Decorated rugby sevens ace Charlotte Caslick will make her debut for the Queensland Reds in Sunday afternoon’s feature clash against the NSW Waratahs at Ballymore Stadium.
It is a huge moment for Australian women’s rugby with the finest player from the sevens game making a longer commitment to play the 15-a-side game than first thought.
Caslick said today she will be available for the rest of the SMARTECH Super Rugby Women’s season, a potential four or five-game block to best audition for the Wallaroos in World Cup year.
Her sevens ambitions to play at a fourth Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles remain strong but the lure of earning selection for her first Rugby World Cup will dominate 2025.
Caslick has been picked as a utility back on the bench with the likelihood she will enter the game as a fullback or closer to the action.
Reds head coach Andrew Fraser said he was delighted that the 22-19 victory over Fijian Drua in Lautoka last weekend was such a worthy reward for five months of training and trials.
“The players in Fiji and the full squad of 38 we have called on in our season build-up deserved that result for everything they’ve put in,” Fraser said.
“Emotionally and psychologically, all the girls knew what south-east Queensland was going through at the time of kick-off. It was credit to their mental resilience to get that win with what they overcame in some brutal conditions with heat, the crowd, the atmosphere and a heavy ground.
“We are excited to now be playing at Ballymore. The Waratahs are a champion team, laden with Wallaroos. We respect them but this is totally a challenge we are looking forward to.
“Queensland playing their oldest rivals from NSW. We all get that.”
Fraser has kept changes to a minimum for one of the matches of the season.
Co-captain Ivania Wong will miss her first Super Rugby Women’s game since the competition began in 2018. Sevens Olympian Kahli Henwood will step up on the wing.
Elsewhere In the backs, elusive sevens schemer Teagan Levi will start at outside centre.
Zophronia Setu has joined the bench for a potential Super Rugby Women’s debut at hooker.
Having Caslick ready for her Queensland debut is exciting on many levels, Fraser said.
“Charlotte is a world-class athlete. When you add the speed with which she plays and the intellect she has gathered over more than a decade it’s really exciting,” Fraser said.
“She is eager to make an impression. I think the crowd at Ballymore on Sunday is in for a treat just marvelling at what the sevens girls can do.
“We were delighted with the contributions of Teagan (Levi), Kahli (Henwood) and Bella (Nasser) against the Drua.”
The strength of the Reds’ performance against the Drua was reflected in the stats.
A superb tackle-completion rate of 92 per cent was led by co-captain Jemma Bemrose, who made all 18 of her tackle attempts.
Her high workrate was matched by lock Tiarah Minns, who contributed 22 tackles at a 100 per cent completion rate.
The go-forward in midfield from teenage centre Shalom Sauaso was generated by her eight strong carries and a try-assist for Carola Kreis.
Sauaso was a popular winner of the VPA Players’ Player of the Match award.
Sunday’s kick-off at the family-friendly time of 2:05pm (Qld time) is ideal to watch a resurgent Reds team and the exciting transition of four rugby sevens Olympians.
QUEENSLAND REDS v NSW WARATAHS
SMARTECH Super Rugby Women’s
Sunday, 2:05pm (AEST)
Ballymore Stadium
Live on Stan Sport
1 Bree-Anna Browne
2 Tiarna Molloy
3 Eva Karpani
4 Vineta Teutau
5 Tiarah Minns
6 Jemma Bemrose (c)
7 Carola Kreis
8 Sarah Riordan
9 Layne Morgan
10 Carys Dallinger
11 Kahli Henwood
12 Shalom Sauaso
13 Teagan Levi
14 Caitlin Urwin
15 Lori Cramer
Reserves: 16 Zophronia Setu, 17 Cristo Taufua, 18 Charli Jacoby, 19 Deni Ross, 20, Bella Nasser, 21 Nat Wright, 22 Faythe Manera, 23 Charlotte Caslick
