Rugby on the Downs is in full swing for the season now with Juniors, Teenage Boys, Teenage Girls XVs, Senior Men's and Women's 7s all under way.
Some great community milestones on the weekend included Dalby's father/son duo, Troy and Toby Peterson, taking the field together for the first time in C Grade and Goondiwindi's James Scanlan celebrating his 100th game for the club in front of a home crowd.
Our Women's game is going from strength to strength with this year's Emilee Cherry 7s Cup providing some outstanding contests and a full day of Tournament-style rugby 7s for our communities to enjoy.
Teenage rugby has hit a high point with Teenage Boys semi finals alongside our first ever Teenage Girls XVs grand final this Friday night hosted by Highfields Rugby Club.
For all the details head to the Downs Rugby website or socials pages.
Junior clubs are all providing wonderful, fun-filled family days as we see our U6s-U12s come together each Saturday for cluster carnivals.
Men's round-up
Men's A Grade: Toowoomba Rangers versus Dalby Wheatmen provided a cracking game at Gold Park in Toowoomba.
After a period of testing each other, Rangers scored first. At this stage Dalby's 22 was getting multiple entries due to the wind.
Tackle rucks were physical with players fiercely contesting.One of Dalby's few entries into Rangers territory resulted in three points.
Another try and a penalty to Rangers saw the halftime score at 20-3.
Dalby were certainly not out of the contest, having the wind in the second half.
The first 20 minutes saw multiple Dalby raids only for a 50/50 pass going to deck or a breakaway player being isolated.
Dalby took two penalty shots then added their first try.Rangers responded shortly after to make the score 23-16.
Dalby did not stop trying, after being awarded a penalty just before fulltime. 25-plus tackle rucks ensued before the final whistle sounded.
Men's A Grade: The game at Southern Cross Oval between the Bears and Echidnas showcased an intense battle on the field.
In the first half, the Bears displayed solid control, utilising strong defensive tactics to limit the Echidnas' scoring opportunities.
As they headed into halftime, the Bears held a notable advantage.
However, the second half saw a significant shift in momentum as the Echidnas came out with renewed energy, dominating the early stages.
Despite their initial surge, the Bears managed to regain control through disciplined play.
Yet, the game took a dramatic turn with a series of ill-disciplined actions from the Bears, allowing the Echidnas to capitalise and narrow the scoreline.
The tables turned once again when the Bears found themselves down to 13 players due to consecutive yellow cards.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Bears held on tenaciously, thwarting several held-up moments by the Echidnas.
In the end, it was the Bears who emerged victorious, edging out the Echidnas with a final score of 22-17 in a thrilling contest of skill and determination.
St George Frillies Women's 7s: This Saturday the Frillies headed to Gundy for their second round of 7s. With only seven players available, our girls were in for a big day!
First up they played the Toowoomba Bears, and put in a true Frillies effort. They had strong possession in the first half and worked their way up the field, however a lack of subs contributed to the loss of 7-31.
The second game was against the Condamine Codettes. Our girls got over the line a few times, and special shout out to Meg and Liv M who pulled off a spectacular try with strong running and support play.
The girls went down 10-27.The final play-off game was against Gatton Pigs. Our girls really came together to play Frillies style footy, with clean shifting of the balls and aggression in the rucks.
The girls came away with a great win of 27-7.
RESULTS: Round Two
A Grade - RDO Risdon Cup
Goondiwindi 45 def Condamine 28
Gatton 33 def Uni Rugby 10
Bears 24 def Roma Echidnas 17
Rangers 23 def A Grade 16
B Grade - Nutrien Ag Bill Flamsteed Cup
Bears 29 def St George 22
Rangers 17 def by Dalby 33
Goondiwindi 52 def Condamine 5
C Grade - Verifact ES Dooney Hayes Cup
Rangers 14 def by Dalby 24
Gatton 33 def Uni Rugby 0
Goondiwindi 12 def by Chinchilla 36
Women's 7s - Emilee Cherry Cup
Goondiwindi 27 def Toowoomba Rangers 17
Toowoomba Bears 31 def Frilly Fillies 7
Dalby 31 def Uni Rugby 0
Goondiwindi 29 def Gatton Black Sows 7
St George Frilly Fillies 10 def by Condamine Codettes 27
Toowoomba Rangers 19 def Gatton Black Sows 5
Toowoomba Bears 33 def Condamine Codettes 12
Gatton Black Sows 7 def by St George Frilly Fillies 27
Uni Rugby 0 def by Toowoomba Rangers 34
Goondiwindi 24 def by Condamine Codettes 31
Dalby 10 def by Toowoomba Bears 26
DRAW: Round Three, this Saturday, May 3:
Men'sA Grade: RDO Risdon Cup
Condamine Cods v Toowoomba Bears
Gatton Blackpigs v Dalby Wheatmen
Roma Echidnas v Toowoomba Rangers
Goondiwindi Emus v Toowoomba Uni
B Grade: Nutrien Ag Bill Flamsteed Cup
St George Frillnecks v Toowoomba Rangers
Warwick Water Rats v Dalby Wheatmen
Condamine Cods v Toowoomba Bears
Goondiwindi Emus v BYE
C Grade: Verifact Traffic ES Dooney Hayes Cup
Gatton Blackpigs v Dalby Wheatmen
Roma Echidnas v Toowoomba Rangers
Goondiwindi Emus v Toowoomba Uni
Chinchilla River Rats v BYE
Women's
Emilee Cherry 7s Cup, Tournament Three, will see all women playing at Condamine. Full Tournament schedule can be found at www.downsrugby.com.au.
Juniors
Cluster carnivals will be hosted by Goondiwindi Emus and Toowoomba Souths Kookaburras this weekend.
Goondiwindi Cluster Carnival: Goondiwindi Emus v Toowoomba Bears v Highfields Redbacks/Uni.
Toowoomba Souths Kookaburras Cluster Carnival: Toowoomba Souths v Dalby Juniors v Toowoomba Grammar School.
All Draws for all our Downs Rugby Competitions can be found at www.downsrugby.com.au.
