Welcome to Season 2023 – a new year and we are pleased to say the opportunities for Girls in Rugby just keep on growing.
Here is a brief summary of what is on offer for the Girls Rugby within SJRU for 2023.
*Note that many of these SJRU Girls events are open to teams from NSW Country to join if appropriate (ie U12 Girls Development Gala is a good example, as is the Girls 7s waves which have teams from Bowral and Wollongong joining)
**This doesn’t include the many options that Girls also have whilst playing in any of the mixed competitions with the boys – for those opportunities please refer to the Boys version.
SJRU Super Minis Footy Fest (Minis)
Similar to the successful Mini Try Rugby Footy Fests that SJRU ran in November, we will again be running a super Minis Footy Fest on the 18th February at Concord Oval. This will be held as a precursor to the Waratahs Trial game against the Western Sydney Two Blues and West Harbour.
All the Waratahs players will be in attendance and a fantastic chance for our minis boys and girls to have some fun on the field and meet some of the Waratahs players.
Girls SJRU Sizzling 7’s (Club Comp)
In 2023 SJRU will run a wave of Girls (Sizzling 7’s) commencing on Sunday 5th March with the wave concluding on Sunday 1st April. Sizzling 7s is a club based series which allows teams compete every week or to enter/leave and only participate on the weeks they require.
As part of all our Girls 7s waves this year we will be holding competitions in all age groups U11-U18. For our younger girls ages 8-10 that are not quite ready for U11 competitions we will run an SJRU Training Squad each week. This will allow young girls to come and participate in some skills and drills before we split them into teams to finish the session with games. Girls will learn rugby skills and get to use them in the games at the end of each session. There is no minimum number of players your club needs – it allows clubs with only 1 or 2 girls to participate as well as clubs that have an entire U10 cohort.
Girls Only SJRU-NSWRU Rugby Camps (Skills Development)
In 2023 SJRU & NSWRU will host a series of 1 day Girls Only rugby camps in the April School Holidays. These will be metro based and between the 15th and 21st April. Dates are 15th (Hassell Park, St Ives), 18th (Eric Tweedale Stadium, Granville) & 21st (NSW Waratahs HQ, Daceyville).
This is the perfect lead-up to both the SJRU Girls XV’s wave and the NSW Junior State Championships. The camp is designed for ages 12-18 and will be particularly important for the U14 age group whom will be moving to ‘contested scrums’ at the State Champs for the first time.
The Camps are open to all girls from SJRU, NSW Country and NSW Schools – registration details will be advised later. Enquiries to Brittany Merlo Brittany.Merlo@nsw.rugby
Girls SJRU XV’s Wave (Club Comp)
In 2023 SJRU will run a Wave of Girls XV’s commencing on Sunday 30th April with the Wave concluding on Sunday 26th June.
The XV’s wave is strategically placed to allow the girls to build into the NSWJRU State Championships on the June Long weekend and also enjoy the bigger format of the game after as well. In 2023 SJRU will add an U12 age group to the U14, U16 & U18 age groups that will be run. It is conceivable that if we get enough teams in the U13 & U15 ages that we could run a dedicated competition for these ages also.
Rugby Club Foundation NSW Junior State Championships (Reps)
Run over the June long weekend the State Champs will be held in the U14, U16 & U18 age groups for the girls. Venues will be U14 (Dubbo), U16 (Port Macquarie) & U18 (Eric Tweedale).
Note – In 2023 the U14 Girls may be moving to XV’s and will be ‘contesting scrums’ at the State Champs. The previously mentioned Girls Only Rugby Camps will be a great opportunity for girls to develop scrum skills for this cohort.
This is the first step in the Representative pathway for the girls and the Champs are for District Based teams.
Girls should be aware that their eligibility to play for a District will be determined by the following criteria;
- Firstly – what club they play XV’s for shall determine their District Rep Pathway
- If they don’t participate in the Girls XV’s wave then their 7s club shall determine which District Rep pathway they are required to follow
- If they don’t participate in either the Girls XV’s wave nor with a Club for 7s (ie play schools only) then to participate in the State Champs they must still register with their local club and follow that Rep pathway.
- This criteria is important to note as girls whom breach such will not be allowed to participate at the State Champs. So for example a girl playing 7s or XVs for a club like Norwest must follow the Two Blues Rep pathway, a girl playing for Mosman must follow the Northern Suburbs Rep pathway.
- If a girl trials for their HOME District and is unsuccessful in gaining selection into their District Rep team, ONLY THEN are they allowed to trial for another District/Zone.
Girls Representative Pathway (XV’s Reps)
Following The Rugby Club Foundation NSW Junior State Championships girls will be selected for higher honours in the U14, U16 & U18 age groups.
