The Future of Rugby has begun

August 28th saw the beginning of the Moreton Bay Super 6 Rugby Cup. A schoolboy competition formed for non-rugby playing schools in the Moreton Bay Region. Round 1 saw the local derbies, Southern Cross vs Clontarf, Caboolture vs Tullawong and Murrumba vs Deception Bay. For some of these boys they have never been able to participate in organised sport as their parents haven’t been able to afford the fees or transport them around. This concept has allowed these boys to not only participate but show us what hidden talent is out there. Out of the 6 competing schools approximately only 20 boys had played Rugby Union before most with League or Soccer backgrounds. Tuesday afternoon proved the little experience or knowledge wasn’t a barrier for these children as they took to it like a duck to water.

Some awesome action on the field saw mixed results. Deception Bay were too big and strong for Murrumba State Secondary College winning the game through the middle and taking it out 40-5. The Gilbert match ball for Man of the Match went to Deception Bay’s Tight head, Jayden Akaroa. Southern Cross after arriving 5 minutes behind schedule started really well and were in a tight tussle with Clontarf Beach State High School. Clontarf got a few late tries in the death to blow the score out to 38-24. The score could have been a little worse if the goal kicker knew he was allowed to use one of his four tees from his kit bag. The instruction of drop kick restarts confused him and he didn’t work it out until the half time break and had the radar on after that. Man of the Match went to Clontarfs Flanker, Will Tidball. The game of the day was between Tullawong and Caboolture High Schools. Both teams were great defensively until mid way through the game when both fullbacks decided it was time to light Kevin Kaeser Oval up with electric footwork and speed. A couple of run away tries had Caboolture in the lead in the dying seconds, before Tullawong scored right in the final whistle locking the scores at 15 a piece. Man of the Match couldn’t be split between the two fullbacks and both Sam Muaki of Caboolture and Levi Nathan of Tullawong took home a match ball.

The smiles on the faces of even the boys on the wrong end of the scoreboard says it all about this competition. A massive thanks needs to go out to the people that have made all this happen, Hamish Maclean from Gilbert. The referees, touch judges, coaches, fields and most of all the players looked amazing in their new Gilbert kits. Assist first Aid for their support with First Aid through the afternoon. Coast and Country Buses for getting the schools to and from the venue. QRU for its assistance and guidance to get the project going. The Ramsay Foundation and Australian Rugby Foundation for making this all possible. All the staff and volunteers at Caboolture Rugby Union Club for the hard work and efforts of organising and running the competition but also the field set up and pack down. The six competing schools and their staff for having the kids organised and training them. Most importantly the three referees on the day Greg Milne, Matt Taylor and Geoff Gardiner as well as their Assistant referees from various schools. Thank You.

Round two is next Tuesday September 4th at Ray Frawley Fields, Silcock Street, Clontarf. Kick off at 4:00pm. Get down and support this great concept and continue to grow our great game. These young guys will love the support even if you don’t have a team in the competition, it is worth the watch.