She may be sitting her exams right now, but Brumbies fullback Georgie Hayes is set for the ultimate test on Saturday against the Fijiana Drua.
17-year-old Hayes will make her starting debut at the back in Ba for the Brumbies, making her debut at the start of the Super Rugby W season.
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Coach James Erwin backed the Wagga product to bring the same energy she's managed throughout Next Gen Sevens for the Brumbies as they look for a maiden win in Fiji.
“She plays with the energy and confidence that we want and certainly a real boost for the group to have her in and around football all the time," he said.
“We saw some patches on the weekend where she sees some space, uses her footwork so really when we get to Fiji, it'll be a really good opportunity for her to lean into some of that Next Gen sevens form that she's been in, winning a one-on-one contest and then creating a lot of time and space for those around her so she's looking forward to ripping in.
“It’s awesome to see the individual effort that these kids put in. Georgie’s sitting exams at school this week so she’s ripping in."
Hayes' elevation comes after the loss of Faitala Moleka to an eye contusion, suffered during their defeat to the Waratahs.
The Wallaroo came off with 10 minutes to go after clutching at her eye after some stray contact following a tackle on Martha Harvey.
“The decision was there to potentially take her to Fiji but we made the decision that it was best to rest her this week, give her the bye week to get back to where she needs to ," Erwin explained.
“It’s a pretty unique injury with the eye, and something we want to take very seriously versus a little hammy niggle.”
The Brumbies have also handed First Nations talent Savannah Roberts-Hickling a potential debut off the bench, the graduate of the Brumbies Indigenous Pathways Program, to play Super Rugby Women's should she take the field in Fiji.
“Savannah's been nothing but fantastic every time she first came into our first ever female First Nations IPP program," Erwin said on the proud Bundjalung and Gomeroi woman."
“Every session she goes from strength to strength. The reality is she had a bit of a knee niggle through the pre-season so her getting an opportunity to make her debut was always coming but what's really pleasing is she's done the work to get herself where she needs to be.
“Stepping on the field in Fiji, she's done the work to earn the right to play the way that we need her to play to get the result we need.”
