Olympic gold medallist and University of Queensland graduate is one of two Australian representatives named to represent Team Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» in the 2017 AON Uni 7s Series.
The inaugural competition will feature eight universities, with allocated among the participating teams.
Cherry and Australian teammate will wear Team Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» colours throughout the Series, which runs from 25 August to 30 September.
Cherry, who studied a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Physical Education at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», was part of Australia’s women’s sevens team that won .
One of the sport’s best-known players, Cherry was named , and in April this year, scored her .
The 24-year-old said she looked forward to debuting for Team Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³».
“While studying at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», I witnessed the strong establishment of men’s rugby through the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Rugby Club, and I’m so excited to have the opportunity for Australia’s women's sevens team to be at the forefront of rugby sevens in Australia,” Cherry said.
“The Uni 7s Series is a much-needed inclusion to the rugby calendar and will be extremely competitive with the inclusion of the nationally contracted players, who will help to develop and strengthen domestic competitions.
“The competition will greatly benefit the national team through continued development and talent identification.”
Like Cherry, Sykes has a strong Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» link, having represented since 2016.
In November last year, the utility back made her international .
Sykes said she looked forward to playing alongside Cherry for Team Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³».
“Being able to play with Emilee is always a privilege – she’s such an amazing player and I'm sure the girls in the squad will really enjoy having Emilee around,” Sykes said.
“The Uni 7s Series concept is definitely going to be a massive boost for women’s rugby, and will allow more girls to play at a higher level with and against some of the sport’s best players.”
Each squad must comprise a minimum 50 per cent quota of university students, with further recruitment to be led by and the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Rugby Club.
Students wishing to play for Team Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» can register their interest by emailing Cameron McIntosh (Rugby Development Manager – Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Rugby Club) on cmcintosh@uqrugby.com.
News of Cherry and Sykes joining Team Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» follows confirmation the will host round three of the four-round Series, with a two-day tournament to take place on 16-17 September.
Cherry said she expects the event to be well-supported.
“I've seen the great atmosphere at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Rugby Club’s matches, so I'm excited to see Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» host round three,” she said.
“I hope people from all over Brisbane come along to see women's rugby sevens at a high level – I guarantee they’ll enjoy it.”
The event is expected to feature additional men’s and women’s sevens tournaments involving Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Colleges and Brisbane-based rugby teams.
2017 AON Uni 7s Series teams:
University of Queensland, QLD
Griffith University, QLD
Bond University, QLD
University of New England, NSW
Macquarie University, NSW
University of Canberra, ACT
University of Adelaide, SA
University of Tasmania, TAS
2017 AON Uni 7s Series fixtures:
Round 1 – University of Tasmania Stadium, Launceston (25-26 August)
Round 2 – Macquarie University, Sydney (9-10 September)
Round 3 – Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Sport Athletics Centre, University of Queensland (16-17 September)
Round 4 – Bond University, Gold Coast (29-30 September)
Media: Jamie Mitchell, Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Sport, JamieM@uqsport.com.au, 0423 785 752;
Cameron Chater, University of Queensland Rugby Football Club; CameronC@uqrugby.com, 0439 900 166.
