By Dan Elsom

Round one of the 2026 Hospital Cup season got off to a flyer, with points flowing in every fixture.

Defending premiers Bond were tested early before pulling off a try-scoring frenzy, while 2025 grand finalists Brothers narrowly edged out victory by a single point at home.

Sunnybank came out on top in a high-scoring affair at Norths, while Easts had a slow start but eventually found their groove to take a five-point win.

 Sunnybank 52-36 Norths 

Sunnybank got their 2026 campaign off to a flying start in round one, running in eight tries to take five points home from their trip to Norths.

The home side set the tone early, with openside flanker Charlie Cooke crossing after just two minutes. But it wasn’t long before his opposite number Joseph Faualo touched down at the other end to put Sunnybank in front.

Both sides traded blows for the remainder of the first half, with scores from Jack Volavola, Brody McLaren and Taisei Higuchi for the Dragons equally matched by tries to Jack Peoples and Ryan Heaton, as well as a cracking solo effort by Norths fullback Will McCulloch.

The visitors had the final say of the half, as skipper Faualo fielded a perfectly weighted cross-field kick to claim his second for the day and give his side a nine-point lead heading into the break.

Sunnybank then started the second half just as they had finished the first, with two scores inside the first 20 minutes extending their lead beyond two converted tries.

Heaton, who was impressive around the park with ball in hand all game, finished off a line break to claim his second and Norths’ bonus point, but another try to the Dragons squashed any hope of a late comeback.

Skipper Peoples claimed his own double in the dying minutes, with Norths able to take plenty of positives away from round one despite the tough loss.

Brothers 26-25 Souths 

Souths came close to an upset against last year’s grand finalists, but a penalty try at the death saw them go down by a point at Crosby Park.

The visitors raced out to an early lead, as a break from no.8 Reece Meise put Xavier Rubens into space to touch down with less than two minutes gone on the clock.

Then powerhouse front rower William Manuelia took matters into his own hands, busting through tackles from 30 metres out to score in the corner for the Brethren’s first.

Souths lost playmaker Finn Mackay to the sin bin midway through the half for cynical slap down, which saw the home side take advantage minutes later as Kaelan Grafton crossed in the far corner.

Brothers scored again through their rolling maul, while the Magpies managed just two penalty goals in response, trailing 19-11 at half time.

Souths were dominant in the second 40 and scored via Meise off the back of their own maul in the opening minutes.

But the try of the day was Rubens’ second. From a scrum deep in their own half, Souths cut through the home side defence on the first phase as Patrick Brackenrig linked up with Henry Hourigan, who kicked through for the outside centre to score.

The conversion gave Souths a six-point buffer, but it wouldn’t be enough to secure the win.

A penalty try to Brothers saw them reclaim the lead, and the subsequent yellow card proved advantage enough to withstand the Magpies’ final scramble.

Bond University 48-29 University of Queensland 

Bond’s title defence started with a proper battle at home, before a late surge in the second half saw the reigning champions run away with the win at The Canal.

The home side seemed flat following their Australian Club Championship loss to Warringah last week, as University of Queensland took first points through openside Tom Robinson, before a penalty try and later goal gave them a 15-point lead.

The Bull Sharks finally crossed for their first points after 32 minutes, with Harrison Usher burrowing his way over from close range. Then Fergus Gillan followed suit on the stroke of half time, closing the gap to just three as they headed into the sheds.

Usher secured his double just minutes into the second half, before former Wallaby Taqele Naiyaravoro crashed through the Bond defence to take the lead back for the Red Heavies.

The visitors crossed once more as the half neared its midway point, but what was to follow was nothing short of a ferocious attack by the Bull Sharks.

Down by 10 with less than 20 minutes to play, last year’s premiers ran in five unanswered tries, shocking the Red Heavies and leaving home fans wondering where their side had been for the first hour of the game.

Easts 38-17 Wests

It took 38 minutes for a point to be scored at David Wilson Field, as Easts continued to repel attacking threats from a hungry Bulldogs side.

Wests had to work for the first points of the day, with three tries denied in the half as the home side scrambled to defend their line.

The stalemate finally broke with two minutes left to play in the half when 20-year-old Bulldogs debutant Jacob Job muscled his way over from close range for a hard-earned five points.

Those proved to be the only points of the half, as fans eagerly anticipated an equally close finish to this cross-town rivalry.

Tigers’ hooker Max Craig got his side on the board early in the second half, breaking off the back of a maul and forcing his way over the line to bring them level.

Then Wests hit back straight away through Ben Navosailagi in the far corner, but it wasn’t long before the wheels started to fall off for the visitors.

Easts opened the floodgates with five back-to-back tries, blowing the Bulldogs off the park with a late injection of energy from their bench.

Wests crossed for a final consolation after the buzzer, which would have done little to ease the disappointment after such a strong start to the first half of this contest.