The Bledisloe Cup may be out of reach once again but that won’t stop the Top End’s rugby community from grabbing a special week with both hands.
Rugby Australia and NT Rugby have already making waves across the Territory ahead of the annual Hottest 7s in the World with 19 newly minted coaches welcomed into the fold following a two-day intensive in Marrara.
“It’s one of the biggest coach education sessions we’ve seen in the NT for a long time,” a Rugby Australia programs manager Zac Elliott told NT Rugby.
“Darwin has hosted both the Wallabies and Aussie 7s men in recent times and we’re pleased to see the game’s ongoing growth extend to our community coaches.”
But that's not all - Rugby Australia’s nation-wide Gold Blooded Tour wrap up in the Territory off this week with World Cup winning Wallaby Matt Cockbain and Wallaroos trailblazer Shirley Russell hosting free school holiday clinics.
They'll be held across Katherine Sportsground (Wednesday 25 September), Rugby Park Marrara (Thursday 26 September) and Palmerston’s Moulden Oval (Friday 27 September).
These free school holiday clinics are aimed at players aged 4-12 and run for approximately two hours from 8:45am onwards:
Wednesday September 25
Katherine Sportsground 1 - 8:30-10:30
Thursday September 26
Skyring Rugby Park - 08:45-11:00
Friday September 27
Palmerston Rugby Union Club - 08:45-11:00
All roads lead to this weekend’s Hottest 7s (September 28-29) at TRL Stadium with touring sides Tahi 7s (Sunshine Coast) and Saunaka (Sydney) set to challenge legendary three-time defending champions Tabadamu for the men’s title.
Incredibly, this year’s men’s draw will see two Tabadamu sides in action following a surge in registrations with 2023 runners up Duiyasana will also field two teams.
Meanwhile, the late withdrawal of Lillian Amazons has blown the women’s draw wide open with Palmerston and Souths among the local hopefuls.
Tickets to the 2024 Hottest 7s are just $25 for a weekend pass (or free for kids aged 17 and under!) and can be purchased at the TRL Stadium gate.
