Edmund Rice College Years 9 and 10 students participated in the Rugby 7s State Championship at Granville Park, Merrylands on Wednesday the 13th of September. The competition had 10 teams from around the state divided into two pools with only the top team going forward into the final. The day started with a very competitive match against Hunter Sports High School with Edmund Rice coming out on top 28-21 after an impressive second half led by Captain Cooper Morrison. The second match of the day demonstrated the strength, speed, skill and agility of the group where Edmund Rice controlled the game and scored an impressive 45 points to 5 against Davidson High School (Frenchs Forest). Cooper Morrison and Nicholas Toparis-Penning both scored a brace of tries, with Daniel Duggan, Fletcher Potter and Khye Forrestor also touching down.
The third game of the day saw Edmund Rice compete against St. Johns, Woodlawn in what was a very tight game, St Johns took an early lead and the students demonstrated composure pulling back a try before half-time to level up the scores. The second half was a tense affair but Digby Woods burrowed over after St johns had stood firm in defence after multiple phases on their own goal line.
After 3 rounds only 2 teams remained undefeated, Edmund Rice needed to defeat St John Paul (Coffs Harbour) to proceed to the final of the state championships. The boys played very well in what was to be their final game, however, St John Paul proved to be the better team (Tournament Champions) and went onto the final after a 26-7 victory. Edmund Rice was unlucky and the cruel bounce of a ball on two occasions allowed their opposition to race away for tries in what could have easily been tries at the other end. Overall, the students who represented the college are to be congratulated for their sporting performance on the field and how they represented the college with pride on the day. With the fast pace of 7s rugby all 13 players played a significant role in the success of the day and the students demonstrated great team spirit and unity.
Squad: Cooper Morrison, Daniel Duggan, Tom Voase, Nicholas Toparis-Penning, Creighton Meafou, Khye Forrester, Digby Woods, Jack Manns, Fletcher Potter, Mikaere Miller, Ruben Mayers, Lachlan Eastley, Kambell Quinn
