Macau Mini-Rugby Festival scores big with visiting teams

USRC Tigers U6 winners

Saturday, April 27 saw the return of the Macau mini-rugby festival. Held in Taipa, the event attracted 40 teams from Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau. Close to 1,500 people converged on the TIS playing field as teams from 6 to 10 years old competed for their respective age group championship. Fortunately, the weather was relatively fine, with the recent heavy rain holding off so that the competition could take place in near ideal conditions.

The competition saw a debut by the Macau Saints, a new team formed by pupils of the San Jose school, while the more established Macau Bats entered 6 teams across the age groups.

Guangzhou Juniors

Macau Bats match v USRC Tigers

Sandy Bay U10 winners

Hong Kong Football Club

Another team making its Macau debut was the Guangzhou Juniors. They entertained the crowd with some fast and effective rugby but fell short of the final. USRC Tigers from Hong Kong came out on top of both the U6 and U7 age groups while Hong Kong Football Club claimed the U8 and U9 competitions, with the U10 championship being won by Sandy Bay in a tightly fought final.

Macau Bats

Macau Saints match v HKFC

The Macau Bats placed a very respectable 3rd in the U8s, 4th in U7s and 5th in the U9s.

Most visiting teams were complimentary towards the festival organisation and looked forward to returning to Macau for next year’s edition. Donald Shaw