N O I N U Y B G U R N A I R O T C Annual Report I V

Transcription

1 Annual Report NOINU YBGUR NAIROTCIV 2016

2 0 2 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N MISSION To inspire all Victorians to enjoy our great global game VISION To successfully grow Rugby Union in Victoria to 21,000+ participants in 2020 OUR VALUES In striving to achieve our objective, we will uphold and be judged by the following values of world rugby INTEGRITY PASSION SOLIDARITY DISCIPLINE RESPECT

3 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 0 3 CONTENTS Officers of the Victorian Rugby Union President's Report General Manager's Report Victorian Rugby Development Report Senior Club Competition First Grade Dewar Shield Premiers Cowper Shield Report Junior Competition Judiciary Committee Chairman's Report 2016 Final Senior Club Results 2016 Final Junior Club Results Sevens Annual Report VRRA Referees Report Elite Pathways Program Report Victorian School's Rugby Report Post War Presidents Board of Directors Appreciation

4 0 4 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N OFFICERS OF THE VICTORIAN RUGBY UNION

5 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 0 5 VICTORIAN RUGBY UNION INCORPORATED

6 06 VICTORIAN RUGBY UNION PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2016 was a very exciting year for Rugby Union in Victoria with a significant increase in participation numbers, higher quality rugby and excellent representative performances through our juniors, schools, women and seniors programs. Highlights include: Total participation through 15-a-side Rugby, Sevens Rugby, VIVA 7s and Game-On primary schools development program of 15,829 participants in 2016, a 38% increase from Junior Rugby registration up 22% in 2016 to 2,215 participants. The establishment of two new Rugby Clubs, Racing Rugby Club of Melbourne and VS Barbarians Strong and vibrant senior, junior and schools competitions which are growing in quality and quantity. Active Women s Rugby Development and Masters groups who are very keen to grow their respective communities. The execution of a Memorandum of Understanding with Sport and Disability Victoria, the governing body of Wheel Chair Rugby in Victoria. The affiliation of Wheelchair Rugby with four established Victorian Clubs. The continuing development of Victoria s future Melbourne Rebels - we now have six home-grown Victorians signed with the Melbourne Rebels - three on full time contracts and three on development contracts. New rugby events to attract new participants, for example the development of the very popular Goldfields 7s tournament in Bendigo which saw a 50% increase in participating teams in 2016 as well as the Frankston Festival of Rugby in partnership with the State Government of Victoria and the Frankston City Council. A substantial turnaround of the financial performance of the VRU from a deficiency in equity of ~$350,000 as at 31 December 2014 to a stable balance sheet position as at 31 December The VRRA Association members continued to supply exemplary referee services to the Victorian Rugby community. The execution of Memorandum of Understanding between LaTrobe University and the VRU to develop plans for a sports park on the Bundoora campus for a Victorian State Rugby Centre. A successful Bingham Cup competition with the Victory to the Melbourne Chargers. The VRU Board would like to thank Peter Gillooly for his services as a director of the Weary Dunlop Rugby Foundation Limited and members of the Audit and Risk Committee, Owain Stone, Sue Renkin, Tony Fitzgerald and Guy Underwood for the supervision of financial performance. The new appointments for the Weary Dunlop Rugby Foundation are Peter Leahy and Robin Burns. From an operational perspective, in 2016 the Victorian Rugby Union Management team has executed on all competitions, development programs, representative programs and events. The team continues to play a key role delivering match day services for the Melbourne Rebels and Melbourne Rising home games. Congratulations to Harlequins who finished 77 points clear of the Melbourne Unicorns in the Cowper Shield who have held the top spot for the last six years. Mention must also go to Power House Rugby Club who finished in third position. In 2016, Harlequins had an impressive 280 registered junior players, 186 senior male players and 20 senior female players. These numbers equated to 14 junior teams, six senior teams and one combined womens team with whom they shared with Box Hill. Harlequins are now the biggest junior club in Victoria. Congratulations to Melbourne, Power House, Endeavour Hills and Box Hill who finished in second, third, fourth and fifth position respectively. Left to Right: Frankston City Council CEO - Dennis Hovenden, Rugby 7s Olympic Gold Medalist - Ellia Green, Captain of Melbourne Sinalli 7s Team and VRU President - Tim North QC.

