25/06/2026
Get ready year 6-8!
We’re excited to offer the upcoming Yr 7 and Yr 8 Rugby Festival next Saturday 4th July, from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Gordon Spratt, Papamoa.
This date falls in Tai Mitchell Week, where traditionally the competition for Y7 and Y8 usually pauses. With around 550 players in these grades and only 100 in the WBOP involved in Tai Mitchell, we’re keen to offer a fun and engaging rugby experience for the remaining 450 or so players who would otherwise miss out. Last year we had 14 teams which was epic. Here is a link to the action https://youtu.be/kg5qCFaglQo
Festival Details:
Format: 10-a-side half-field rugby, each team playing approximately 4 to 5 games
Draw: Randomised
Focus: Fun, mateship, and connecting across clubs
No scoring, standings, or finals
We're also collaborating closely with NZ Rugby, who are supporting the design of the day and will be gathering player feedback and insights into playing formats which may help with future format updates. One key area of interest is reducing ‘positional profiling’, so we’ll be trialing a few minor law adjustments throughout the day, in particular 3 person scrum formations. More info to come on this soon. Don't fret - it is still rugby.
Entry is free and the event is open to all Y7 and Y8 players not involved in Tai Mitchell.
Please register your team using this link: https://forms.gle/HR3DxZ26EpzTPFiz9
(All Year 6 teams are playing at the festival too - you are automatically entered - draw to be released early next week)
