Coming off our worst finish in years in 2017, a new look Sydney Uni side has reinvented themselves under new coach Rob Taylor and were the surprise package of the opening rounds.
By the halfway point of the season, Uni are surprising no one though and will arguably be the team to beat come September.
How would you describe your start to the season? Are you where you thought you would be at this point of the year?
“I’d rate it 6 out of 10. It’s nice to be at the top of the table but the fact is we lost to Norths and Eastwood therefore we have plenty of work to do,” Taylor told Rugby News.
“As a relatively new SUFC team coming together, we’ve been focussed week to week since preseason and we haven’t worried too much about where we are on the table, but it’s nice to be where we are.”
Who has been you best performer so far this year? Why?
“Our forward pack as a whole have been very impressive. The quality attacking ball and defensive scrum pressure they’ve produced has been a pillar in our teams overall performance.
“The backs have showed glimpses of the magic they are capable of but they need to be more consistent.”
What do you need to do over the next 9 rounds to consider 2018 a success?
We need to be achieving the performance standards that we set each week. We let in 32 points last weekend, that is far off where we want or need to be.”
After 9 rounds here are the stats;
1st Grade – Lead the way in the main competition after missing out on the finals for the first time in 19 years in 2017. 1st Grade have lost just two games and with the help of 11 bonus points they sit 3 points clear of 2nd placed Norths.
(Note – bonus points are awarded for; losing within 7 or scoring 4 or more tries)
2nd Grade – The premiers have continued with their winning formula from 2017 and are sitting pretty at the top of the leader board with 9 wins from 9. They look on track to defend their title with a 9 point gap on second placed Easts.
3rd Grade – Currently 2nd on the table just two points behind leaders Warringah.
4th Grade – The 2017 premiers are currently in 2nd place after suffering their first defeat of the season to Eastwood at the weekend.
1sts Colts – Presently coming 5th with 5 wins from 9 starts. Unlucky some might say but the trend has just started again with a good win over Eastwood. Only 1 point off Easts to be in the top 4.
2nds Colts – A rosy story here as they sit on top of the ladder with 8 wins from 9 starts. Perfectly positioned for the finals!
3rds Colts – Currently 4th on the table (equal with Gordon) and only 2 points separates 2nd, 3rd and 4th so that is a real contest.
Womens – SUWRC remain undefeated in the Jack Scott Cup with 6 wins from 6, all in a fairly convincing fashion too! Next up they face the Premiers, Warringah, who they narrowly lost to in the Grand Final last year.
We are currently leading the Club Championship by a huge 348 points, the Club Championship is without question the most important title for us as a club to win. We have won it for the past 14 years and don’t intend on giving up the title just yet!
You can see all the individual leader boards here >
To summarise, from a total of 69 games, across all teams we have won 57, drawn 3 and lost 9.