ANZAC Day saw plenty of running rugby across the grounds, as results from round four of the Hospital Cup created a three-way tie at the top of the table.

Wests defended their home ground despite receiving four yellow cards, while a penalty in the final few minutes saw Norths edge out another close victory.

Sunnybank came out on top in an arm-wrestle in Saint Lucia, and Brothers maintained their winning streak against last year’s premiers.

Wests 28-17 GPS

Wests managed to secure a home victory despite ill-discipline seeing them spend half the game with 14 men, as the referee handed out five yellow cards throughout the match. 

The Bulldogs drew first blood through hooker Leopino Maupese, who reaped the reward after his pack rolled their maul 20 metres to cross the visitors’ line.

The home side then suffered their first yellow of the day, but it didn’t stem their flow of points, turning a GPS attacking phase into their own opportunity at the other end. 

A quick lineout deep in Wests’ half found its way to Tevita Toloi who cut through the middle before offloading to winger Ben Navosailagi for his side’s second. 

And the Bulldogs extended their lead almost immediately through no.8 Luke Masirewa powering over off the base of a dominant scrum. 

Then GPS were finally rewarded for their attacking efforts, as Masirewa’s opposite number in Matthew Gicquel cut an incredible out-to-in line and forced his way over. 

Leading 21-7 at the half time break, Wests had the opportunity to run away with the game, but compounding penalties gave GPS a sniff. 

The Gallopers scored first when play restarted following a cracking break in midfield from outside centre Oskar Enasio, who was again a standout all day. 

Three yellow cards for Wests and one to GPS followed, in a scrappy second half which saw both sides score again, but neither were really able to build enough momentum to dominate the ending. 

Wests maintained their lead enough to deny GPS a bonus point and hold steady in fifth place, while the Gallopers moved down to eighth spot on the ladder.

Norths 29-28 Souths

Two tries in the opening 10 minutes Souths on the front foot at Chipsy Wood Oval, but a gritty Norths refused to go away and hung on for the win. 

The Magpies’ maul was dominant early, with Harry Holt first on the scoresheet off the back of a lineout five metres out from the Norths line. 

The visitors hit back through their own pack, crossing twice from close range as their forwards built pressure early on. 

The most impressive play of the half, however, seemingly came from nothing as Souths stole a lineout on their own 40-metre line. Flyhalf Harry Leerentveld put up a soaring contestable kick, which found its way to right winger Henry Hourigan who himself kicked ahead for Xavier Rubens to pounce on the ball and beat the fullback to score.

They headed into the sheds tied at 17-all and everything to play for in the second half. 

A penalty just after the restart saw Norths take the lead for the first time, before Souths regained control as Holt got his second at the back of another dominant maul.

As the clock wound down in the second 40, the game turned into an arm wrestle, with neither side able to crack their respective defences and penalties flowing at both ends. Kickers Leerentveld and Ben Mooney battled it out for three-pointers, with Norths having the final say in the dying minutes. 

A scrum penalty to the visitors sealed it in the end, giving the Eagles their third win in a row for the first time in the competition since 2018, and keeping them in equal first on the table. Despite another spirited display, Souths are yet to record a win in 2026 and currently sit in the wooden spoon position.

Sunnybank 53-47 University of Queensland 

An incredible 15 tries were scored as University of Queensland hosted Sunnybank in Saint Lucia, but it was the visitors who came out on top having been in front all game. 

The home side struck first through Thomas Howard with two minutes gone, and before Sunnybank even had a chance to attack. 

But it wasn’t long before Sunnybank returned serve at the other end, with Kiyan Gunewardene crossing in the far corner.

Then the Dragons turned up the heat and secured their second at the maul, awarded a penalty try and reducing their opponents to 14. The overlap hurt the Red Heavies, who conceded another two tries during the sin bin to go down by 17 points with just over 20 minutes played. 

Uni showed plenty of fight to cross twice more themselves before the half was out, which also saw the visitors lose one to the bin for collapsing the maul. 

Sunnybank had the final say of the half with their fifth try scored on the bell and giving them a 31-21 lead at oranges.

Both sides traded blows in the second half, as the Red Heavies scored four tries to Sunnybank’s three. And a yellow card to the visitors in the final five minutes gave Uni a sniff as they crossed once more through their forwards to bring them back within one score. 

They had a final opportunity to break the Sunnybank line with the clock in the red, but pressure at the breakdown saw the Dragons awarded the final penalty and handed the win.

Sunnybank remain in sixth place, while the two losing bonus points saw University of Queensland climb into seventh. 

Brothers 43-31 Bond University 

In a replay of the 2025 grand final, Brothers proved too strong for Bond University, putting them to the sword at Crosby Park to move up to equal first on the ladder.

Impressive since he made an appearance off the bench in round one, fullback Ethan Morgan kicked things off for Bond, dancing through the Brothers’ defence to put openside Kohan Herbert over in under three minutes. 

The Brethern hit back soon after through Kaelan Grafton in the far corner, before Morgan bagged his first of two for the day off the back of a full-field effort from the Bull Sharks’ Ryan McGloin.

But a yellow card for the visitors made the difference in the first 40, as Brothers pushed over a maul for Jack Harley to score. Then a try to Graham Urquhart gave the home side the lead and sent them into the break up by five points.

Bond made a fast start to the second half just as they had done in the first, this time with the forwards knocking on the door from close range for Harry Bell to dive over.

But Brothers took the lead once more through Benn Dalle Cort following a break by Grafton, before hooker Dom Fraser snuck through the middle of the ruck to steal another five pointer.

Grafton bagged a double to push the home side’s lead beyond reach, but Bond continued to fight, crossing the paint twice more to ensure they took at least one losing bonus point home. 

The Brethern remain undefeated in 2026 and sit equal first with Norths and Easts, while Bond suffered their second loss on the bounce and drop to fourth.