Some of the Gold Coast’s best underage rugby talent will lace-up for the Bull Sharks this weekend at Ipswich Rangers Rugby Club when Bond launches its Bond University BJRU U18 Lightning Series title defence.
The Bull Sharks went through their inaugural 2024 Brisbane Junior Rugby Union U18s campaign undefeated when they beat Souths 18-5 in the Grand Final.
This year’s side will harbour similar ambitions with a host of Queensland Reds development and 7s players in the squad - Hayden Keldie-Genner, Kobi Nouanrasy, Jonah Ragawai and Clay Hindmarsh among them.
Bond’s Head of Rugby, Grant Anderson, said players returning from Reds duties were set to make their mark on the series, but he was also looking forward to seeing how younger players perform over six weeks of intense competition.
“Hayden [Keldie-Genner] played First XV at TSS last year, he has great lineout skills and is that workhorse in the forward pack that you need,” he said.
“Kobi [Nouanrasy] coming back from the Reds 7s program, where he was a standout. He’s a dangerous halfback who will really get our attack going.
“And it’s a great opportunity for a younger player like Beau Sargeant, who is only in Year 11, to test himself at this level.”
The Southport School product Beau Sargeant is the younger brother of Paris 2024 Rugby 7s Olympian, and fellow Bull Shark, Hayden Sargeant.
Last year was such a successful entry into the competition for the Bull Sharks that Bond University signed on as naming rights sponsor for this year’s six-round series.
Deputy Director of Bond Sport, Luca Liussi, said the sponsorship was an extension of the University’s long-standing commitment to rugby.
“The Bond University U18 BJRU Lightning Series is an excellent initiative by BJRU and a clear pathway to QLD Premier Rugby Colts and the QLD Reds Academy programs and we are proud to come on board as naming rights sponsor,” he said.
The Bull Sharks’ 2024 squad produced several players that went on to become key players in the Bull Sharks Colts program, headed up by former New Zealand All Black, Rico Gear.
Among them is premiership skipper Callum Simpson who was awarded Bond University’s John Eales Rugby Excellence Scholarship for 2025 and has enrolled in a Bachelor of Project Management.
The Southport School, Somerset College, Kings Christian College and Keebra Park SHS have produced the majority of players in Bond’s 2025 squad.
TSS’s Head of Rugby Mike Wallace said Bond’s decision to field a team in the competition was a benefit to school rugby programs right across the Gold Coast.
“It’s a really valuable part of the development pathway for young players,” Wallace said.
“It gives kids a chance to compete in a short, high-performance competition before their school or club seasons begin and against quality opposition.
“And last year we found it was a great opportunity for us to have another look at a few of the TSS boys that were in that team, and there’s no doubt that some of those performances influenced our selection for the First XV.”
The series will also feature a Dream Team representative round where the best players in the tournament will face off against Melbourne Rugby Academy.