2023 VSRU Grand Final Day
On Saturday the 12th of July Brighton Grammar played host the the entirety of the VSRU 1st XV teams for our 2023 Grand final day.
There were a total of 6 games featuring on the day including a powerhouse matchup between St. Kevins College and Brighton Grammar for the premiership, the Bob Dalziel Cup for 3rd place, and an exhibition matchup featuring a visiting Hutchins College from Tasmania taking on St Patricks College Ballarat's 1st XV team.
The results are as follows:
St Kevins College 43 Def. Brighton Grammar 28
Haileybury 50 Def. Scotch College 31
Marcellin College 20 Def. Melbourne Grammar 60
Xavier College 46 Def. Trinity Grammar 22
Geelong Grammar 32 Def. Melbourne High 13
An outstanding match-up in the 1st XV Grand Final saw St. Kevins College get on top of the previously undefeated hosts Brighton Grammar. A tough back'n'forth battle featuring a number of highlight plays throughout the match saw St Levins jump out of the blocks and maintain their lead for the whole game.
Congratulations to St Kevin's College on claiming their 11th consecutive 1st XV VSRU Grand Final.
A huge thank you to all staff involved from Brighton Grammar in preparing the day. An outstanding effort across the board.
Check out a reply of our Grand final at: https://cluch.tv/rugbyunion/victorian-schools-rugby-union/vsru-grand-final/2023/450554/
See you all in 2024.x
2023 U18 Schoolboys Squad
Announcing our 2023 U18 Victorian Schoolboys Rugby Union Team.
Congratulations to all the Players and Staff members selected.
The Schoolboy's team will be competing against the best young rugby talent in the country at the 49TH Australian Schools Rugby Championships, being held in Pattamatta between the 3rd and 6th of July.
Go get em boys!
Vale Bob Dalziel AM - A Schools Rugby Giant
A giant figure in Schools rugby across Australia. Bob was specifically a Member of the Australian Schools Rugby Foundation, Patron of the Victorian Schools Rugby for over 25 years and the founding director of the Melbourne Rebels. Of all the major roles Bob held in Australian Rugby he was instrumental in so many of them. His behind the scenes support towards the endeavours of Schools Rugby unions was invaluable. There are many tournament administrators, tour managers, and individual participants that are grateful to Bob's generosity he showed towards rugby. A generous, caring, and honorable man.
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VSRU Patron
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1994 – 2017
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Director of ARU
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2006 – 2009
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Director Australian Schools Rugby Foundation
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1994 – 1999
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Founding Director of the Melbourne Rebels
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2011 – 2018
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Rugby Victoria President, Neil Hay, expressed his condolences.
"We are deeply saddened to hear of Bob’s passing," said Mr Hay.
"Today, we are mourning the loss of a true stalwart of Victorian Rugby, whose generosity and passion for our game at all levels was unparalleled. His absence leaves a void that will be deeply felt throughout our community.
"We are incredibly grateful for his lasting contributions and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family at this difficult time. May his legacy inspire generations to come." (Melbourne Rebels Media)
Rest in peace Bob
St Kevin's College Travel to Rugby School to Celebrate 200 years of Rugby
2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the game of rugby football. In 1823 a schoolboy named William Webb Ellis, during a football match at Rugby School, Rugby, England, took the ball in his arms and ran with it on The Close.
This act, followed by a succession of events, has resulted in the game of football being renamed “rugby football”, now a global game played by millions.
Late last year the Headmaster of Rugby School in England invited Australian schools to be at a Global Sevens Rugby Tournament to celebrate the bicentennial of the game called rugby.
This invitation was extended to St Kevin’s College Melbourne and they accepted and will be the only Australian team attending.
Rugby was invented at Rugby School in the town of Rugby in England in 1823.
There are 20 teams across 11 nations competing from all the continents of the world. This is an extraordinary honour for St Kevins to play in this historical event and the school that gave birth to the game.
The Rugby School administrators have generously placed St Kevins in the playing pool with Rugby School which means they will play the original school on the original pitch from 200 years ago.
While in England and Wales they will also play in the National Schools Sevens Tournament (Rosslyn Park) and a Welsh tournament where three Welsh speaking schools are playing St Kevins.
The 16 players and 3 staff are very much looking forward to representing you on a world stage.
VSRU School Boys 2023
Management Announcement
The Victorian Schools' Rugby Union is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Liam Neveling as Head Coach and Mr Tony Hollamby as Manager of the 2023 Victorian Schools' Rugby Union team. Liam takes the reins over from Mr Anare Koliavu who did a wonderful job over the last 4 years and was amazing during the difficult times of the Covid pandemic. We thank him for his tireless dedication to the program and wish him all the best in his future coaching endeavours.
