The inaugural Rugby Schools Cup came to a thrilling conclusion at UWA Sports Park yesterday in a fantastic day for the sport at the grassroots level.
The grand final day saw seven schools go head-to-head, with Aranmore Catholic College taking out the girls and boys titles.
With a total of 33 games played across three fields, it was a massive day of junior rugby in the sunshine for all involved.
An afternoon of end-to-end rugby resulted in Aranmore reaching both finals. In the girls final, the Leederville-based school claimed an entertaining 36-7 victory over Quinn’s Baptist College. Aranmore’s Awhina Heke took out the best female player following a string of impressive performances.
In the boys final, Thornlie Senior High School were gallant in defeat, as Aranmore proved too strong with a 33-7 win. Kaea Taunoa of Aranmore was awarded best male player after playing a crucial role in his school’s success.
RugbyWA Participation Manager Damian Wainohu was thrilled with the opening year of the cup.
“For a first-year competition, it was a huge success and an absolute pleasure seeing so many girls and boys running around with smiles on their faces," Wainohu said.
"There is still a huge amount of growth potential of both quality and participation in both the girls and boys game for all participating schools to look forward to in 2022.”
“It's a very exciting time for the long-term growth of the community schools rugby union landscape in Western Australia.”
Head of rugby Matt Hodgson echoed Wainohu's thoughts.
“It was great to see so many students and their families enjoying their rugby,” Hodgson explained.
“The cup presents a perfect platform for local kids to showcase their skills and develop their game in a fun but competitive environment,”
“We have an announcement regarding the competition coming up before the end of the year and we’re really looking forward to seeing many more days like this in the future.”
