It was the perfect setting for the Inaugural Country of Origin Rugby 7s tournament with the weather clearing up for some great open, flowing rugby.
6 teams took part in the tournament, with Banter Bokke (Team South Africa) winning the tournament beating the Flying Fijians 6 tries to 2 in the final.
The 1st Semi-final was worked off between team New Zealand and Fiji with the latter winning the game 4 tries to 2.
The 2nd semi-final was a close match up between South Africa and Papua New Guinea with both teams ending with 3 tries apiece at the final whistle.
The game went on to extra time, with South Africa scoring the winning try which squeezed them through to the final.
The prize for the most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament went to Kyle Galloway from team South Africa.
Kyle was outstanding for the Bokke’s throughout the tournament, and consistently created opportunities for his team.
The 5th and 6th place play-off was won by the Lankan Tuskers beating team Australia 4 tries to 2 in a closely contested game.
“We enjoyed every bit of it. Thanks for having us and we look forward to next year. The young boys can’t wait”, said Joe Kawasi, one of the members of the Fijian team.
“Thank you for hosting this fresh event! Excited for next year”, were the words of Tracy Stanis, member of team PNG.
Rugby Union SA would like to take the opportunity to thank the following individuals/organisations for helping to make the event a successful one, Peter ‘Snoop’ Jackson and Andrew Sheppard for refereeing the games and doing an excellent job at it.
Elizabeth RUFC for hosting the inaugural tournament and ensuring the club house and pitch was up to standard.
The volunteers headed by Amber Laidlaw and Maria Johns for working tirelessly on the day and leading up to the event.
Rugby Union SA staff and Board Directors
Playford City Council for their continuous support to spread the game in the Playford Area.
Playford Alive for sponsoring the inaugural tournament.
With the success of the inaugural tournament, Rugby Union SA would like to make the event bigger and better moving forward while getting more communities involved to spread the sport in South Australia.
