• 1A, 1B & 1C underway this weekend
• Girls 1st XV rugby continuing to provide pathway to professional opportunities and the growth of 17% over the last 3 years continues to signal the interest is as strong as ever
• Weight-restricted rugby now provides a genuine pathway to greater opportunities through the 1R competition

The 1A 1st XV competition gets Secondary School Rugby underway for 2019 this coming weekend in what promises to be yet another season of exciting rugby throughout Auckland.

Girls 1st XV rugby commences the following week, with it’s timeslot of Monday afternoons providing a healthy dose of rugby to begin the working week. The grade has gone from strength-to-strength in recent times, not unlike the overall growth of the Women’s game.

With an increase of 17% from 2016-18, Female Rugby is in high demand across participation and high-performance pathways which Auckland Rugby has already addressed with the appointment of former Black Ferns Anna Richards in the role of Female High-Performance Manager.

In an exciting innovation, the 1R competition is now the pinnacle of weight-restricted rugby at Secondary School level providing a further opportunity and pathway for players to experience the high of a premier grade at Secondary School level.

Simon Devoy, Auckland Rugby’s Head of Participation Development, sees 1R as an additional pathway to complement what already exists in the open-weight options at Secondary School level.
“While we already have established pathways from Under 14 and 15 through to 2nd XV and 1st XV, the path for weight-restricted grades has been less clear. 1R now provides a clear focal point to aim for and allows for cross-over as players move up through their schooling.”

Devoy also saw the grade as an obvious pathway into club rugby as well.

“Players can now also see a natural transition from 1R and weight-restricted rugby to Under 85kg rugby at Senior Club level. Innovative Participation pathways such as this, ensures we keep players in the game from school to club and provide them with opportunities to further their love of the game.”