Bulls put one hand on interclub cup

Details: Created: Monday, 02 June 2014 16:05; Last Updated: Monday, 02 June 2014 16:07; Published: Monday, 02 June 2014 16:05; Written by Webmaster Admin

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THE Coal & Allied Singleton Junior Bulls put one hand on the inaugural Valentine Burgess Cup on Saturday.

Officially the point tally reads Singleton eight Maitland three in the 2014 season.

Leading the way with impressive performances were Singleton’s under11s who won 68-12 and the under 8s who won 50-15.

At the end of the day the Bulls won six games, drew one and lost one at Allan Bull Reserve. Prior to the match up the two clubs were tied 1-1.

The trophy was created to recognise two junior players from both the Singleton Bulls and Maitland Blacks who went all the way to play for the Australian Wallabies.

“The cup tries to highlight that their are pathways for regional juniors to succeed,” Singleton Rugby Club secretary Marcus Vaughan said.

Bulls junior Josh Valentine was Wallaby number 811 and was handed his debut on June, 11, 2006 against England in Sydney. He’s been capped six times.

He currently plays in France for Rugby Club Narbonne but has previously played for the Queensland Reds, New South Wales Waratahs, Perth’s Western Force and the Canberra Brumbies.

Maitland junior Luke Burgess was Wallaby number 821 and made his debut against Ireland on June, 14, 2008 against Ireland in Melbourne. Capped 37 times.

He plays for Super Rugby team the Melbourne Rebels. His previous clubs are Waratahs and Stade Toulousain.

Every time during the regular season that Singleton plays Maitland in any age group, points will be collated and the club with the most points at the end of the season will be declared the winner (one point for a win and if there’s a draw one point for each team).

Rivalry between the two clubs is a real feature of the Newcastle Hunter Rugby Union season and the trophy just adds to that tension.

Singleton have gotten off to a great start against their traditional rivals but it could be a different situation when the Bulls venture to Maitland’s home ground in round 15. The cup could be wrapped before then if the Bulls can score 13 points.

Josh Valentine’s mother Kris Valentine was present on the day.

(Article and photo courtesy The Singleton Argus)