While the Summer sports are preparing to kick-off rugby sevens continues to capitalise on the popularity of the sport’s first Olympic Games showing with a local Waratah returning to town to teach the next generation of gold medal hopefuls.
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Waratahs prop and Country Eagles skipper Paddy Ryan dropped in on over 30 junior players for a rugby sevens development camp at Farrer on Wednesday.
“The reaction has been great and it is 100% good for rugby as a sport.”
- Paddy Ryan
Being a hulking prop Ryan doesn’t hit the sevens paddock too often but has been left in awe of the display that was the Olympic sevens in Rio, and particularly the Australian girls side and the impact of what that tournament has done for the rugby game in general.
“As a front rower I don’t really play but i really got into it watching the Olympics,” Ryan said.
“The reaction has been great to see and it is 100% good for rugby as a sport.”
The Waratah Camps are being held right across the state, with similar days held in Mudgee, the Central Coast and in Sydney this week, with Waratah players being matched up with their home towns where possible.
Waratah media manager Lauren DeGioia said that the re-allining of NSW Rugby and the Waratahs has brought plenty of positives back into the grass roots of the sport, with the interest in these off-season camps a prime example.
“Rugby numbers were up right across the board this year,” DeGioia said.
“We are trying to capitalise on that and get as many junior players involved and around the game as we can.”
“We are really emphasising that it is not just about Sydney but the whole state.”
“At the moment there at least 12 players in the Waratahs from Country NSW and it is great to see.”
There will be plenty of action to see locally this weekend with an Indigenous Sevens tournament in Tamworth as well as Toothy’s Tens in Quirindi.