Liam Neveling comes to the program as a highly experienced South African professional as a player and coach with over 25 years of experience. He is highly regarded in Victorian Rugby circles and has had many involvements across the Melbourne Rebels, Clubs and schools’ environments.
Tony Hollamby returns to the Manager position which he has performed so well over the years as he prepares for all the behind-the-scenes activities that make this program possible.
Thank you to both these men for their support of the VSRU Schools program and we wish them all the very best for the 2023 program.
The U18 Victorian School Boys Team compete at the National Championships annually over the June/July school holidays. The Trials for the 2023 squad will take place on Friday 21st April at Xavier College, Kew. Please click here to register and for further Trial Information please visit VSRU.com.au
Mr. Liam Neveling
2023 VSRU State School Boys Head Coach
Mr. Tony Hollamby
2023 VSRU State School Boys Team Manager
Rugby 7s Returns to the VSRU with Great Success
Rugby 7s returned to the VSRU after a 2 year hiatus due to the Global Pandemic. The VSRU 7s was held at Box Hill Rugby Club on Friday 18th & 25th November with 5 School represented in the Boys U17s and U15s Age Grades.
Thank you to Haileybury, Marcellin College, St Kevin's College, St Patrick's College and Xavier College for participating in the Event
After weeks of wintery weather we were blessed with warm summer weather for both days. Pool games were split over the 2 days with the U15s having Semi Finals while in the U17s the top 2 schools played off for 1st and 2nds.
Unfortunately St Patrick's College were unable to participate on Finals day due to illness effecting both their U15s and U17s. After the conclusion of the round matches. Xavier College for take on Haileybury in the U15s Grand Final, while in the U17s undefeated St Kevin's College would face Xavier College.
Expansive Rugby was on display in both Finals with Xavier taking out the U15s while St Kevin's were victorious in the U17s. A big thank you to Box Hill Rugby Club for hosting the VSRU 7s this year.
Australian Schoolboys Rugby Union Tour of Japan
Game 1 vs Higashi Fukuoka High School
Australian Schoolboys Rugby Union Tour of Japan
Game 1 vs Higashi Fukuoka High School
Australian Schoolboys Rugby Union Tour of Japan
23 Sep - 02 Oct 2022
The Australian A Schools Rugby Team will tour Japan for a three match series from 23 Sep – 02 Oct 2022. This is the first tour by an Australian Schoolboys team since 2019 due to COVID-19.
The team was selected from the boys competing in the 48th Australian Schools Rugby Championships which was held at Knox Grammar School, Sydney, 5 - 9 July 2022.
“This tour continues the successful legacy of Australian Schoolboys Rugby teams which have toured internationally since 1969, teams which produced over 200 Wallaby representatives. These tours represent the pinnacle of each boy’s rugby experience developed through Australia’s internationally recognised school rugby system. They offer the boys the highest level of international competition, team building, cultural experiences and the unforgettable life experience of representing their country in sport,” said Kevin Culliver, President of the ASRU.
Amongst numerous cultural experiences, including attending a sumo tournament and a baseball game, following their final match the team will attend the match between Japan XV v Australia A (senior team) to be played at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo on Saturday 1 October.
MATCH SCHEDULE
Tue 27 Sep 13:00 hrs UTC Higashi Fukuoka High School vs Australia A Schools
Kumagaya Ground #A, Tokyo
Thu 29 Sep 17:30 hrs UTC Keio High School vs Australia A Schools
Keio University, Hiyoshi Ground, Yokohama
Sat 01 Oct 14:00 hrs UTC Kokugakuin Kugayama High School vs Australia A Schools
Nihon University Hiyoshi, Tokyo
About the Australian Schools Rugby Union
The Australian Schools Rugby Union ‘ASRU’ is an independent incorporated association run by volunteer members
of the teaching profession and supporters who believe rugby has a unique ethos and benefits that contribute to the
broader education of young people.
For over 50 years the ASRU has provided an expansive nursery to foster the opportunities and aspirations of school
rugby players from a wide range of established and emerging competitions and networks. From the 1984 Grand
Slam winning Wallabies team and the two World Cup winning teams in 1991 and 1999, 27 of the players were
Australian Schoolboy representatives. Since its inception in 1969 over 200 representatives of the Australian Schools
Rugby Union have gone on to represent the Wallabies in the international arena. Hundreds more have been
selected in Super Rugby, state and other representative teams during this time.
A Girls 7s Under 16 and Open tournament was included in the 2022 Australian Schools Rugby Championships for
the first time, with the announcement of two Australian Schools Girls Sevens Merit Teams. The ASRU is fully
committed to expanding girls' rugby through the school system.
