Rugby World Cup fever takes over Aussie schools in National Rugby Week

Sep 10 • General News, School • 1574 Views • Comments Off on Rugby World Cup fever takes over Aussie schools in National Rugby Week

126,571 young Australians will get their first taste of Rugby when National Rugby Week (NRW) kicks off across the country on Monday, September 14.

With 750 schools from every state and territory across the country taking part – students, teachers, schools and parents alike will get into Rugby with a feast of educational programs and fun activities engaging students across the week.

Now in its second year, the NRW program offers students a holistic Rugby experience including the teaching of core skills and the games’ values of integrity, respect, teamwork, discipline and passion through a range of innovative educational experiences on and off the field.

Registration numbers for year two of the program have exceeded 2014 when 726 schools registered to take part in the inaugural program. In 2015, 8% of all Australian schools and 3.41% of students nationally will take part in NRW.

Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said: “After the outstanding success of National Rugby Week in 2014 it’s fantastic to see growth in the number of schools and students participating this year.

“Primary and Secondary schools from all over the country have signed up for National Rugby Week this year including schools in remote locations in the Torres Strait Islands, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

“It’s also fantastic to see five all-girls schools taking part in the program this year, and some 53,000 young girls in total taking part. This continues the trend of strong growth in female participation across all levels of the game in recent years.”

“We hope that all of the students take away some valuable skills which will serve them on the Rugby field and in the classroom, but most of all we hope they enjoy their experience during National Rugby Week and continue to be involved in the game in the future.”

ARU General Manager Participation, Andrew Larratt said NRW will get many more students excited about the game.

“National Rugby Week comes at a fantastic time of year with kids of all ages learning about our great global game as the excitement continues to build for the Rugby World Cup.

“Rugby’s global appeal is perfect for multicultural Australia, with students able to learn and engage with the different nations competing at the Rugby World Cup as well as at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016.”

During the week students will complete interactive presentations and worksheets with a focus on each of the nation’s taking part in the Rugby World Cup.

The on-field component of the program will teach students the basics of Rugby with an emphasis on fitness and fun to promote the positive health benefits of the game.

The week’s activity will culminate in each school hosting a Rugby carnival, where students will play the new fun, fast-paced, non-contact version of Rugby Sevens called VIVA7s.

The school deemed to have engaged the most with National Rugby Week and to have best promoted the values of Rugby will win an official 2015 Wallabies Rugby World Cup jersey, signed by the team.

National Rugby Week runs from Monday, September 14, until Friday, September 18.