A blizzard held off at the Queenstown Events Centre yesterday, allowing finals of the inaugural World Junior Rugby Festival South Island tournament to finish.
Scattered snowflakes were falling as the Under-13 Invercargill Blues beat fellow Invercargill team Waikiwi Rugby 27-7, taking the cup in emphatic style.
The Blues joined Under-11 team Christchurch Gold with the top honours, with the Cantabrians, one of four Christchurch teams, earlier defeating Christchurch Red 34-0 to win the club rugby tournament.
A sister tournament to last year's inaugural Taupo festival, the rugby festival attracted about 700 children from across the South Island, all of whom declared competition open with a mass haka.
Players from 15 teams from Queenstown, Arrowtown, Invercargill, Taieri, Dunedin, Mackenzie, Oamaru, Timaru and Wanaka battled it out in an event Global Games director Tyrone Campbell hopes to at least double in size next year, attracting 38 teams in Under-10, 11, 12 and 13 age groups.
While the Rugby World Cup made it hard for North Island teams to make it to the South, next year he hopes to see northern teams, and potentially, players from New South Wales, make it to Queenstown.
Results. -
Under-11: Cup Final (1st and 2nd): Christchurch Gold vs Christchurch Red, 34-0; Plate Final (3rd and 4th): Wakatipu vs Mackenzie, 22-7; Shield Final (5th and 6th): Christchurch Black vs St Andrews, 22- 41.
Under-13: Cup Final (1st and 2nd): Waikiwi Rugby vs Blues Invercargill, 7-25; Shield Final (3rd and 4th): Wakatipu vs Taieri RFC, 29-24; Plate Final (5th and 6th): Harlequins Timaru vs Excelsior Rugby (Gore), 20-5.
