First for Devon girls’ rugby team

News Desk
Authored by News Desk
Posted Tuesday, March 28, 2017 - 5:41pm

A team from Tiverton achieved great success at their first attempt playing in the world’s largest school rugby tournament. But, while the Blundell’s boys’ teams are a regular feature at Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens, it was the girls’ team that were runners-up - the first time that a girls’ team from the school has entered the competition. Many of the girls only took up the sport this term so the team have gone from beginners to prize winners in less than ten weeks.

The Blundell’s girls’ team were one of forty competing in the Under 18 National Sevens Girls’ competition. In the first round, they came top of their group, which took them into the quarter final where they won against Neath Port Talbot College 31-21. In the semi-final, they beat Haileybury Girls 28-24, setting them up for the final against Amman Valley, winners for the last two years. It was a tough game against the more seasoned players, although Blundell’s led for the first part of the match, with the final score 12-10 to the Welsh team. The Blundell’s girls were thrilled to have reached the final after only coming together to play rugby so recently.

Blundell’s also fielded Under 18, Under 16 and Under 14 boys’ teams at Rosslyn Park. The U18s, one of 226 teams competing in that age group, got off to a cracking start in the first round, with some phenomenal wins against schools such as Bristol Grammar and Taunton, scoring a total of 150 points with only seven against, and then through the elimination round against Bloxham School 42-12 but lost out in their next two group matches. The U16s made it through to the quarter finals with some comfortable wins against Ivybridge Community College and Eton, amongst other schools, on the way, but narrowly lost to the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, 7-10. The U14s were third in the first round, so didn’t progress further.

Around 7000 boys and girls aged 13 to 18 compete every year in the Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens, with more schools applying to play every year. A significant number of current and recent England internationals tasted competitive rugby for the first time playing for their schools at the tournament. The tournament started in 1939 and has been held every year since, becoming one of the oldest continuous tournaments; the first girls (U18) competition was inaugurated in 1998.

Share this