Tag Rugby Festival

14 November 2008

260 pupils from the borough’s primary schools competed in the Competitive Edge Tag Rugby Tournament on Friday 14 November to be crowned cup champions 2008.

Harlequins players David Strettle and James Inglis were on hand to cheer on the teams during the finals and present the lucky winners with their awards at the end of the day.Harlequins player David Strettle said:

“It is really rewarding to see such a well-attended event that is working towards improving sport participation amongst youngsters.

“The Quins squad is a relatively youthful one, so we know all about how important it is to discover talented players whilst they are still young and help them to develop.

“The Competitive Edge programme does just this, by working with children that might not get a chance to show off their talents in other circumstances.”

26 primary schools took part in the tournament and were placed in either the cup or plate competitions following the morning group stages. A gripping final in the cup competition saw a 5 all draw between Chase Bridge and St Edmunds at full time with Chase Bridge going on to secure 3 tries in extra time to become cup champions. In the plate competition Trafalgar successfully secured a win over Barnes with 8 tries to 3.

The Sports Development team were watching throughout the day to identify players with the potential to represent the borough in the 2009 London Youth Games. The final team will be battling to retain the title of London’s Best Borough Tag Rugby Team which has been won by Richmond upon Thames for three years in a row.