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McDonalds Cup - 31 May 2007
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On Thursday morning over 500 hundred school students, dozens of teachers, and two nervous Rugby Gold Coast Development Officers held their breath as they all looked up at the grey clouds and pouring rain. But as ‘kick off’ drew nearer the sun broke through and gave us perfect rugby weather for the 5th instalment of the McDonalds Cup.
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The day began with all the players from the individual age groups and schools coming together for a group photo. There was no need for anybody to ‘say cheese’ as the players already had grins from ear to ear, clearly excited to be part of the highly anticipated day, a day which has now become a highlight of the Rugby Gold Coast Schools calendar.
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12:30pm ticked over, the whistle blew, and the first ball was kicked off in what was quickly turning out to be ‘the best’ Maccas Cup to date. I was lucky enough to be right in the thick of the action, refereeing some of the grade 5 matches. After only the first round of games I was surprised by the skill levels and excited by the enjoyment of the youngest players at the day. This shows what a vital stepping stone the grade 5 competitions and McDonalds Cup are to Rugby development on the Gold Coast. The overall fun and enthusiasm had by all on the day was probably highlighted best when one of the players tried to lift the spirits of his struggling team, who were a few tries behind in yet another game, when he yelled “don’t worry guys, this is how he felt all year” pointing to QR Queensland Reds prop Tama Tuirirangi who was looking on from the sideline.
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The Grade 5 Grand Final was a thriller. TSS shot away early to a handy two try lead, before, on the back of fierce home ground support - mainly from the mothers - All Saints started to lift their intensity, grinding away at the TSS defence. Only minutes to go the score was 15 – 10, with All Saints on the attack and looking for the equaliser, but to the TSS team’s credit, they proved that defence wins matches and snuck home with a win to top off a fantastic day of Rugby.
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Over at the Grade 6 fields the competition was heating up, with several teams looking like they were in the running for the grand final. Grade 6 continued to be the age group that excites with teams showing off their ‘Ella’ style flair, attacking skills, and running rugby that often had the parents and friends on the edge of their seats.
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The Grade 6 final did not disappoint, after a tough close encounter between TSS and Emmanuel in the first game of the day, there was sure to be fireworks when they met again. From the beginning both teams came out firing, the intensity was high all game. The win was there for the taking right up until the final buzzer, Emmanuel the eventual winners 15-10, proving that every year APS teams are getting closer to the traditionally strong standard of TSS Rugby.
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I am sure that a lot of the year 7 players were not keen to get out of bed on Friday morning after some tough rugby was played throughout the day. The Grade 7 boys showing they are well and truly ready to make the leap into High School Rugby with a great blend of tight forward play and tremendous skill out wide. QR QLD Reds 108kg inside centre Lloyd Johansson even cringed a few times at the intensity of some of the collisions, further highlighting the passion with which the Grade 7 boys play their Rugby.
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Both All Saints and TSS proved their dominance of this age group with a few big wins early on in the day, and by the finals everybody was looking forward to the ‘battle of the big guns’. The end score was in no way a reflection of the game. All saints tried their hardest for the full match, making TSS work for all their tries, however, in the end TSS showed their superior skill running out winners 34 – 0.
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Congratulations must also go to the plate final winners and overall third place getters who I’m sure are hoping next year to make it one better:
Grade 5 – Emmanuel
Grade 6 – All Saints
Grade 7 – Somerset
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Huge thanks must go to some very special guests who gave their time to come down and see some of the future talent on the Gold Coast. They were QR Queensland Reds players Caleb Brown, Lloyd Johansson and Tama Tuirirangi. Also we were lucky enough to have Waratahs and Wallaby Fly-Half Sam Norton-Knight sneak out of Wallaby Camp to come down to his old school, All Saints, and speak to us all about what it is like to be a Wallaby, especially leading into the World Cup. These Rugby superstars presented the trophies and medals, which was a great buzz for kids capping off the already exciting day for the lucky players who got to shake hands and have photos taken with their role models. It was also great to see these guys set aside their time to take photos and sign autographs for all who approached them throughout the day. Cheers guys!
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A few notable mentions are the ‘Players of the Day’, these three lads showed exceptional talent throughout the carnival, and if they keep playing like they did, they too might find themselves wearing a Queensland or Wallaby Jumper one day.
Grade 5 – Scott Bear (TSS)
Grade 6 – Jack Taylor (Emmanuel)
Grade 7 – Vincent Cooney (TSS)
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On behalf of Rugby Gold Coast, I would like to send a big thank you to All Saints for once again holding this enormous event, especially the All Saints 1st XV food tent that kept us all going. Also, not to forget the All Saints groundskeepers, not only for the perfect presentation of the rugby pitches, but also for their help in the set up and more importantly the clean up of the day. Without them the day would not have run as smoothly as it did. Thank you as well to all the referees, after all there would be no rugby if we didn’t have them. Finally, thank you also to the year level convenors, who kept the day rolling, and the sports medics who made sure everybody was safe.
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Last but definitely not least, thank you very much McDonalds Gold Coast. Without their generous support and sponsorship, this excitement filled day could not go ahead. Thank you to the McDonalds representative Rebecca Zappala for coming down and seeing all the young Rugby Talent. You’ll be please to hear that through our effort we raised over $1000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities! I’m confident that after expending all the energy the players burnt off during the day, they would have rushed with their vouchers to reload with some great meals from McDonalds Family Restaurants on the way home.
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Again, thank you to all involved in what has again been a successful and enjoyable day for Rugby on the Gold Coast. We are already counting down the days until next years Maccas Cup where we are hoping to make it bigger and better than ever!
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Dale Salmon
Development Officer
Rugby Gold Coast
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