A few months ago, the Burra Rays were offered a position in the Samoa 7s competition by Rugby Australia - the only Australian club team selected to attend.
The girls travelled to Samoa and competed in the Vodafone 60th Independence International Sevens Tournament played over 10-11 September 2022 and were crowned Women’s Champions 2022!
Here’s what Head of Rugby, Chris Nay had to say:
“The tour was an amazing experience.
We were overwhelmed by the reception we received from what felt was the whole nation. We attended multiple school clinics and community rugby initiatives during our tour.
On arrival we were welcomed to the competition by traditional ceremonies and proudly participated in a team parade (like the Olympics) as the sole Australian team.
We genuinely made a significant impact to the lives of many of the aspiring female players in Samoa. We donated over 250 items of sports clothing and boots to the local community, collected before we left Australia, and the girls were exemplary role models for the club and their families on and off the field.
The trip made such an impact on all of the coaches and players that we decided that the club would donate the $3000 Tala winnings from the final to the Samoan U/18 girls tour to NZ to ensure the money is invested back to the local community.”
The tournament final can be watched here.
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