On Friday, the U13 SPC Rugby Team met at school at 6:50am, packed the vans and trailer, and then headed off to play in the New Zealand Junior Rugby Festival, which was held at the Queenstown Events Centre from the 5th to the 7th of September. There were 46 teams from 26 clubs (over 1150 kids) playing rugby from throughout the South Island, as well as many teams joining us from the North Island.
Unfortunately, about an hour into the road trip to Queenstown, we got word that the Council had closed all the QT fields due to the torrential rain overnight and there would be no games played that day. The team carried on the drive and arrived at Kingston – the Gore Boat Club’s Lodge would be our base for the next 3 days. Plan B swung into action, and we got our pool booking moved from Saturday afternoon to the Friday, and off we went. The team spent the next few hours swimming and hydrosliding.
We patiently waited to hear from the tournament organisers to see what the plan for the next day would be, but with the rain still falling it was a tense wait to see if the Council would be able to open the fields. Finally, we got the call that games would go ahead and the draw was re-done.
First up on Saturday, we played the Sumner Makos. It took the team a bit to get into the game, and it came down to who used the muddy, slippery, wet conditions the best. We didn’t capitalise on a couple of opportunities, and Sumner took the win 31–17. Next up, we played Waihi School. They were slick and used the conditions well, kicking deep into our half and then chasing a skidding ball down and applying plenty of pressure. Waihi took the win 27–7.
Saturday night saw the rain set in again, and play on Sunday was looking a bit shaky. It was a long wait to get an update as organisers did their utmost to move games to other fields so we could play. Finally, we got word that games would go ahead but would be reduced and relocated.
Our first game on Sunday was moved from the QT Events Centre, and we had to travel into the heart of Queenstown where we played Pirates Rugby Club from Dunedin at Memorial Park. The team faced a haka for the first time and used this energy to really step up on the field. It was an absolute mud bath, but our team tackled hard and chased loose ball to come out on top with a hard-fought 12–5 win. Spirits were high, but the conditions were starting to cause fatigue. Our last game for the day/tournament would be back out at Frankton at the Queenstown Events Centre, where we would play top-ranked team Alexandra. Alexandra were clinical and managed to break through our defensive line a few times to take the win.
However, our guys never gave up and gave it their all right until the end – even with wet feet and sore, tired, muddy bodies.
There were many highlights over the 3 days, but one that stands out would definitely be meeting up with our Buddy Team for the tournament, which was High School Old Boys from Christchurch. They were an awesome group of kids and came and supported us at our games whenever they could – and we did the same.
A massive thank you to our awesome coaches Shannon Wells and Hayden Byars. It’s a huge commitment to lead the team away on tournament, and we very much appreciate all your time and efforts.
Thanks also to Kaz Collie, Casey Young, and Jamie Chittock for helping out over the 3 days. Your efforts to keep everything running smoothly were greatly appreciated.
A quick shout-out of thanks to Mason – our team’s Touch Judge who officiated all our games – and also to Maddie, who was in support as the team medic.
Finally, a HUGE thank you to team sponsors: Croydon Innovations, JB & R Chittock Ltd, Casey Young – Arizto Real Estate, and B & D Strachan.
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