The Goulburn Rugby Union Football Club welcomed Murray Douglas of the Brumbies and Tom Staniforth of the Waratahs to the Goulburn Workers Arena on Friday for a preview of the upcoming match between the two sides on February 7.
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Announced in October, the match will serve as an opportunity for both sides to warm into the season and test out new combinations and freshly signed players.
“We’re really looking forward to coming here and hopefully there’ll be a big crowd cheering us on,” Douglas said.
“Hopefully people can bring the atmosphere and we’re looking forward to a good game.
“Before I got to the Brumbies, I’d obviously heard that Brumbies-Waratahs is one of the great rivalries in rugby, so I can’t wait to be a part of that, and I know everyone in Canberra’s looking forward to that as well.”
Staniforth agreed, and said that he expected the match to be “something special”.
“[Fans can] expect a very physical match from the Brumbies and ‘Tahs. Historically it’s always been a very good contest, [with] some good running rugby which both teams will enjoy playing.”
Goulburn’s reputation as a town with a strong rugby following is well-known, and Staniforth said that he was “looking forward to coming to Goulburn.”
“I’ve heard there’s a very strong rugby community here, so all the boys are looking forward to coming down.”
The Waratahs and the Brumbies have begun pre-season training, and although both Staniforth and Douglas have had lighter workloads due to injury, they said that both sides were preparing for physically demanding 2019 seasons.
“Pre-season’s been tough,” Staniforth said.
“I’m in rehab at the moment, but the boys are coming back to the facility and looking buggered every session. I feel a bit guilty for not actually training, but they look exhausted so it should be a good test for both teams. It’ll be good to see where both teams are at before the season starts.”
The Goulburn Rugby Union Football Club played a significant role in the organisation of the match, and are thrilled that local rugby league will receive such a strong boost.
The match is set to kick off at 6.30pm on Thursday February 7. Admission to the trial match will be free for both Brumbies and Waratahs members, who will just need to show their membership tickets at the gate to gain their complimentary admission to this fixture.
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