2019 Rugby Cup is a Success!

12th Annual NYC Rugby Cup

On Saturday, June 8th 2019, Play Rugby USA hosted the 2019 NYC Rugby Cup, on Randall’s Island. Started back in 2008, the Rugby Cup is our biggest annual rugby tournament.

This year, we brought together over 600 students from 52 schools from all five borough of New York City together to play flag rugby. These students played over 100 games within four divisions: elementary open, middle school open, middle school girls and high school open.

Play Rugby Values

The Cup is a unique opportunity for students of diverse age groups from different parts of the city to gather in a friendly, competitive and supportive environment where they showcase their athletic skills and the Play Rugby values:

• Game Plan
  • Identifying goals and breaking down steps necessary to achieve that goal
• Switch On
  • Preparing for and focusing on the task at hand
  • Challenging yourself
• Try Makers
  • Giving and asking for support from your teammates and coach
  • Speaking up
  • Being accountable
• Get There
  • Going the extra mile
  • Celebrating progress
• Play What You See
  • Being adaptable to different situations
  • Progressing and assessing each situation
• Review My Film
  • Reflecting on your work and that of the team
  • Acknowledging effort
  • Striving to be better

These values are the heart and soul of Play Rugby; we don’t believe in just teaching students the technical skills of rugby, but also nurturing their character and sense of community. Every year, we recognize and celebrate students who demonstrate our values by awarding them with the #GoForward Award and T-Shirt. This year, four amazing students received this award, which is the highest honor individual students athletes can receive at our tournaments.

Champions

Teams that won the championships for each divisions were:

Elementary Open: Harlem Children’s Zone:

Middle School Open: Junior High School 185 Edward Bleeker

Middle School Girls: Junior High School 185 Edward Bleeker

High School Open: Queens Rugby Club

It was a fantastic day for JHS 185 which won both the Middle School Open and Middle School Girls. The High Schools Open winners — Queens Rugby Club — are also alums of JHS 185.

We are incredibly proud of all the #GoForward winners and Cup champions! However, Play Rugby would like to extend our congrats to all players who grew and learned through participation in our programs and the tournament. Some of our students shared their gains with us:

“This place is great! I love it and my favorite tournament!”

– Sean, 13 years old from Elysian Charter School

“It was very fun, I never expected to have this much fun playing a sport I knew nothing about. But from playing rugby made me into a better person because I’m a captain and it showed me to be a leader not a follower.”

– Joel, 13 years old from MS 129

“Being on a team made me build a family with amazing people.”

– Millie, 14 years old from JHS 185

Thank You!

We had an unforgettable day of fun, teamwork and celebration. Play Rugby would like to thank the volunteers, referees, Youth Development Mentors and the Department of Education’s CHAMPS program who provided buses to its participating schools. As Dominic Wareing, Play Rugby’s Director of Youth Development, puts it, “This is a huge event which would not have been possible without the amazing support of community of supporters. We are grateful to all of them.”