Australian Rugby Union to meet with Bond

Australian Rugby Union to meet with Bond

THE Australian Rugby Union will meet with Bond University this Friday to discuss the prenuptials of their new four-year sporting marriage.

It will be the first meeting of Bond's health sciences faculty with ARU representatives to plan how elite teams like the Wallabies will use the university's new training facilities.

Yesterday, Bond vice-chancellor Professor Tim Brailsford gave the Bulletin an exclusive first look inside the Bond Institute of Health and Sport formerly the Centre of Excellence, which welcomed students this week but is a fortnight from completion.

The private university announced its partnership with the sport's peak body earlier this month a massive coup for the city and Bond.

Australia's men's and women's sevens sides and the Australian under-20s will also use the university's Institute of Health and Sport as a base.

Head of School of Health Sciences, Professor Roger Hughes, said they would start discussions to figure out if the elite athletes would be used as guinea pigs while students used new technology for education and research.

''It's a preliminary meeting with ARU's sports science group to talk about the agenda and collaborative projects,'' he said.

''The bottom line for us is that we're ready to get going and collaborate with the sport's sector.''

Prof Hughes said he hoped further research would help them fast-track rehabilitation, prevent injuries and optimise performances.

Prof Brailsford the Wallabies now had full access to the institute, staff and facilities, while students would be able to ''work closely with ARU's professional athletes, representative teams and coaches''.

''There's also an opportunity for our students to get engaged with the ARU and there's the direct spin-off for our team, the Bond Breakers, who will get to rub shoulders with national representatives and get to know some of the national coaches,'' he said.

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