The Bermuda Rugby Football Union announced the return of a full league schedule for the upcoming 2023/24 season, for both the Men’s and Women’s Domestic league, as well as Youth Sunday Rugby for children aged U6 – U16.
The senior domestic season started strong, with the Mad Hatters Tournament.
In the Women's League, the opening match set the stage as Police dominated Teachers with a commanding score of 17-1, Game 2 saw the Renegades displaying their strength, securing a convincing 21-5 victory against the Mariners, while Game 3 witnessed Police once again delivering a strong performance with a 19-7 victory over the Mariners.
Game 4 was a close contest as the Renegades narrowly defeated Teachers with a score of 5-0, keeping their winning streak alive. However, Teachers made a powerful comeback in Game 5, claiming a resounding 25-0 victory against the Mariners.
The pinnacle of the day's competition arrived in Game 6, where Police triumphed over the Renegades with a score of 10-0, showcasing their resilience and skill – which gave them the Mad Hatters Trophy win.
In the Men's League, Teachers dominated with a score of 28-0 against a combined team from Police, Renegades and Mariners. Each team delivered a strong performance as the men’s game re-acclimates to the rigors of full-contact play, awarding Teachers the victors of the Mad Hatters trophy.
Looking forward to the rest of the season, domestic league fixtures kick off this weekend at Southampton Rangers S.C. – with an earlier kick-off to avoid clashes with the Rugby World Cup where possible.
BRFU Fixtures Secretary, Conor McGlynn commented, “We’ve tried a different approach this year in crafting the domestic league fixtures, after listening to the local clubs’ feedback on player participation. Rugby on-island is still in a period of recovery – and whilst we have flourishing talent in our women’s touch teams, youth groups and U19 pools, we recognize that there is a lot of work to be done in supporting the clubs as they work to rebuild their player numbers following the pandemic.
This year’s season will be longer than the 2022/23 season, but with a couple of key differences. The first is in the frequency of game play. Instead of two men’s games per week, we will have one fixture per week, which allows clubs to work together in providing additional player support through sharing players to create a deeper bench. The second difference is in the development of a set of community guidelines, which includes a commitment from each of the clubs to adjust player numbers and game time to suit available participation on a week-to-week basis. League points awarded will be the same as a normal 80-minute game, regardless of players/duration. 4 points for a win, with 4-try and losing bonus points applicable.
At its heart, this agreed approach and togetherness strives to foster a spirit of deeper community within the game. For anyone reading this who may be interested in trying rugby out, we welcome all new players and are committed to linking new recruits with coaches who will help build up their skills and level of comfort in participating.”
Sunday Rugby kicks off at Police Field on Sunday October 14 between 9:30am – 11:00am, returning to NSC in November at its usual later time of 10:30am – 12:00pm. You can register here: https://www.ptix.bm/minirugby
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