7 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 0 7 I was delighted to attend the VRU Grand Finals Day at Box Hill RUFC on Saturday 13 August with 11 clubs represented, 500 participants and about 3,000 people through the gate over the course of the day. Melbourne RUC beat Harlequins RUC by one point in the Grand Final to be Dewar Shield champions I congratulate all clubs that participated throughout the day and those who were Premiers in The Junior Grand Finals held on Saturday 10 September at Southern Districts RUC with 14 junior clubs represented. It was a wonderful day of community rugby with excellent results for Wyndham City Rhinos winning three junior premierships. The VRU Board would wish to recognise the Competitions and Clubs team of Chris Evans, Amanda Pozzobon, Janelle Duncan the Development team of Tyronne Mitchell, Will Nicholson, David Southwood, Samantha Homewood, Elite Pathways team, Nic Henderson and Conor Daly and Justin Carroll and the Administration team of Simon and Catherine. I would like to acknowledge and thank the VRU staff, our match officials, volunteers and club administrators without whom none of the above would be possible. All work tirelessly for the love and passion of the game which continues to go from strength-to-strength in this great state. The Victorian Schools Rugby Union competition displayed some outstanding, quality attacking rugby throughout the year culminating in a very successful Grand Final day at Scotch College with 10 schools, 500 boys participating and an estimated 2,000 spectators throughout the day. Congratulations to St Kevin s who beat Marcellin in the VSRU 1st XV final. The Elite Pathways Program requires a significant investment and is headed by former Wallaby and Foundation Melbourne Rebel Nic Henderson who played 117 Super matches with the Brumbies, Force and Melbourne Rebels and strength and conditioning coach Conor Daly. The Elite Pathways Program teams represent the State of Victoria in national championships across Australia and our teams represent the State with pride and passion, against States that have much greater resources and participation. In an historic first the U20s defeated NSW in the competition and qualified for the final against Queensland. The U18 schoolboys finished fourth at the National Schoolboys Championships, defeating QLD 1 for the first ever time in the pool stages. Our Victorian Rugby Union representative teams from U12 to U20s have performed with distinction. Some of our notable national selections include: Sione Tuipuolotu, Jordan Uelese, Ah Mu Tuimaliliifano, Ikapote Tupai and Rob Leota were all selected for the Australian U20 s to attend the Junior World Cup in Manchester. Sione Tuipuolotu, Jordan Uelese, Ah Mu Tuimaliliifano, Ikapote Tupai, Rob Leota, Billy Gray, Angus Fowler, Ta Hosea and Harley Fox all played for Australia U20 s throughout the year. Josh Coward was selected into Australian Seven s program Ikapote Tupai, Robert Valetini, Harley Fox and Ah Mu Tuimaliliifano all had appearances for Melbourne Rising during the NRC season Sunia Finefiuaki, Hunter Paisami, Hinkley Halo-Vaovasa and Callum Kent were selected for Australian Schoolboys and Australian Barbarians Oneata Schwalger was selected in the Australian Wallaroos squad A special thank our partners: the Australian Rugby Union, the State Government of Victoria, Local Councils including the City of Frankston, City of Greater Bendigo; Corporate partners Direct Connect; Ralph D Silva Motor Group; BLK and Gilbert, Optimus Health. I would like to again recognise and thank Peter Gillooly, Sue Renkin and Darren O Brien for their significant contributions as VRU Directors over many years. The VRU Board wish them well for their ongoing endeavours. On behalf of the VRU Board I would sincerely like to thank Simon Davis for his significant contribution as General Manager of the Victorian Rugby Union. I would like to thank Tyronne Mitchell for his ten years of service and Janelle Duncan for her three years of service to the Victorian Rugby Community. The Board will miss the contribution of Catherine not only at Board meetings but her supportive and co-operative role in all facets of her job. She will be missed by us all. We congratulate Catherine on her new appointment and wish her well for the future. The forthcoming year will hopefully see the ongoing work undertaken by the VRU Board Sub-Committee to liaising with the State Government LaTrobe University and the ARU to secure a Victorian State Rugby Centre. Tim North President Victorian Rugby Union

