Alongside the international proceedings at Murrayfield last weekend, 1200 school aged children came together for a fun filled, fair-play Festival of Rugby.

Just as the 16 international sevens teams were competing for silverware in the Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens so to were the youth teams of Scotland.

Hamish Munro, Competitions Administrator for Scottish Rugby said: “The Festival exposed over a thousand children to the highest standard of elite rugby and allowed them to emulate these skills on the back pitch.

“The high number of teams involved was a testament to the work carried out by countless club volunteers and the club development officers across Scotland who tirelessly work to encourage youngsters to be active and involved in sports.

“It’s a great chance for us to integrate the community with the international game. Everyone had a great time and it was fantastic to see how much the festival had grown since last year, attracting a great deal more teams and onlookers.”

The event, which ran across the same two days as the Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens, saw 120 teams compete on the new, state-of-the-art training facilities at Murrayfield’s back pitches.

There were six exclusive tournaments running across the weekend which saw a significant increase made on the previous years three competitions.

On Saturday there were four competitions and awards to be made: For under-18 males, under-18 females, under-15 females and S1 males. 

The first of these was a knockout cup competition with the remainder awarded on a fair-play basis.

Selkirk were the winners of the under-18 males Cup beating West of Scotland in a thrilling finale which saw the victors sail to a 31-5 triumph.

The Fair-Play Awards, which are awarded for teamwork, conduct and sportsmanship, were won by Oban Lorne / Argyll (under-18 female), Nicolson Institute (under-15 female) and West of Scotland (S1 Male).

This was the first ever competition that Nicolson Institute girls team had entered, making the long journey south from Stornoway even more worthwhile than initially anticipated.

On Sunday, while the elite players were deciding the outcome of the international tournament, a further two competitions were hosted on the back pitches, for P6 and P7 boys and girls.

In the P6 age group, locals Portobello came out on top and Gala Mini Maroons were the victors in the P7 tournament.    

The festival was enjoyed by the friends and families of all the competing teams, as well as many of the sevens audience for the internationals.
The teams also had a chance on both days to parade along the fringes of the international pitch, waving flags which boasted their team colours.

Dee Bradbury, President of Oban Lorne / Argyll said: “The Festival of Rugby is a wonderful event. The children were delighted to be involved and to win the under-18 female Fair-Play Award after a lot of hard work throughout the year.

“I would recommend the festival to anybody; the new pitches are great to play on and are so close to the athletes on the main pitch. There was a brilliant carnival atmosphere, well worth the trip.”

David Sherrard, P6 and 7 coach for HIllfoots agreed: “The P6 and P7 teams of Hillfoots RFC could not have asked for a better end to the season! 

“The chance to watch the very best of 7s international rugby on the main pitch combined with the opportunity to emulate the superstars on the impressive Murrayfield back pitches in their own competition has truly inspired our kids. 

“The close proximity to the players whose never-ending appetite to sign yet another programme despite having just given their all on the pitch, was great to see!

“As a coach and a Dad, I'm sure of two things - most parents had peaceful journeys home with knackered and weather-beaten kids sat in the back clutching innumerable autographs and that rugby was definitely the main topic of conversation during Monday's breaktime!"