WOMEN’S RUGBY: Four Country players - including Central West Women’s Cup grand final opposites Kylie Pennell and Alana Thomas - have been included in the Wallaroos Australian Rugby squad for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand Black Ferns in October.
Twenty-two players are in the Wallaroos squad with the selection of Pennell (Dubbo Rhinos), Thomas (Orange Emus), Dunedoo’s Rebecca Trethowan (Newcastle Uni) and Margaret Watson (Newcastle Uni) coming as no surprise.
Thomas (five-eighth) and Trethowan (flanker) represented Australia at the 2006 World Cup in Canada, and toured with the Wallaroos to New Zealand in 2007.
Pennell, who has been named at No. 8 for the Dubbo Rhinos against Orange Emus Chicks in tomorrow’s Central West Women’s Cup grand final, made her international debut as a prop in New Zealand last year, while Watson (hooker) will be on debut in this year’s home test series against New Zealand.
The Wallaroos are coached by Steve Hamson who hails from Blayney.
This will be his third year with the national team.
Hamson said this week: “Several new players had been included for this year’s test series, and the squad had a tremendous amount of potential and belief.”
“With the squad having an average age of 23, things were moving in the right direction for this year’s tests and towards the 2010 World Cup.”
The two matches in the Test series against New Zealand will be played at Vikings Park in Canberra on Tuesday and Saturday, October 14 and 18.
Meanwhile, while Pennell and Thomas will be team-mates in the Australian side, they will be in opposition tomorrow in the Central West grand final in Dubbo.
Pennell and her Rhinos gained the upper hand in the major semi-final a fortnight ago, winning 12-7. But the Emus hit top form with a decisive 32-20 result over CSU in the preliminary final last weekend.
In that game Thomas had a field day, scoring two of her side’s three tries, then added four penalty goals and two conversions. Obviously the Rhinos can’t afford to give her space in the field or goal-kicking opportunities in the grand final.
The Rhinos will rely a lot on Pennell up front with the Australian prop last year being player of the match in the premiership win, also played at No.1 Oval.
Rhinos will be striving for their third successive title and it is also the third time they have finished as minor premiers.
Dubbo Rhinos: 1 Shannon Baker, 2 Amanda Higgs, 3 Fiona Taufa, 4 Suzanne Dow, 5 Shelly Hutchinson, 6 Bessie Madden, 7 Skye Lovett, 8 Kylie Pennell, 9 Marisha Blanco (c), 10 Lisa Hando, 11 Renee Black, 12 Maki, 13 Pru Hampton, 14 Sarah Baldwin, 15 Mel Driscoll. Reserves: 16 Jamie Prosser, 17 Mel Rieschieck.
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