This year will be the second edition of the Catholic Secondary Schoolgirls' Sports Association (CaSSSA) Rugby Sevens Gala Day.
The competition will take place this Sunday 11 September, at Norths Rugby Club, Wavell Heights for the U13s, U15s and U18s age groups.
With All Hallows’, Loreto, Lourdes Hill, and Mount Alvernia entering teams for the first time, the competition has doubled in size which is reflective of the rising interest and participation in girls’ Rugby Sevens experienced throughout Queensland and across the country.
Coincidentally, on the same weekend, the Australian Women’s Sevens team will attempt to win their third major trophy of the year at the Rugby Sevens World Cup in South Africa, after claiming gold at the Commonwealth Games and in the World Series.
The hope of progressing to state and national representative honours, with the ultimate goal of playing Rugby Sevens at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, has inspired many of the CaSSSA girls to take up the sport.
Queensland Rugby State Development Manager Grant Dwyer also sees this as an invaluable opportunity to ensure female teachers take leadership roles within the game.
Dwyer said: “In partnership with the Queensland Government’s ‘Boosting Rugby's Female Capability Project’, there is funding available to provide female focused accreditation and training courses across the state to dramatically increase the number of female accredited coaches and match officials which further enhances their position as role-models to our young female athletes.”
Last week, current Wallaroos captain and Rugby Sevens gold medal winning captain Shannon Parry was pleasantly surprised when she ran some training sessions at Stuartholme College.
Parry said: “The numbers were fantastic, especially in the younger years, and there were some exceptional athletes who displayed great potential.
“I’m looking forward to seeing them in our rep pathways in years to come.”
All eyes will be on Mount St. Michael’s College who took the competition by storm last year.
Director of Sport at MSM Kay Roy realises it may not be plain sailing this time around though, stating, “as many of these young girls exhibit bravery and flaunt their skills, there will be plenty of talent on display across all the teams.”
Margo Mackintosh, the Executive Officer of CaSSSA, is excited by the growth of Rugby Sevens within the association and is hoping that it can be played in-term, week to week, as a regular competition by 2023 or 2024.
Rugby Sevens will feature prominently at the CaSSSA Sports Expo, which aims to showcase the best of the CaSSSA co-curricular program to its students and families.
