Saturday’s Classic Wallabies match against the Central Queensland Barbarians had a distinct Melbourne flavour, with a host of former Rebels lacing up their boots.
The Central Queensland Barbarians, made up of the region’s best over 35’s representative players, were treated to a star studded line up of former Wallaby players.
Among those which made up a well-rounded Classic Wallabies team were former Rebels players in Laurie Weeks (85 games), Julian Huxley (22 games), Sam Cordingley (2 games), and Radike Samo (1 game), as well as former Coaches Matt Cockbain and Morgan Turinui.
Reflecting on the match, Weeks says it was great to rekindle with former Rebels teammates and share the field with a host of Australian rugby legends.
“It was fantastic to see a lot of people I knew, but in particular, it was great to catch up with Julian, Sam, Radike and Matt,” Weeks said.
“It was great to share the field with all of them again and it was very reminiscent of our old playing days back at the Stockade.
“The intensity of the game was perfect for retired players. The contact levels were not high, and our skill levels were up there for a bunch of retired blokes.”
The Classic Wallabies match was the penultimate event of a weekend long tour to Rockhampton as part of the Gold Blooded Tour.
Weeks and Cockbain joined a host of Wallaby champions including Stephen Moore in running coaching clinics for local junior players.
Following his appearances at Box Hill, Shepparton, Reservoir and Casey earlier this month, Weeks says it was a wonderful opportunity to re-join the Gold Blooded Tour in Central Queensland to help spread the message of rugby again.
“It’s all about spreading the good will of rugby in Australia and taking rugby to regional areas,” Weeks said.
“I think a lot of these regional areas don’t get much rugby or many opportunities to see international games, so to have a huge crowd there and to have everyone involved seemed like a really good event for the town.”