VSRU 2022 Finals Day Wrap
Haileybury played host to the 2022 edition of the VSRU Grand Final Day this would the the first Grand Final Day in 2 years due to COVID.
The Weather was perfect for Rugby, St Kevin's College would take on Brighton Grammar School in the 1st XV Grand Final after defeating Geelong Grammar School and Trinity Grammar School respectively in the previous weekends Semi Finals.
On a bumper day of rugby all 10 VSRU School 1st XV teams played on Finals Day plus the addition of The Hutchins School from Tasmania. The day kicked off with Marcelin College taking on The Hutchins School in an Inter State Invitational match. Marcellin College would prove too strong running out 31-7 victors.
The next match saw Trinity Grammar School take on Geelong Grammar School for the Bob Dalziel Shield awarded to the 1st XV school that finishes in 3rd Place. In a very tight contest Geelong Grammar School would prevail 10-7.
In the next match, Melbourne Grammar School would run out convincing winners over Xavier College. Xavier College were no match for the strong Melbourne Grammar teams going down 37-0.
Host School Haileybury and Scotch College were the penultimate match on Field 1. The match was a back and forth affair with the lead changing hands on a number of occasions. However a late try from Scotch would seal victory 31-27 over Haileybury.
The final match on Field 2 saw Melbourne High Schools 1st XV take on Brighton Grammar Schools 2nd XV. In another hard fought battle, a try was the difference between both sides. with Melbourne High School running out 12-7 victors over Brighton Grammar School 2nd XV.
Now for the main event St Kevin's College who finished the season undefeated against Brighton Grammar School who finished in 2nd on the ladder. When both Schools met in Round 5 St Kevin's would defeat Brighton Grammar 46-33 the lowest winning margin all season.
The strong St Kevin's outfit raced out of the blocks and took a commanding 31-12 lead into half time thanks to tries from their talented backs. Brighton Grammar came out firing after the break but were unable to make any inroads into the deficit, St Kevin's would tack on 4 more tries to run out 55-12 victors.
The VSRU would like the again thank Aidan Ryan and the Haileybury Staff and Rugby Parent Support Group for having the fields in amazing condition for the finals day. We would also like to thank the referee's who refereed on Grand Final day, a special mention to Sarah Porter who refereed the 1st XV Grand Final.
Haileybury Teacher In Charge Aidan Ryan, summed up the day nicely.
" The two most pleasing aspects of the return of the Schools' Grand Finals were the cheer squads and our inter-state visitors, The Hutchins School Tasmania. Both symbolized the return to normality, and Rugby at its finest. Both school cheer squads were impeccably behaved and supported the Grand Final in a positive manner, adding to a wonderful atmosphere on the day. The Hutchins School was a reminder that Rugby is a wonderful vehicle by which people can travel the world and connect. "
2022 Victorian Schools Rugby Union Finals Day
The Victorian Schools Rugby Union Finals Day will be this Saturday 20th August 2022.
The VSRU would like to express our gratitude to Haileybury for hosting the Finals this year.
We would also like to welcome The Hutchins School from Tasmania who will be joining in on the festivities.
We wish St Kevin's College and Brighton Grammar School the best of luck as they battle it out for the VSRU 1st XV Premiership.
Victorian Schoolboys Under 18 Rugby Team announcement
Congratulations to the students who have been selected in the 2022 Victorian Schools Rugby Team. The Team will be contesting the Under 18 Australian School Rugby Union National Championship held at Knox Grammar School, Sydney.
The Victorian Schoolboys Under 18 Squad have been preparing for the Championships since late March.
The Squad will fly out to the National Championship on Tuesday 5th July with their 1st match against the NSW Barbarian Schoolboys on 6th July.
We wish the Vic Team the very best of luck, and much success, in the upcoming Under 18 Australian Schools Rugby Union National Championship.
Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar Celebrate 90 Years of Victorian Schoolboy Rugby
This week, Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School celebrated the 90th Anniversary Year since they contested the first Rugby Union match between Victorian Schools in 1932, creating the foundation for the VSRU today.
On Friday, Scotch launched their Annual Rugby Lunch to a full house of 140, with bagpipes and history, and centred with keynote speaker Lyndsey Cattermole AM, and Classic Wallabies Justin Harrison and Morgan Turinui, providing their insights to the future.
On Saturday 28th May, Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar First XVs competed for the Colin Bell Cup, and the Ewan MacKenzie Shield, with all age groups playing on Scotch’s Main Oval, to a resounding crowd. Scotch prevailed on the scoreboard, but both teams were applauded for the expansive way they played the game.
