Fast and the furious: Holbrook siblings to take on world's best in South Africa

That's an impressive call but there's no arguing the Holbrook-based siblings have the runs on the board at the most elite level of the fast-paced equestrian sport.

Next month Lucy, 31, and Jimmy, 29, will again take on the best of the best when they fly to South Africa as part of the eight-member Australian team to defend their World Cup title.

The powerhouse polocrosse pair was named best male and female player respectively at the previous World Cup held in Queensland in 2019.

"But he's even better now than in 2019," Lucy said of her brother (the team captain) on Tuesday, June 11, from the family's Berragoon ASH Stud.

"His skills and ability to read the game is next level ... his ball skills are ridiculous.

"He's streets ahead of anyone else."

Lucy is more self-effacing about her own skills, modestly describing her strength as "the ability to stay the course".

"I'm not overly flashy but I'm relatively consistent - and I'll be there at the end," she said.

As reigning World Cup champions, the Aussie team will defend their title on international soil against seven other teams from across the globe.

It won't be an easy task as the well-regarded Australian players are not able to ride their own finely tuned stock horses in the competition.

Instead, they will draw 16 unknown steeds from a pool of South African horses and have just 90 minutes a day, over four days, to ride and familiarise themselves with these fast-paced animals before taking to the field.

Lucy said the horses over there "are very different to play on"; there's less stockhorse blood and more polocrosse ponies infused with thoroughbred blood.

"They are a lot faster and straight running; ours turn better," she explained.

In 2023, Lucy flew to South Africa to play from a pool of horses, and describes it as "perfect practice" for the competition that lies ahead.

She's confident their chances are good this year and that the Australian team will still be there "when the whips are cracking".

"We've done more preparation for this world cup than we ever have before," Lucy said.

"Going in to something like this we want to do as well as we can and it's great we're heading off to the nationals at Chinchilla (in Queensland) at the end of next week."

Then Lucy and Jimmy will fly out to South Africa on July 9, accompanied by their partners and parents Sara and Charlie Grills.

The Aussies will be up against the US, UK and then "dark horse" Zambia in the first rounds.

"Zambia probably has the best coach in the world in terms of international experience," Lucy said.

"I'm really excited to have that tough game to finish in the first pool."

The women's team includes Sam Allen (Tansey, Queensland), Lindsey Doolan (Chinchilla, Queensland), Beth Hafey (Tansey, Queensland) and Lucy Grills (Albury-Holbrook).

Meanwhile Corey Buys (Sale, Victoria), Matt Davison (Gold Coast, Queensland), Tom O'Neill (Tansey, Queensland) and Jimmy Grills (Albury/Holbrook) make up the men's team.

Lucy said Jimmy is "primed and ready to go".

"He never stops thinking about it," she said.

"I think he's played every game in his head 50 times already!"

Australia is the largest polocrosse-playing country in the world and is known for bringing together rural and regional communities, often spanning multiple generations of the one family.

And so it is with the Grills family of Holbrook.

Polocrosse runs in the blood with the pair's parents Sara and Charlie Grills always heavily involved in the sport and the breeding side of things as well.

Sara has lived and breathed Australian stock horses her whole life, from using them on her family's farm as a child and utilising their skill and agility for polocrosse matches, to successfully breeding them through the family business, Berragoon ASH Stud at Holbrook.

Berragoon is a boutique Australian Stock Horse stud situated on 4000 acres in the beautiful Wantagong Valley.

Charlie, Sara and her sister Debbie have been running the stud since 1987 and now with Lucy and Jim, and their partners.

In 2019, Jimmy spoke to The Border Mail about that World Cup win and said at the time he rated that victory higher than winning three premiership flags with Albury Tigers.

"Obviously I cherish my three flags at Albury," he said.

"But to be able to win a World Polocrosse Cup and be named the best in the world, I do rate that higher because it is on the world stage."

Jimmy said the atmosphere at the 2019 World Cup was "massive because there were 8000 people, all Australian and all behind us".

"We hadn't won the world cup since 2007 and it was a massive advantage to have the crowd on your side.

"We would get out there early in the warm-up and the crowd would be pumping.

"The biggest difference compared to an O&M crowd is the support is generally around 50/50."

The Aussies know the South Africans will have the home ground advantage this time 'round - but it won't stop them galloping hard towards the chance to make history.