There’s a reason that former Wallaby Henry Speight is so highly regarded and he now has a whole host of new fans in central Queensland.
Speight’s 37-year-old legs still have their old energy based on his wonderful contribution to the Hearts In Rugby Union Community Day with the Dawson Valley Drovers at Moura last weekend.
Speight, David Croft and Nick Stiles represented the Classic Wallabies while Queensland Reds prop Matt Gibbon chimed in too.
They dived into a juniors coaching clinic and guest speaking for the eager locals at the Charity, Sponsors and Community Day at “The Stockyard.”
Playing rugby was on the menu too.
Speight played half a game for the Drovers reserve grade side before swapping jerseys to represent Rockhampton Brothers.
The encore was meeting the Fijian abattoir workers making up the Biloela team. Speight felt an urge to contribute more and played a full game for them as well.
Try 160 minutes in all.
The end result was raising nearly $20,00 for Hearts in Rugby Union, a worthy charity that assists players who have suffered severe life-changing injury during a rugby game.
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There’ll be a Fijian flavour in the stands to Saturday night’s Reds vs Drua match.
A 30-year re-union of players from Queensland’s epic 1995 Super 10 triumph over Transvaal in Johannesburg is being staged.
Among those to gather will be Ilie Tabua, the famed “Human Skewer” whose high-velocity tackles levelled many opponents.
Tabua played for the Wallabies at the 1995 World Cup and for his native Fiji at the 1999 World Cup before his coaching of their national team.
The 30-16 victory in Johannesburg, just as the Super 10 final victory in Durban did a year earlier, shows what is possible to defy home advantage in the finals.
Another at this weekend’s re-union will be 1995 lock Rod McCall, who celebrated his 100th Reds game in that Johannesburg final.
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There was an emotional tribute of the highest order from Souths flanker Kohan Herbert on the Gold Coast last weekend.
Granted a one-game leave pass from his club Souths by the Queensland Rugby Union, Herbert turned out for his childhood club Nerang Bulls.
Herbert had sought the dispensation to play in the Navar Herbert Cup match against Helensvale to honour his late brother after whom the trophy is named.
When Herbert scored the try that sealed the match, it uncorked a wave of emotional excitement amongst Nerang fans who knew how much it meant to honour the brother who had passed away from a brain tumour.
Herbert will be back in the Souths backrow on Saturday for the StoreLocal Hospital Cup clash against Brothers at Chipsy Wood Oval.
Improvers Sunnybank were denied a huge upset on full-time last weekend when Easts halfback Eli Pilz slotted a last-minute sideline conversion.
That showing will give them heart when they visit St Lucia to play University of Queensland. Dragons winger Daniel Malum is a quicksilver threat.
In the other games, Bond University host Norths and unbeaten Easts will have Ladies Day festivities as the exuberant chorus to their game against GPS at Bottomley Park.
