Wednesday 21st October saw the first inter school tag rugby tournament including St Anne's, Bishop Fitzgerald, St. Bernard's, St Joseph's and Loreto. Each school entered a team open to children from years 6&7 pupils of both girls and boys. Tag rugby is a non-contact fast flowing game that is a safe fun introduction to the principles of rugby and is suitable for both girls and boys to play together.
Each team consisted of a minimum of 10 players with matches being play seven aside in halves of 7 minutes.
The schools played a round robin system with the top two teams playing the final. The group stages were fast and furious with St. Joseph's coming out group leaders having won all their matches and went into the final as hot favourites. Second place went down to the final set of matches with St Bernard's, Bishop Fitzgerald and Loreto all still in with a chance of making the final.
The final was set between St Joseph's and Loreto. The group match had gone to St. Joseph's eight tries to five and they looked ominously strong in attack and defence. However plucky little Loreto came out all guns blazing and took the final to St. Joseph's taking the lead and kept it for most of the match.
It was Loreto who finally won through, by taking full advantage of rugby’s bonus points system for scoring more than five tries or losing by less than two.
A shock winner looked on the cards with Loreto up by three during the second half but a late rally from St. Joseph's saw them turn the game around and come
through as champions in a score of ten tries to nine.
St. Joseph's lifted aloft the Inter school Tag Rugby Champions shield kindly donated by Gibraltar Rugby Minis sponsors KPMG who presented the trophy to the winning Captain.
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