The Armidale School Rugby Carnival is one of the most prestigious Junior Rugby competitions in Australia, bringing together schools from across the country to compete against each other, with over 1000 participants. For the Marist Under 12 Rugby Team, participating in this tournament was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and an experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. It should be noted that this year’s group is also the first from Marist to participate in the tournament.

The carnival provided an excellent opportunity for the Marist team to test themselves against some of the best Junior Club and school teams in the country. The tournament attracts teams from all over Australia, many of which have a strong rugby culture and tradition. This means that the standard of play is incredibly high, and the competition is fierce. Marist outdid themselves, in an extremely high division, winning two games and losing three: two with close margins. All the players would love to play the first game again, where the occasion got the better of us, but we still competed well. Our U12s and their families were the team to travel the furthest this year, spending a lot of time together, both on and off the field. This provided an opportunity for the players to get to know each other better, and to build trust and camaraderie that would translate into improved teamwork and performance on the field. It also provided a wonderful opportunity for parents to mingle and build new connections within the Marist community and across the other teams. A Marist tradition begins!