The first stop from here is the NSWJRU Regionals (Grantham Reserve, 1st & 2nd July) where games will be played and final selections made for both Sydney and NSW Country teams.
The Sydney and NSW Country teams will then compete at the annual City vs Country Carnival (Maitland 23rd July) for the NSWJRU Sponsors Plate (U14), Mahalia Murphy Shield (U16) and the Grace Hamilton Shield (U18).
The Sydney U14 & U16 Girls teams will also play against Brisbane Juniors (BJRU) on 17th September in Sydney.
More details on the Girls pathways can be found at https://www.nswjuniors.com.au/post/nswjru-girls-representative-pathways-for-7s-xvs-2023
Girls SJRU U12 Development Gala (Rep Development)
As an introductory level for Girls Rep rugby we will be holding an U12 Development Gala on 8th & 9th July in Sydney. This will be for District and Zone teams to participate. Teams will be 12 players per side and scrums will be uncontested to facilitate the transition to the bigger format of the game at Rep level.
This carnival is designed to give the Girls a taste of Rep rugby and aid their rugby development. It will be run alongside the Boys U12 Development Gala which is for the 2nd U12 Rep team for some Districts and Zones.
Girls SJRU Frosty 7’s (Club Comp)
Our second wave of 7s (Frosty 7’s) Competition starts with Round 1 on the 23rd July and the Grand Final on 27th August 2023. Games will be played on a Sunday and venues will mixed be amongst our Boys Sunday XVs comp games – this will allow host clubs to run a huge day at home, which is always good for Canteen and fundraising.
Frosty 7’s is a competition wave and will hold finals series etc. These Finals will be on the same day as the Boys XV’s Grand Finals – so will be a huge day of rugby for SJRU.
Remember – Registration via Rugby Xplorer only via your local Club – Registration type: 7’s Juniors
NSWRU State 7’s Champs (7’s Reps)
NSW 7’s State Champs will be held on 23-25 Sep (U11 & U13) and 6-8 October 2023 (U15 & U17). This year’s 7’s competition will be for District based teams as with the 15’s competition (except U11 which is mixed and club based). Districts will need to select teams for inclusion in the competition. Clubs will not be permitted to submit teams in the 2023 7 a side State Cup for U13, U15 & U17.
Open to girls in the following age brackets:
- U11 (can include U10 & U11 – is a mixed 7s format)
- U13 (can include U12 & U13)
- U15 (can include U14 & U15)
- U17 (Opens) (can include U16 & U17)**
** Note Any U18 Girls participating in the local competitions ie Frosty 7’s or SJRU XV’s with dispensation are not eligible to be selected in any U17 Girls Representative Team.
Eligibility criteria is the same as for XV’s (see above)
There are also further Rep 7s opportunities – see the Rep Roadmaps for more detail.
Girls SJRU Spring 7’s (Club Comp)
In 2023 SJRU will run our final wave of Girls (Spring 7’s) commencing on Sunday 15th October with the wave concluding on Sunday 12th November. This wave (Spring 7s) is run as a separate gala format each fortnight with finals, meaning that teams can elect to play all or only some of the events.
Pasifika Youth Cup
In 2023 SJRU will again run the Pasifika Youth Cup – this year will have the event expanded to a full standalone weekend event with the Opening Ceremony on the Friday evening with a full card of games on the Saturday and Sunday. Opportunities to represent NSW Tonga, NSW Fiji, NSW Samoa, NSW Maori, NSW Koori, NSW Cook Islands, NSW Barbarians and hopefully more. One of the highlights and a great way to end the year.
VENUES & TIMING for Sizzling 7’s, Frosty 7’s, Spring 7’s
Indicative timing of games will be between 9:00am and 7:00pm with a minimum of 3 games each Sunday the aim.
We run this at our rugby clubs and is an ideal way to raise funds for your club via canteen and BBQ. Clubs wishing to host please contact SJRU
REGISTRATION
Prior to Game 1 of each wave, all players will be required to register online via their local clubs. Any enquiries regarding Girl’s 7’s should be directed to Bippy Power at bippy.power@sjru.rugby
Rep Coaches 2023
And it is not all about the players – opportunities for coaches along the Rep pathway exist also.
For nomination forms go to
2023 SJRU Rep Coach Nomination Form due 1st Mar 2023
2023 NSWJRU Rep Coach Nomination Form due 1st Mar 2023
Plus some more info at https://www.nswjuniors.com.au/post/nsw-juniors-2023-nomination-forms-coaches-state-champs
A big season ahead of us – Enjoy Girls 😊
cheers
BG