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It was a case of different name but same result in the Mudgee Rugby 7s as Sydney club rugby side Gordon won the 2009 tournament at Jubilee Oval.

Playing under the name of Wild Oats for this year’s event, the north shore-based team, which included Mudgee products Beau Wilson and David Smith, won the Oriental Hotel Cup in emphatic style at the second major Sevens tournament of the Australian season.

They thrashed two-time winners Skin Dogs 41-19 in the final on Saturday.

It’s the fifth time in 21 years of the Mudgee Rugby 7s that the Cup has headed to Gordon, who have been a dominant force in Australian Club Sevens in recent years.

Captain Wilson said his side played well right through the tournament.

“It was a great day, we played here last year and won it and it is good to go back-to-back,” Wilson said.
Skin Dogs were on the back foot from almost the outset as Wild Oats ran to a 17-5 lead.

Skin Dogs player David Longbottom committed the cardinal sin of the tournament by getting sent off for a late shoulder charge.

This reduced the Dogs to six-men for the remainder of the game and Wild Oats capitalised on it by blowing their opponents off the park.

Terry Preston and Chris Alcok both scored a double in the final. Mudgee 7s co-ordinator Brett Swords said the day was a complete success.

“It was a great day; we had 24 teams compete and they all seemed to enjoy themselves.

“There was some good games, some close games and a bit of attacking flair on show,” he said.

One of the most nail-biting games of the day was the Mullet Shield final between Parramatta side 1879 and Makos.

Locked up at 12-all, the match went into sudden death extra time and it took a miracle drop goal from Matt Bourg to decide a winner.

Bourg kicked the ball sweetly from close to 40 metres out and it sailed through the goal posts.

The Parramatta club also had another hero to cheer as Junior Kalikata was awarded the best tackle of the tournament with his premiership-winning Wombat Cameron Beard (The Neck Nuts) in their Pool A game.
David Visel from Southern Lakes was named player of the tournament.

Out of the local sides, the Mudgee Brewing/TNT were the best reaching the semi-finals of the Mullet Shield.