The region is in for a rugby bonanza welcoming not only the Waratahs and Queensland Reds but the best men's 7s talent in the country.
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Hot on the heels of the news that Narrabri will host the Santos Festival of Rugby in February, it has been confirmed the Aussie men's 7s team will be heading to Armidale later this month as their road to Tokyo begins.
In a huge coup, the first stage of the trial process for the Olympic team will take place at Bellevue Oval over January 22 and 23.
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The trials will involve the current Australian men's squad, the NSW and Queensland 7s teams and a Pacific Islands team with games being played of a Friday and Saturday afternoon/night (the exact times are still to be finalised).
"We're (university) really stoked to host the men's Olympic 7s trials here and I think it's going to be really exciting and a good display of football and looking forward to it," Director of UNE Life Dave Schmude said.
Not only will it be great opportunity to showcase top level rugby in the region, but also for the local community to see in action, and interact with, some of the best players in the 7s game.
The university has a strong history of hosting high-performance teams. The Parramatta Eels (several times), Newcastle Jets and even the NSW State of Origin team have all held camps at UNE. Currently the Triathlon NSW under-23s squad are training there.
Not something that was really even on their radar, Schmude believes landing the 7s trials, is a testament to the strength of rugby in the region, and also the facilities.
"I think it's just great for the region and I think it speaks volumes for the region," he said.
"You've got Tamworth hosting the Warriors for the second time for a month camp, you've got Armidale hosting the 7s trials and you've got Narrabri hosting a Super 15 trial match there."
The Tokyo hopefuls will also be involved in the Narrabri event, with the 7s component of the festival being organised by Australian men's sevens head coach Tim Walsh.
The three-day extravaganza will run from February 3-6 with the game between the Waratahs and Reds the "centrepiece" on the Friday night (February 5).
Schmude said there are a lot of logistics to still be finalised, and they will be working closely with Rugby Australia and NSW Health in regards to COVID plans.
"We're just waiting for more information to come to hand from Rugby Australia and NSW Health," he said.
"We'll make sure it's a safe environment for the players and spectators."
