By TOM PRIMMER

Round Six of the Hospital Cup will see GPS host arch-rivals UQ, Bond University travel to Chipsy Wood to face Souths, Easts take on Norths at Tigerland, and to round out the action, Wests will do battle with Sunnybank at Sylvan Road.

Let’s take a look at all four games.

Souths v Bond University | Chipsy Wood Oval | 3:30pm

After knocking off the premiership favourites in Round Five, Bond University will head up the M1 this weekend to take on Souths at Chipsy Wood.

The young Magpies are smarting after a heavy loss to Uni last weekend and will be looking for an improved performance in front of their home crowd.

Billy Rutherford has returned to the starting scrumhalf jersey for Souths and will bring an attacking edge for the home side alongside the experienced Luke Samoa at fullback.

There’ll be plenty of action on show on the wings too, with young excitement machines Lukas Ripley (Souths) and Rhian Stowers (Bond) doing battle out wide.

Souths head coach Todd Dammers is excited to be back playing at home after a number of weeks on the road and is looking for a more consistent performance from his side.

“It has been too long,” Dammers said of the team’s return to their home ground.

“We can’t wait to get to Chipsy Wood and challenge for the Bunter Bowl.

“Our discipline needs to improve. We hurt ourselves against UQ. As a team it’s a point we have really trying to spotlight this week.”

They’ll come up against a Bullsharks team with momentum on their side after a 10-point win over Easts last weekend, and skipper Dan Boardman said the side is out to continue that form.

“A win like gives us a lot of confidence as Easts are one of the most inform sides this year,” Boardman said.

“We executed really well and scored some great tries from that.

“We will need to have a strong kick chase line and to be very physical with the Souths team. They’re a young group with a lot of passion so they will be up for it this weekend no doubt.”

Backrower Luke Papworth is out for the Gold Coasters with a hamstring injury.

GPS v University of Queensland | Yoku Road | 3:30pm

GPS will be first to admit they were far from their best in their narrow victory over Sunnybank last round and will need a much more polished performance against defending premiers UQ this weekend.

AJ Alatimu will run on for his second game in the starting flyhalf jersey for the Gallopers, while young prop John Downes has some massive shoes to fill in the front row with veteran Fred Burke ruled out.

The battle between forward stalwarts Pat Morrey (Uni) and Michael Richards (GPS) will be huge, with both players taking each other on in grand finals previously.

Jeeps head coach Elwee Prinsloo is envisaging another tough contest against the Students.

“Uni is arguably the fittest team in the comp and have been for many years, they play an up-tempo game and if you want results against them you have to match their speed,” Prinsloo said.

“Since I’ve joined Jeeps this is probably the game I always look forward to most each year. We’ve played each other plenty of times in the regular season and finals over the past few years and there’s been some great battles.

“They are the most successful team of the last decade and we certainly respect that and we will prepare accordingly.”

The sides are playing for the Halley Appleby Memorial Trophy, honouring UQ’s Halley Appleby who was tragically killed in 2011.

“It’s always a special week and round,” UQ Director of Rugby Elton Berrange said.

“We’ve talked about Halley this week and what sort of legacy he left. The silverware is a bonus but going out there and putting in a performance in that we can be proud of will be the best way to pay homage to Halley.

“We’ve really put a lot of work into our set piece. GPS pride themselves in that area & it’s be a great opportunity to attack them at their strengths.”

Kye Oates and Connor Mitchell have both returned to the starting XV for the Students.

Wests v Sunnybank | Sci-Fleet Stadium | 3:30pm

Both Sunnybank and Wests fell by just two-points last weekend, meaning there’s no shortage of motivation for either side at Sylvan Road on Saturday.

The Bulldogs have made a number of changes, with Will Dearden returning to the starting side and Cooper Whiteside shifting to flyhalf in Carter Gordon’s absence.

Fresh from a double last week, Callum Hicks will replace Whiteside at fullback.
Wests head coach Carl Marshall said his team are looking for an 80-minute performance after the Brethren stunned the side with a late comeback last round.

“The focus for training has been on fixing some of the defensive flaws that we made in the second half,” Marshall said.

“Sunnybank have had a good start to the season winning two of their games and narrowly losing two of the others so will be a tough opposition to overcome.”

The Bankers have been forced into a number of changes, with standout lock Masi Ganita out and Puni Aupuni returning to the wing.

Super Rugby winner and Queensland Rugby cult hero Digby Ioane has been named to return to the Premier Rugby scene off the bench.

“Although disappointing to not get the wins the boys are building in confidence and know we aren’t far off the top teams,” Sunnybank head coach Sione Fukofuka said.

“There is a confidence that our processes and systems are working but we have to be accurate across the whole 80 minutes and take our opportunities.

“Wests are a good attacking team and have scored lots of points in their first two games, so we will need to defend well and pressure the source of their ball at line out and scrum.”

Easts v Norths | David Wilson Field | 3:30pm

Easts fell to their first loss of 2020 last round, and the Tigers will be out to return to the winner’s circle this weekend when the host Norths.

The Tigers have named an unchanged team to face the Eagles, and are continuing to build combinations as they bid to lift the Hospital Cup come the end of the season.

The set piece battle looms as a point of difference for the Tigers, with the front-row combination of Rhys van Nek, Richie Asiata and George Francis decimating their opposition at scrum time on multiple occasions this season.

Ben Mowen, Tom Milosevic and Michael Gunn are all back in action in the backrow, while in the backline, Eli Pilz will partner Jack Frampton in the halves once again.

Pilz, the form scrumhalf of the competition, has impressed with his game management so far this year, while Frampton’s unpredictability and brilliance in attack makes the pairing one of the Hospital Cup’s most dangerous combinations.

After a hat-trick in a losing effort last round, Shane Kennedy has been named on the wing alongside experienced campaigners Dylan Taikato Simpson and Aidan Toua in the back three.

Eagles fullback Nick Chapman returned from injury in Norths last start win over Wests, and added a new dimension to the Eagles attack.

He’ll link up with Jon Reuben and Veresa Mataitini in the back three, with points and pace aplenty within that trio for Norths.

Reece Tapine will line up at outside-centre following his strong start to the season, while Liam Prendergast and Jacob Prideaux will again link up in the halves.

The front-row combination of Tonga Ma’afu, captain Cody Blackhurst and Bradley Kuhn will need to be at their best because there will be a raucous Tigerland crowd cheering their side over the line at scrum time.

Former Australian schoolboy and Towoomba Grammar School product Matt Willshire will start at lock and go up against one of the competition’s best young second rowers in Fred Fewtrell.

IMAGE: KEV NAGLE