Backrower Joe Brial will make a return to family turf in Narrabri this weekend with the Queensland Reds for the Santos Festival of Rugby.
The Reds will take on the NSW Waratahs at Dangar Park on Saturday (5:45pm AEST) in Round Two of Super Rugby AUS as the feature match of the festival.
Brial’s father Michael was born in the country NSW town and was a Narrabri Blue Boars first grader in his teens in the mid-1980s before his career took off with NSW and the Wallabies.
Brial senior will be part of a big contingent of family and friends cheering on the action in Narrabri because younger son Toby will also be playing in the backrow for the Waratahs Under-19s.
The Reds and Waratahs meet in Super Rugby U19s on Sunday (1pm) as a further highlight of two festive days of interstate rugby which also includes Queensland and NSW meeting in women’s rugby, sevens and country U18s.
“Dad spent a big chunk of his life in Narrabri. The Blues Boars have a rich history at Dangar Park and there will be a lot of Brials and family friends about this weekend,” Joe said.
“It’s going to be good being in the same arena as Toby as part of a great weekend of footy with the Santos Festival of Rugby.”
The Reds enter the game with a 36-26 win over the ACT Brumbies last weekend to open the new Super Rugby AUS competition.
With flyhalf Harry McLaughlin-Phillips going through the HIA protocols after a head knock in that game, skipper Jock Campbell will show his versatility with a switch from fullback to flyhalf.
Campbell played the second half of the 2024 match against Tonga at No.10 and has experience sliding into first receiver during matches.
George Blake’s versatility is also being tapped. After playing as a replacement loosehead prop against the Brumbies, he will start at hooker.
Young Vaiuta Latu has retained his place at No.8 after an impressive first outing against the Brumbies when he made 74m off 13 ball-carries, threw the final pass for a try and bullocked over for his own.
The recently-married Lachie Anderson returns on the wing which frees up Heremaia Murray to switch from wing to fullback.
On the bench, former All Black Jeffery Toomaga-Allen comes in as a reserve prop.
“The versatility we have in the backs and with George is a real strength,” Reds Head Coach Les Kiss said.
“Jock has played in that flyhalf role for us at various times during games. He’s an experienced player and the likes of Dre (Pakeho), Isaac (Henry) or Kalani (Thomas) will offer cover there as well.
“It’s great to take the game to regional areas. It’s awesome that people in the country can experience rugby on so many levels between such rivals as Queensland and NSW at this festival.
“My first match on the road as Reds coach was in Roma at last year’s Santos Festival of Rugby. It was an occasion full of all the good things we love about rugby.
“For us, this Super Rugby AUS competition is real value to expose young players and keep developing our combinations.
“Vaiuta Latu came in for his first game and was physical and gave us workrate. What I liked most was that he didn’t go into his shell…he played his way and he represented those strengths really well.”
As one of the biggest annual football and community events in regional Australia, the Santos Festival of Rugby is has driven millions of dollars in economic benefit for both Narrabri and Roma over the four editions to date.
The Classic Wallabies match against the Blue Boars Over-35s on Sunday morning (11am) will harness career encores from Julian Huxley, Henry Speight, Nathan Spooner, Pat Howard, Nathan Spooner and others.
It's a great spin-off of the festival that the 51-year-old Howard, a former Test flyhalf and centre, gets to play before son Tom dashes at fullback for the Queensland U19s while Spooner, a Test flyhalf in 1999, will play before daughter Abbi runs out for the Queensland sevens team.
Narrabri’s Maitland Street will come alive with a 4-8pm street party on Friday night.
QUEENSLAND REDS vs NSW WARATAHS
Dangar Park, Narrabri
5.45pm Saturday, September 20
Live on Stan Sport and rugby.com.au
Queensland Reds
1 Aidan Ross (vc) – Bond University
2 George Blake – Bond University
3 Massimo De Lutiis - Wests
4 Connor Vest - Souths
5 Seru Uru - Souths
6 Joe Brial – University of Queensland
7 Tom Robinson – University of Queensland
8 Vaiuta Latu - Brothers
9 Kalani Thomas – University of Queensland
10 Jock Campbell (c) – University of Queensland
11 Tim Ryan - Brothers
12 Dre Pakeho - Brothers
13 Isaac Henry – Wests
14 Lachie Anderson – University of Queensland
15 Heremaia Murray – Bond University
Reserves
16 Theo Fourie - Brothers
17 Sef Fa'agase – Sunnybank
18 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen - Norths
19 Hamish Muller - Brothers
20 Kohan Herbert - Souths
21 James Martens - GPS
22 Will Cartwright - Brothers
23 Xavier Rubens – Souths
2025 Santos Festival of Rugby … Full Schedule:
Saturday, September 20:
· Classic Wallabies Kids Clinic, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
· Queensland Reds vs. NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby 7s 2:00pm
· Queensland Reds vs. NSW Waratahs Women, 2:30pm
· Queensland Reds vs. NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby 7s, 4:30pm
· Queensland Reds vs. NSW Waratahs Super Rugby AUS, 5:45pm
Sunday September 21:
· Queensland Country vs. NSW Country, U18 Girls, 9:00am
· Queensland Reds vs. NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby 7s, 10:20am
· Classic Wallabies vs. Narrabri Blue Boars Over-35s, 11:00am
· Queensland Reds vs. NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby 7s, 12:00pm
· Queensland Reds vs. NSW Waratahs Super Rugby U19s, 1:00pm
