Three great weekends of Rugby Sevens action in Queensland culminated at a damp Ballymore on Sunday with Easts taking out the Caslick Cup and Wests Bulldogs taking home the Stannard Shield.
The State 7s, which also featured quality Under-15s and Under-17s girls and boys competitions, came after two brilliant weekends at the BrisVegas 7s (at Wests Rugby Club) and the Gold Coast 7s (at Bond University Rugby Club). The Caslick Cup and Stannard Shield are contested across all three legs, with both Wests (Men’s) and Easts (Women’s) securing the overall series by winning the State 7s leg.
In the Caslick Cup competition, first-time winners Easts broke a Bond University monopoly which had seen the Bull Sharks win all three previous iterations. UQ and Easts met in the final, a see-sawing contest which was eventually sealed by the Tigers 24-12.
"We are From Tigerland" was belted out with gusto in front of a hearty Ballymore crowd.
Easts playmaker Carys Dallinger said the players were “so stoked” to take home the Caslick Cup.
“We finished 3rd, and then 2nd, the last two tournaments, so we were dying to finish off strong with a win. We had a lot of tired bodies in the final with the challenging weather this weekend," Dallinger said.
She added with a grin: “I think everybody wanted somebody besides Bond to win it."
Rugby Australia’s Head of Women’s Pathways, Lachlan Parkinson, was excited about the next wave of talent unearthed and their ability to play on the world stage.
“The Caslick Cup is an outstanding tournament and concept, which is designed to provide elite playing opportunities for the exposure of elite talent,” Parkinson said.
“The quality of rugby has been unbelievable, especially considering the young age profile across the board.
"The three weekends has reinforced the depth of Sevens talent in Queensland, which has traditionally been such a strong breeding ground for national players, and we expect strong representation from this tournament when we select the Australia A team to travel to Dubai next weekend.
“For those who aren’t necessarily pursuing elite opportunities, it’s still a great time of year for Sevens to have clear air, and it gives our athletes the opportunity to participate in both rugby formats and play all year round.”
The Stannard Shield was played across multiple weekends for the first time this year, mirroring the Caslick Cup with three tournaments over a month.
For the fourth straight year, it was a different club taking home the title. UQ and Wests met in the Cup Final, with the Bulldogs joining Easts (2022), Bond Uni (2023) and Norths (2024) in taking the shield back to Sylvan Road. They were dominant in the final, downing the Students 37-0, with six different try-scorers including a double to Kieran Lee.
Wests Captain Edan Zaupa said that he was glad his team could get it done on the day.
“It’s been a real team effort and we always talk about working hard for the man inside you. To have the Stannard Shield extended to three weekends made it a lot better, as every game mattered and was leading up to this. We’ve really enjoyed it.”
Darling Downs won Gold in the U17 girls’ competition, ahead of Townsville Brolgas (Silver) and Queensland Indigenous (Bronze), with Cobi Ryan-Last a standout and obvious Player of the Tournament; taking home the Caslick-Cherry Medal.
In the U17s boys’ competition, three teams tied for equal points, with For and Against used on countback. Sunshine Coast took home Gold, Gold Coast took Silver and BJRU were Bronze Medallists, with Sunshine Coast’s Rohan Nichol winning the Nick Malouf Medal for Player of the Tournament.
In the U15s boys’ competition, Sunshine Coast defeated BJRU 21-7 to win Gold, while Darling Downs defeated Far North Queensland 38-12 to take home Bronze.
In the U15s girls, Gold Coast defeated BJRU 14-5 to win Gold, with Sunshine Coast claiming Bronze with a 21-12 defeat of Queensland Indigenous.
Sunshine Coast’s Zac Zeremes was the boys’ Player of The Tournament, and Gold Coast’s Meleane Hala won the Pelite-Parry Medal as the girls’ Player of the Tournament.
About the Caslick Cup:
The Caslick Cup is named after Charlotte Caslick, dual international (Sevens and Wallaroos) and arguably Queensland and Australia’s greatest Rugby Sevens player. Charlotte has won all four of the major Rugby Sevens tournaments in the world; Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Rugby Sevens World Cup and three Rugby Sevens World Series. She has also twice been crowned the World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year.
Every Sumo Energy Founders Cup club, plus Queensland Indigenous, Darling Downs and Gold Coast, played all three weekends, with Central Queensland and Townsville joining for the State 7s leg.
About the Stannard Shield:
The Stannard Shield is named after James "Chucky" Stannard, who retired in 2018 as the country's top World Series points scorer and a Commonwealth Games bronze and silver medallist. Stannard, a current Western Force Super Rugby Pacific Assistant Coach, also played Super Rugby with the Brumbies and Western Force and attended St. Edmund’s College in Ipswich.
Central Queensland and Downs Rugby joined this competition for only the State 7s competition, playing alongside every Sumo Energy Hospital Cup club besides Easts, with the Australian Defence Force playing in the first two rounds of competition.
