The 13 of the Aussie Women's Sevens team allocated to Aon Uni 7s have joined teams for the Newcastle tournament as regional round two got underway at No.2 Sportsground.
For this round, University of Adelaide and Melbourne University have joined the NSW competition to avoid any trouble with any possible border closures.
The Queensland leg, held at Surfers Paradise Rugby Club, features Bond, UQ and Griffith Uni going up against a new Combined Queensland side.
Round 1 Newcastle
University of Melbourne benefitted early on from the inclusion of 7s star Charlotte Caslick, who displayed some classy touches and much-needed direction. However, it was the juggernaut of Sydney Uni that pulled away for the win. FT 17-7
The Canberra side came out strong against UTS, with Ella Ryan playing a pivotal role in getting them on the board early. The girls from UTS hit back in the second half, piling on the points in an assured display. FT 28-12
Newcastle Uni opened the scoring via a full length try from Aussie 7s import Faith Nathan, and looked impressive in their initial hitout in front of a home crowd. FT 19-10
Round 1 Surfers Paradise
Bond University dominated round 1 champions UQ, combining well out wide with sharp interchange of play. Bond's flyers were on display with the likes of Stephanie Rutherford and Caitlyn Costello touching down. FT 38-5
The Combined Queensland side were in action for the first time against Griffith University. It was a tight contest between the two teams, with moments of brilliance and a late try in the corner to Gemma Lawrence secured the win for Griffith. FT 24-7
Round 2 Newcastle
An excellent opening try from Sydney Uni set the tone for an entertaining clash with competition favourites UTS. Maya Stewart long-range effort tied it up at halftime. UTS broke the deadlock shortly after the break, and a barnstorming run from Wallaroo Eva Karpani sealed it. FT 17-5 In the match of the round, Faith Nathan was a standout for Newcastle against Canberra, with four breakaway tries and some staunch defence. A penalty try near fulltime seemingly handed Canberra the victory, but following the kickoff, the Newcastle team kept the ball alive to setup Nathan for the match-winner in a thrilling final play. FT 24-19
The Romas put in a much better performance for their second round game, stringing together some nice tries. Melbourne Uni were able to outlast Adelaide's tenacious defence with a brace of tries in the back half of the game. FT21-12
Round 2 Surfers Paradise
Bond continued to red-hot run of form over Griffiths. The Bond girls ran in three tries before Griffiths responded with two of their own in the second half. Despite a late surge from Griffiths, the game finished in Bond's favour. FT 17-12
UQ bounced back from their earlier loss to put in a commanding performance against the Combine Queensland side, running four tries and keeping the other team scoreless. FT 24-0
Round 3 Newcastle
In a replay of last fortnight's thriller between these two teams, it was an early arm-wrestle between Newcastle and Sydney Uni. The second-half gave way to a brace of tries to Sydney Uni giving them their first win of the day. FT 19-7
UTS once again looked impressive, easily dealing with University of Adelaide. An unfortunate injury for one of the Romas caused a delay in play, and following the break, Adelaide were able to score in the corner, set up by 7s player Demi Hayes. FT 24-5
Canberra finally put it all together, getting their first win of the game over a valiant Melbourne Uni team. The floodgates opened up for Canberra following two yellow cards to Melbourne. FT 29-5
Round 3 Surfers Paradise
In an abrasive encounter, Griffith Uni and UQ exchanged blows on the field, but it was all one-way traffic in the first half with tries to Georgina Friedrichs, Ivana Lolesio and Kahli Henwood for Griffith. A try right after halftime to Ivania Wong and it seemed that Griffith may run away with it, but UQ clawed back two tries through Mackenzie Sadler and Natalie Wright. FT 26-10
In the final game of the day, Bond continue to shape as competition favourites, running riot over the Combined Queensland side, who couldn't score against some relentless defence. FT 43-0
