What began as a seed early in Term 1 2022, came to fruition at the beginning of Term 4 when 33 young Trinity rugby players made the journey down the M1 to play in a 2-day Rugby 7s tournament hosted by All Saints Anglican School and attended by schools from all around the Gold Coast and South East Queensland.
25 boys made up teams competing in the U13 and U15 age groups, and for the first time in a number of years, Trinity fielded an U13s Girls Team comprised of girls who, for the most part, had never played rugby in any form prior to the tournament.
Day 1 saw the girls team, accompanied by coaches and support staff, setting off for a massive day of competition on the field. The day started with a 7am arrival at school and before long we were arriving at All Saints, pitching our tent and setting up our base for the day. Our pool consisted of just 3 teams which allowed us to play the 2 other schools, All Saints and Marymount College, twice each throughout the day resulting in 4 games being played over the course of the day.
Our games against Marymount College were the definition of David vs Goliath, figuratively and literally, with many of the opposing team towering over our players. It was amazing to watch the sheer will power and determination shown by each of our girls as the team put up a courageous fight in both games. All Saints provided our girls with the closest games of the day and allowed them to experience what Rugby 7s is all about. The Trinity team was able to string multiple phases together and power to a number of great tries across both the games.
The courage of the girls was exemplary. The team competed in the tournament with only 8 players and, as such, only 1 reserve was available across all games. This however, had absolutely no impact on their enthusiasm, and each of the girls got better with every game. Best of all was the camaraderie they showed throughout the day, and over the previous term of training.
A very special thank-you to Sofia Hodges for her help with coaching the girls, Robbie Warwick who, whilst still in Year 10, is relishing the coaching opportunities that have been coming his way and Ms Knox for her organisation and enthusiastic support of all the girls on the day.
A massive congratulations to Jordan, Neidra, Allegra, Hannah, Olivia, Lucy, Sienna and Felicity who did themselves, their families and the school immensely proud, showing effort and courage in trying something new, learning new skills and, hopefully, reigniting Girls Rugby 7s at Trinity.
Day 2 saw some of our best young rugby players from our Season 1 APS teams compete in the Boys U13 and U15 All Saints Rugby 7s carnival.
Early starts for both teams ensured that there was little time for any nerves. The U13s had a patchy start with their first opponent team running late and the subsequent rescheduling of the game. This didn’t deter their enthusiasm and when they did finally get onto the field they had a dream start. Ky Leis caught the ball from the kick off, running the length of the field to score and signaling good results to come across the first 2 games.
Our U13 team, comprising of Kai, Eli, Isaac, Sonny, Ky, Jack, Harlyn, Oscar, Felix, Emmerson, Oliver, Campbell, Alex and Zac, played expansive football from the get go recording two solid wins from their first two games against Windaroo Valley State High School and Merrimac State High School. Their 3rd game of the day was against rival APS team, Somerset. Trinity had lead for most of the match with Somerset pulling off a miracle try in the final minutes and securing the draw.
The final game of the day was against eventual Division 2 champions, St Stephen’s College and it was clear they were there to win. The team from Coomera put on an admirable display of 7s rugby and ran off convincing winners. The Trinity boys can certainly hold their heads up high having finished a comfortable 2nd in their pool. This group of players definitely has the ability to continue to develop and improve, and chase a title in the very near future.
Our U15s team comprised of Jett, Jed, Josh, Hunter, Robbie, Jackson, Keenan, Lukah, Alex, James and Angelo, had a blistering start to their day, running in 3 unanswered tries in the first half of their first game. Ill discipline led to a reduced 6-man team for the final stages of the first half with their lead quickly evaporating. In a seesawing second half, the team from Kelvin Grove State College continued to fight hard and got out to a lead with just over a minute remaining. Some incredible footwork by Keenan saw him go the length of the field on the final play of the game to ensure we came away with a hard fought draw to start the day.
In their 2nd game of the day, the Trinity U15s came up against Marymount College, their toughest opponent, who proved far too strong and effective in attack by running in 6 tries to 1, and taking the win.
After a chance to recalibrate and enjoy a decent break, the team went into their 3rd game of the day with renewed confidence, ready to take on APS rivals, St Stephens College . The team needed just one try to win but were caught short by the clock, just losing to St Stephens 12 – 7. The loss was not just on the scoreboard with the team suffering 2 serious injuries to play makers, Hunter and Keenan in the 2nd half.
The final game of the day saw Trinity put in their best effort against the team from Windaroo Valley High School. Having to call upon everyone in the squad to put in a massive effort in the final game of the day, the boys played with renewed vigour and confidence to run out handy winners and finish 3rd in their pool for the day.
Over the 2 days, Trinity rugby unearthed some genuine 7s superstars in the making, and the future is looking incredibly bright. Most importantly, every player was able to get on the field and have some fun with their friends.
It was wonderful to see so many parents and siblings there to support all the teams across both days. Their cheers (along with some delicious treats) made a massive difference to all the players. A huge thank you must go to Mr Howells for his continued support of rugby at Trinity at all levels and in all forms.We are looking forward to continuing to build on these opportunities and results into 2023 and beyond.
Mr Jason Croll
Rugby Coach
