Jack Blunt Legends, Red Dog Rugby and Bathurst Bulldogs.
In the second divsion, the Molong Magpies will play off against CSU Orange, Bulldogs’ colts and Orange City’s colts.
The first games kick-off at 1.30pm on Saturday, with the three pool-topping sides automatically qualifying for the semi-finals, which start at 5.30pm.
The fourth best side, overall, will fill the final semi-final position.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
