With club Rugby still on a hiatus for this foreseeable future, Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) with the help of Double Take sports, is set to bring fans Round 2 of the Hospital Challenge Cup V competition this afternoon.
The virtual version of Queensland Premier Rugby sees player representatives from each club go head-to-head in what would have been their scheduled Round 2 matches. Utilising the game Rugby Challenge 3 and PlayStation technology, Double Take have built virtual versions of each Premier Rugby First Grade side for players to utilise.
After players last weekend were filmed playing the matches in studio, this week players will be be patching in from their very own living rooms, with the team at Double Take coming up with brand new methods to bring Rugby fans their weekend club Rugby fix, whilst adhering to the Government’s COVID-19 preventative measures.
This weekend a number of St.George Queensland Reds are set to take part, with lock Harry Hockings representing University of Queensland, and Jack Hardy set to earn his first virtual Easts cap.
The Round 2 matches are as follows:
Game 1 – University of Queensland v Bond University
Game 2 – Easts v Brothers
Game 3 – Souths v Wests
Game 4 – Sunnybank v Norths
Last weekend, over 20,000 people tuned into Round 1 of the competition of Facebook alone.
Bond University flanker Connor Pritchard, who represented the Bull Sharks in Round 1 said: “This competition brings to life the Rugby vibe and it means the game isn’t forgotten and brings players together.
“It can be depressing being at home all week self-isolating so if we can bring some happiness to the Rugby community once a week, that’s a massive positive and will hopefully provide people with some cheer.”
Regular Premier Rugby commentator Jay Staunton said: “At a time when there is so much turmoil in the world, it’s important to provide people with a chance to connect and come together.
“One thing we know about the Queensland Premier Rugby community is that they are really tight, if we can do something to bring light to such a dark time, it’s absolutely fantastic.”
Fans can tune into Round 2 of the Hospital Challenge Cup V competition via a number of channels, including the Reds.Rugby and Qld.Rugby website, Queensland Premier Rugby Facebook and Queensland Premier Rugby’s new Twitch account. CLICK HERE to follow Premier Rugby on Twitch.
