WALLAROOS stars and Olympic Games gold medallists will be amongst the talents on show at Ashwood Park in March when Bathurst hosts a Super W fixture.
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In a massive coup for Bathurst, the inaugural Super W champions – the New South Wales Waratahs – have agreed to play their fixture against the Melbourne Rebels in the city on March 24.
The Super W competition is the premier women’s rugby competition in Australia, with the Waratahs having gone through their maiden season undefeated.
Bathurst Bulldogs president Greg Reid said the match at Ashwood Park will be a positive not just for his club, but for the entire Central West.
“We only found last week, I’d been in discussions with the Waratahs before Christmas and it’s great we were successful,” he said.
“Having a Super W game here in the Central West is a huge coup for rugby and for Bathurst. It will be some of the top female athletes in the country that are coming.
“Women’s rugby is thriving not only in the Central West, but in Australia and world wide, so this is a continuation of that.”
The Waratahs have named a strong 30-player squad for this year’s competition, including nine current Wallaroos squad members – Emily Chancellor, Melissa Fatu, Grace Hamilton, Evelyn Horomia, Fi Jones, Crystal Maguire, Shanice Parker, Mahaila Murphy and Emily Robinson.
Chancellor in particular is keen to make her presence felt after a fractured foot sidelined her during the inaugural Super W season.
“To not be able to play in the inaugural round of the Super W was real disappointment,” Chancellor told rugby.com.au
“Thankfully the NSW squad was really supportive of me and got me in to do all of my rehab.
“It’s so hard to watch your friends play great rugby and get these opportunities when you’re injured, but that’s all part of rugby, it’s part of sport. You get injured and have to sit of the sideline sometimes.
“[But] To watch it only made me sure that I really wanted to get back out there and play more rugby.”
Another player to watch for in Bathurst should she line up is Eva Karpani, her size and strength sure to add an extra attacking dynamic to the Waratahs’ forward pack.
While the full schedule for the day is yet to be confirmed, Reid is hopeful of including more female games.
“They are still sorting things out, we might even be hosting a Sydney women’s 10s tournament in the lead up and we are trying to get some junior girls games on if we can, just to continue the female theme,” Reid said.
“We are really excited, it will attract a lot of people and a lot of attention. It’s a Foxtel covered game as well. It should really help grow rugby in the area.”