8 0 8 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N GENERAL MANAGER'S REPORT Continued participation of the Melbourne Rebels in the Direct Connect Dewar Shield resulting in higher standard of competition; Strong results for our Elite Pathways representative teams from U12s through to U20s with our U20s reaching the Grand Final after beating the Waratahs U20s in Sydney. These programs are managed by former Wallaby/Foundation Rebel Nic Henderson and strength and conditioning coach Conor Daly. It gives me great pleasure to present my second report as General Manager of the VRU. This year has been excellent year for the VRU demonstrated by the following highlights: Total forecast participation through 15-a-side Rugby, Sevens Rugby, VIVA 7s and Game-On primary schools development program (delivered by VRU staff and 3rd party partnerships at no cost to the VRU) to reach 15,000+ participants in 2016, a 50% increase on the ~10,000 participants in 2014 (refer chart on Page 2). Junior Rugby registration up 22% in 2016 to 2,215 participants. Another successful year for the Melbourne Rising in the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship with strong participation of Direct Connect Dewar Shield Players; and Club and Schools Rugby 7s tournaments. A substantial turnaround of the financial performance of the VRU from a deficiency in equity of ~$350,000 as at 31 December 2014 to a forecast small positive net asset position as at 31 December The Victorian Rugby Strategic Plan was developed in conjunction with the Australian Rugby Strategic Plan. The four aligned strategic objectives for Rugby are: Make Rugby a game for all Ignite Victoria s passion for the game Build sustainable elite success Create excellence in how the game is run Strong and vibrant senior, junior and schools competitions which are growing in quality and quantity. Active Women s Rugby Development and Masters groups who are very keen to grow their respective communities and a partnership with Disability Sport and Recreation, the governing body of Wheel Chair Rugby in Victoria. The continuing development of Victoria s future Melbourne Rebels - we now have six home-grown Victorians signed with the Melbourne Rebels - three on full time contracts and three on development contracts. New rugby events to attract new participants, for example the development of the very popular Goldfields 7s tournament in Bendigo which saw a 50% increase in Participating teams in 2016 as well as the Frankston Festival of Rugby in partnership with the State Government of Victoria and the Frankston City Council. Simon Davis Presenting players with their medals at the Bendigo Goldfields 7s.

