Narrabri trio selected into NSW rugby union representative squads

Three Narrabri teenagers have been named in NSW rugby union squads, with 17-year-old trio Holly Ford, Sid Harvey and Bernard O’Connor all to pull on the sky blue in the coming days at various events.

Holly (sevens) and Bernard (15s) will compete at the 49th Australian Schools Rugby Championships from Monday, July 3, to Thursday, July 6, at Eric Tweedale Stadium in Granville Park, Sydney, the home to the Two Blues Rugby Union Club.

For Holly, a sensational halfback, her selection continues a remarkable comeback from an ACL injury that she suffered in June 2022 at the NSW All Schools Rugby Championships.

She was in a knee brace for three months afterwards and was then only able to do limited strength and conditioning activities until being cleared to return to contact sport earlier this year in March.

Her first match back in the rugby arena was in April for Central North, and in typical Holly Ford fashion, she has been brilliant since getting back out on the park.

She lined up at the 2023 State and Country Championships for Central North earlier this month over the June long weekend and after impressing in her games there, she was selected for the NSW Country under-18 girls squad.

Last week, she returned to the NSW All Schools Rugby Championships in Sydney where she played for the Combined High Schools’ second side and helped guide the team to the grand final.

The CHS Twos went down against the CHS Ones in that match after they had won all of their other six games.

From that event, Holly was chosen to play in the NSW Seconds team to play at next week’s 2023 Australian Schools Rugby Championships.

Holly Ford with a silver medal that she and her CHS Twos team earned at last week’s 2023 NSW All Schools Rugby Championships.

Sid was named in the NSW Waratahs under-18s squad last Friday ahead of this weekend’s under-18s academy fixtures against Queensland Reds at Ballymore in Brisbane.

The Waratahs juniors will clash with their archrivals on Saturday at the newly redeveloped Ballymore Stadium in Brisbane.

The NSW squad assembled at NSW Rugby HQ last Saturday and have been put through their paces across training sessions this week.

The squad will then be split into two teams.

Queensland Reds under-18 Grey will play NSW Waratahs under-18 White from 1pm, before Queensland Reds under-18s challenge the NSW under-18s from 2.30pm.

The selection was a well-deserved one for Sid, a gun fullback who was named player of the tournament at the NSWCHSSA under-18 boys state carnival at New Lambton’s Harker Oval last month.

The NSW Waratahs’ head of talent management, Andrew Cleverly, said selection on this squad offered a great opportunity for the young players.

“Congratulations to those players selected to represent NSW Waratahs under-18s,” he said.

“A number of our current Waratahs squad have made their way through our pathway system and into Super Rugby, and I’m sure we will continue to see this development in this group of players.

“We can’t wait to get up to Ballymore for the matches”.

Bernard also lined up at the 2023 NSWCHSSA under-18 state carnival last month as he and Sid helped guide North West to a bronze medal finish.

His performances and efforts have also been noticed and he was named in the NSW under-18 open boys team to play at the Australian Schools Rugby Championships next week.

His team will play three games at that event and then hopefully a grand final, after which the 2023 Australian schoolboys team and an Australian schoolboys barbarians team will be named.