There was no shortage of passion for rugby on Saturday with 21 teams taking to the pristine Glen Willow Stadium fields to attend the 31st installment of the Bowdens Silver Mudgee Rugby Sevens tournament.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While the tournament is no stranger to hosting a premier competition for those looking for more serious games, this year, organisers decided to make the call to allow for a more social presence and event coordinator Ros Lee says the decision was undoubtedly welcomed.
"This year we decided not to go with the premier competition where the professionals come and play for the prize money. We've kept it more social for your teams looking for that bit of fun to wrap up their season," Lee said.
Host to 16 men's teams and five women's teams all made up from players from Sydney, Newcastle, and the Central West, respectively, Lee says there was no shortage of entertainment.
"We've had a good mix in terms of where people come from," she said.
"It was a wonderful day, the cooler weather would have been pleasant for the players.
There were a few teams that came in that were family based, it was really good to see.
- Rugby Sevens event coordinator, Ros Lee
"One of the local teams, the Fraser family, decided to keep in touch with the Pink Up theme and went as the 'Men in Pink'.
"They decided to have a pink kit and even had Glenn McGrath sign one to auction off for the McGrath Foundation which actually was sold to Scott Cam.
"The standard was very different in terms of rugby because the players were out to have fun and play around rather than those high intensity performances, it was a lot more relaxed."
This year the crown went to Lindfield Rugby Club who defeated Timberwolves, while the Southern Districts Rebelettes defeated Manly Mermaids 31-5 in the women's final.
"They [Lindfield] were the dark horses, I must say I wasn't expecting them to come in and take first place but I'm really happy they did," Lee said.
With four Wombats teams in the mix, local talent was certainly on show, but Ros points out the outstanding display of rugby that was put on by the Batties girls.
"It's been a great way for our Wombats to finish off their season, it's really positive," she said.
"It really does need to be acknowledged that our Wombats girls came in third place and it was on a countback that they missed out on playing in the finals.
They were contenders this year, it certainly was the highest the girls have finished and that's something they should be proud of.
"The girls continue to improve and I think the experience, knowledge and understanding is just coming together and they're just getting more and more comfortable with the game.
"It will definitely be a confidence booster for the girls and show they have the ability to go further in the future."
It seems there is no rest from rugby for Lee with next year's date already locked and loaded.
"It's already booked in for the 10th of October next year, mark it in your calendar now," she said.
"We received some really lovely texts and emails from various clubs who came to say thank you and tell us how fun the event is. It's really reassuring for us that we're doing the right thing.
"The tournament is a really great way to promote Mudgee as a community and the sport of rugby."