9 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 0 9 MAKE RUGBY A GAME FOR ALL Partner: Iron Armour Academy Rugby Union is experiencing unprecedented growth in Victoria with 22% growth in registered juniors in 2016, rugby being offered in both government and private schools through 15s, 7s, Game-On and VIVA 7s driving a total 50% growth in total participation across Victoria over the past two years (refer chart). Further opportunities are opening up for Victorians to continue to participate in the National Rugby Pathway through competitions such as the newly formed National University Women s 7s Series. Strategic Partnerships formed in 2016 to make Rugby a game for all Partner: Wheelchair Rugby On Tuesday 12 July, the Victorian Rugby Union (VRU) and Disability Sport & Recreation (DSR) announced an agreement in principle regarding the alignment of wheelchair rugby in Victoria. Following in the footsteps of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and Disability Sport Australia (the respective national associations), the basis of the agreement is to align the two sports within Victoria, align existing Rugby Union clubs with Victorian wheelchair rugby teams, and look to cross promote each other s programs within our respective communities. Partner: School Sport Victoria On Wednesday 5 October, the Victorian Rugby Union (VRU) and School Sport Victoria (SSV) announced a three-year strategic partnership agreement aimed at working together in the promotion and development of school and junior rugby union at both state and national level. The partnership will deliver both educational outcomes and promote junior development pathways for Victorian school students. Partner: Melbourne Sports Institute On Wednesday 5 October, the Victorian Rugby Union (VRU) and School Sport Victoria (SSV) announced a three-year strategic partnership agreement aimed at working together in the promotion and development of school and junior rugby union at both state and national level. The partnership will deliver both educational outcomes and promote junior development pathways for Victorian school students. The Victorian Rugby Union has formed a partnership with IRON ARMOUR ACADEMY a non-for-profit organisation, based on Christian values, dedicated to assisting young people, in relation to improving their life skills and sporting development through our various training, mentoring and scholarship programs that are generally not offered to or available. Iron Armour s vision is to build a new breed of athlete that would be strong spiritually and physically to be the best athlete on and off the field, fulfilling their purpose and impacting their families, peers and communities for Jesus Christ. IGNITE VICTORIA'S PASSION FOR THE GAME We have substantially increased community rugby marketing and communications through all channels. We have generated regular community rugby content that is distributed through social media channels, produced monthly Community Rugby Electronic Distributed Mails (EDM); and held two General Meeting Forums and one AGM per annum. We have revived the Rugby Union Brand in Victoria by creating Rugby content that is owned by the VRU including: Delivering first class senior and junior competitions with substantial growth in 2016; Developing the Melbourne International 7s tournament in to a marquee event; We have built the Goldfields 7s in to leading Club 7s tournament with registrations up ~50% in 2016 with 46 teams registered versus 30 teams registered in BUILD SUSTAINABLE ELITE SUCCESS At an elite level, our junior representative teams from U12 to U20s have represented the State of Victoria in national championships across Australia with pride and passion, often punching above our weight against States that have much greater financial resources and participation. We have had a number of recent successes with the Elite Pathways Program including: In 2016 there were five home-grown Victorians who represented Australia in the World Rugby Junior World Cup in Manchester (refer photo below) - all have progressed through the Victorian Rugby Elite Pathways Program; Melbourne Rebels U20 s reaching the Super 20 s Final against Queensland in March 2016; Victorian Schoolboys team finishing 4th in the Australian Schools Rugby Championship in early July, equalling our best performance of 4th achieved in 2011; and Ten Victorians securing professional contracts with sporting teams including Ellia Green who won a Gold Medal in Women s Sevens at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

10 1 0 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N (L to R) Ah-mu Tuimalealiifano, Sione Tuipulotu, Robert Leota, Jordan Uelese and Ikapote Tupai have all been beneficiaries of the program led by former Wallaby/Foundation Rebel Nic Henderson. CREATE EXCELLENCE IN HOW THE GAME IS RUN VRU Competitions Through a strong governance framework, administrative excellence in the Rugby Economy and commercial partnerships, we have achieved a substantial turnaround in the financial performance. Following the $109,169 surplus achieved in FY15, the current draft audited accounts FY16 result shows a surplus of $239,111, resulting in a small positive net equity position of $24 as at 31 December Victorian Rugby Volunteer Network A special thank you to all the Volunteers, Committee members, administrators, coaches, managers and match officials who give an extraordinary amount of hours each week to ensure the community rugby competitions in Victoria prosper. Having spent many years as a Committee member I understand the endless challenges, tasks and activities required to field teams week in and week out and we are very fortunate in Victoria to have a tremendous number of volunteers who selflessly give-back their time to enable our players to play our great global game. The VRU community team was able to successfully deliver on another year of Junior and Senior competitions. Junior Coordinator Janelle Duncan returned from maternity leave and the junior competition continued to go from strength-tostrength. Junior Rugby has increased by 22% (2,215 registered junior players in 2016 compared to 1,815 in 2015). 33% growth in U6-U12s, 2% growth in U13s-U18s Racing Rugby Club of Melbourne was established with 60 registered junior players Melton Rugby Club re-instated their junior club with 148 registered juniors The VRU established the Rebel Rascal Program (Club entry level program) with over 50 participants in 2016 Brimbank Juniors 87% increase in junior participation Power House Juniors 70% increase in junior participation Junior Team Entries increased from 104 team entries in 2015 to 116 in 2016 The Victorian Schools Rugby Union competition displayed some outstanding, quality attacking rugby throughout the year culminating in a very successful Grand Finals day at Scotch College with an outstanding final played between St Kevin s and Marcellin in the final with St Kevin s scoring a last minute try to win it.