Scotch’s foremost supporter William (Bill) Morgan who played in the 1933 team, and was Rugby Captain in 1935, attended the match along with Classic Wallaby David Fitter, Rebels Players Josh Hill, Lucas Ripley, Ray Nu’u , Glen Vaihu, and many past players and supporters.
Both teams were presented Awards in a traditional Rugby post-match function, and are looking forward to the many new rugby experiences ahead in their futures, with Commonwealth and Olympic Games, and Rugby World Cups coming to Melbourne.
Australian Schools' Rugby Union
Rugby Championship
Competition Dates: Tuesday 5 July to Saturday 9 July, 2022
Venue: Knox Grammar School, Wahroonga , NSW
Competition Grades: U18 Boys XVs and U18 Girls 7s
Event Information
The Australian Schoolboys Representative Team is selected from the Schools' Rugby Championships
Enjoy the action from the Australian Schools Rugby Championships below.
2022 Australian Schools Rugby Foundation Luncheon
Date: Friday 1 April 2022
Venue: Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney
Special Guest: Sir Peter Cosgrove
Entertainment: Comedian Darren Carr
Special Event
Reunion of the Wallaby filled 1981 Australian Schoolboys that toured Great Britain
All funds support the ASRU and their teams
Enjoy the Australian Schoolboys in action below
Victorian Schools Rugby Union
State Schoolboys Head Coaching Opportunity
VSRU are looking for expression of interest for the head coaching position of the Victorian Schoolboys team, who will be competing in the 2022 Australian School Championships held at St Ignatius College Riverview from the 4th - 9th July 2022.
Applicates are to send through a copy of the most current Coaching Qualifications, References, Valid WWC card or VIT Registration to vsrurugby@gmail.com
Australian Schools Rugby Union Representative Team 2021
The Victorian Schoolboys participated in a selection carnival in June played at Marist College Canberra where the ASRU Selectors were in attendance.
Congratulations to three Victorians who were selected in the ASRU President’s XV for 2021.
15 Blair Pengelly Mt Waverley Secondary College VIC
19 Paino Hehea St Francis Xavier College VIC
20 Tom Pattison Wheelers Hill Secondary College VIC
At the Brisbane Australian Schools luncheon on 10 September the 2021 Australia A and President’s XV teams were announced.
As the Australian Schools’ Rugby Union Championships could not be held this year. Australian Schools representative team selection was based on the player's performance at school, Association and State matches played in 2021.
Unfortunately, we cannot play test match Rugby in 2021 but these players as selected members of an Australian representative team will be recorded in our rich history and will be awarded a test jersey and certificate in recognition of this achievement to be presented by their schools.
The selection committee of the Australian Schools’ Rugby Union have selected the following players in the Australia A, Australian Schools’ Rugby Union team.
Australian Schools’ Rugby Union, congratulate these players and wish them joy and fulfillment in their forthcoming playing career
Conclusion of Season 2021 Announcement
Due to the continuing situation with the COVID19 pandemic and, the successive lockdowns being experienced by the community, the Victorian Schools Rugby Union has cancelled the remainder of the winter season 2021.
The VSRU announces that the 2021 1st XV Premiership has been awarded to St Kevin’s College and, Runners Up to Brighton Grammar School, based on guidelines decided earlier in the year.
The VSRU congratulates all the schools involved in the 2021 season especially every player, coach, referee, official and parent who made it possible for the number of matches that were able to be held under quite difficult circumstances
We all look forward to the Term 4 APS Sevens season due to kick off in the middle of the term.
Kevin Culliver OAM
Chair
ASRU Capital Rugby Carnival
The Australian Schools Rugby Union held a schools competition in Canberra over four days June 27 - 30.
After nearly two years without interstate representative matches between states this was welcome relief and a wonderful experience for all the players involved.
Further than the overall COVID-19 crisis there were outbreaks in several states and territories in the lead up and in the end only Victoria was able to travel. There were two matches conducted ACT Schools v Victorian Schools.These were played in great spirit and an atmosphere of camaraderie and good will. ACT won both matches however Victoria were within a try for most of the second match. All the players acquitted themselves well. ASRU selectors viewed the matches and will also view any matches held in other jurisdictions in the next months with a hope to select two representative teams for potential matches in September. A schoolgirls Sevens exhibition match was also held.
The players took part in educational experiences off the field in tours, training and lessons at the Brumbies Centre and also seized the opportunity to have guided tours of the Australian War Memorial. Enormous thanks to Marist College Canberra for hosting the matches, the ACT Brumbies and referees, NSW Rugby Club Foundation, Gullivers Sports Travel, Carotel Motel and Deane's Coaches without whom the Capital Rugby Carnival simply would not have occured.
‘Victorian Schoolboys’ rides again
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