FULL LIST: Grammar, Maroochydore teens to stand out in king of the country rugby union tournament

Which talented Swans and Grammar teens will stand out when they fight against southeast Queensland’s best? Here is what the coaches said. SEE THE LIST

Sunshine Coast Grammar player Nate Hepi will play in the King of the Country tournament this week.

They're already champions on the Coast but a talented bunch of Swans and Grammar teens will now fight against southeast Queensland's best to be crowned 'king of the country'.

Queensland's top regional rugby centres, the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Darling Downs, will play in the inaugural King of the Country tournament across three days from Friday.

How to watch all 24 King of the Country rugby matches LIVE

The competition, held on the Gold Coast, will pit defending champions from each region in the U13, U14 and U15 age groups against one another with all the action to be livestreamed by News Corp here on the Daily's site.

Maroochydore will kick off in the U14 division with Grammar in the U15s.

Swans coach Nelson Robinson said his group was "bang up" for the trip to the Gold Coast.

He said the club was undefeated on its charge to season silverware last year but would face a new challenge this season with several player movements.

Regardless, he expected them to fare well.

"It's (competition) a really good opportunity and gives the kids game time to work on pre-season things and just provides extra motivation," he said.

Grammar were U14 champions in 2020

Grammar coach Ian Brown also expected his charges to fire in the tournament.

With the prestigious Ballymore Cup next week, Brown said Grammar would use the competition as a "warm up".

"We will go all right, the program at Sunshine Coast Grammar is a really good one," he said.

"It's (king of the country) a great concept they've come up with … and it should be a bit of fun."

Ahead of the three-day competition starting on Friday, both coaches listed some of their players they expected to shine.

Sunshine Coast Grammar player Zac Nichol.

 

Zac Nichol (inside centre) - Grammar

"He is a big strong lad and hard runner," Brown said.

"He has good passing skills too.

 

Sunshine Coast Grammar player Nate Hepi

Nate Hepi (frontrow)- Grammar

"Nate is tight head prop and is stronger and fitter than the typical (prop)," Brown said.

"He is a good kid and leads by example."

 

Sunshine Coast Grammar player Jett Spink (centre)

Jett Spink (No. 8) - Grammar

"He is coming along really well and is quick and just has a good future ahead of him.

 

Maroochydore were U13 champions in 2020

Jesse Jones (backrow / open side flanker) -Maroochydore

"He is captain and does everything well, especially his tackling," Robinson said.

 

Jarvis Wood (inside centre) - Maroochydore

"He has great ball running and ball playing," Robinson said.

 

Patrick Edwards (second row) - Maroochydore

"Patrick is good at the breakdown and good at ball running," Robinson said.

Originally published as FULL LIST: Grammar, Maroochydore teens to stand out in king of the country rugby union tournament