FOR three of Orange Emus’ star players, despite a 45-point loss, their appearance for the Australian Barbarians on Saturday was more about the experience than the end result.
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Wingers Tom Green and Carter Hirini and prop Brent Braithwaite all represented the greens in the Barbarians side against the NSW Country Eagles’ Development Squad on Saturday in the curtain raiser to the National Rugby Championship (NRC) clash between the Eagles and Melbourne Rising.
“It was great, just incredible,” Hirini said after the game.
“Yeah it was just huge to play with a whole bunch of guys we don’t know, from Sydney and all over the place,” Green added.
Despite the 63-18 loss, all three agreed being exposed to that level of rugby was more important in their eyes.
“You can definitely see the difference in the standard, although I thought the scrums would be a bit tougher,” Braithwaite said with a grin.
The young bookend, playing loosehead prop, combined sublimely with his fellow front-rower partners, including Orange City hooker Josh Tremain.
The Barbarians scrum pushed the Eagles around for the entire 60 minutes even though they couldn’t produce points from the set-piece dominance.
“We did pretty well really, we got over them a fair bit really,” Braithwaite said.
From the two wingers’ perspective the game proved educational, and both speedsters performed with aplomb.
Green scored a stunning try, breaking several tackles in a 30 metre sprint to the line. Incredibly, the former NSW Country colt was only called into the side on the day, after Emus’ presentation night.
“Well, yeah I’d had a few beers the night before,” Green grinned.
“But even so I thought I did pretty well. The standard is higher, and to grab a try made it even better. I also learned plenty about being a winger. I loved it.”
Hirini said he had similar thoughts after the game, at one stage proving his speed by making a break and out-running several Eagles players on his way to line.
Unfortunately, he dropped it as he crossed and missed a deserved try.
“Well, I’m pretty sure it got punched out over the line. It was just a great bit of defence,” Hirini laughed.
“I did botch that one, but it was an incredible experience regardless.”
CSU Bathurst’s Hugh Medway, and Narromine’s Lachie McCutcheon rounded out the Blowes Clothing Cup players in the Barbarians team.
matthew.findlay@f
airfaxmedia.com.au