11 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 1 1 The 2016 Victorian Senior Rugby Grand Finals Day was held at Box Hill RUFC with 11 clubs represented; 500 participants and about 3,000 people through the gate over the course of the day. Melbourne Unicorns defeated Harlequins RUC in the Direct Connect Dewar Shield Grand Final, Kiwi-Hawthorn defeated Eltham in Division A, whilst Ballarat beat Melton in Division B, Moorabbin won the Colts Competition and Uni-Panthers won the Women s competition. Well done to all involved. The 2016 VRU Junior Grand Finals Day was held on Saturday 10 September with 13 junior clubs represented at Southern Districts RUC. It was a wonderful day of community rugby with excellent results for Wyndham City Rhinos, Southern Districts, Harlequins, Powerhouse, Melton, Northern and Shepparton U18B side who went back-toback. Commercial and Marketing We are very grateful for the on-going support of our partners including Dewar Shield naming rights partner Direct Connect, Junior Pathway Partner TGI Friday s, Australian Rugby Union, Melbourne Rebels, State Government of Victoria, Frankston City Council, City of Greater Bendigo, BLK, Gilbert and Optimus Health. VRU Staff Tyronne Mitchell resigned from the VRU effective Friday 23 September 2016 after ten years of service to the Victorian Rugby Union. Tyronne has been a wonderful servant to the development of Rugby Union in Victorian working in roles in Development, Coach Education, Women s Rugby and Sevens Rugby. The 2016 International 7s Winners - Box Hill. Australian Women s Sevens Star and Olympic Gold Medal winner Ellia Green was delighted with the quality of Rugby Sevens at the 2016 Melbourne International 7s held on Saturday 8 October and Sunday 9 October at Frankston Park. Six teams from Fiji participated alongside one team from South Australia and five Victorian teams in the Men s draw as well as four Victorian teams in the Women s competition. The entertaining Rugby Sevens, Pacific Island performances, food stalls and kids activities demonstrated a carnival for all. Following the International Sevens tournament, Melbourne Rising played Sydney Rays in the final round of the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship to complete the 2016 FFR. Janelle Duncan resigned from the VRU effective 30 November We thank Janelle for her significant contribution to the Victorian Rugby Union as Junior Coordinator since February 2013, noting she had a year of maternity leave in Frankston Festival of Rugby/Melbourne International 7s Saturday 8 October and Sunday 9 October A special thank you to all the Volunteers, Committee members, administrators, coaches, managers and match officials who give an extraordinary amount of hours each week to ensure the community rugby competitions in Victoria prosper Goldfields 7s Saturday 22 October and Sunday 23 October, Epsom Huntley Reserve, Bendigo The 2016 Goldfields 7s is a partnership between the Victorian Rugby Union, the City of Greater Bendigo, the Bendigo Miners Rugby Club and Gold FM Bendigo to deliver a unique sporting, cultural and community festival over two days in Bendigo. A record number of 44 teams across Juniors and Seniors participated in the 2016 Goldfields 7s tournament held on Saturday 22 October and Sunday 23 October at the excellent facilities of Epsom Huntley Reserve, Bendigo. The standard in the Junior competition was particularly pleasing with some exciting talent competing from the U12s to the U18s and there were a number of visiting teams from the Pacific Islands and around Australia in the Men s Senior competition.

12 1 2 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N The 2016 Bendigo Goldfields 7s U18 Winners - Power House. In addition to the 100+ high-octane, fast paced sevens rugby games, the crowd was entertained with song performances from a number of the Fijian teams and hakas from the Iron Armour Academy teams. The City of Greater Bendigo was very pleased with the success of the 2016 tournament and is interested in supporting the event for another two years. Spring Time Schools 7s Featured 12 teams approx 140 players played at Moorabbin Rugby Club Friday 11 November. The execution of both FFR and Goldfields 7s events were a great team effort and highlight the core expertise of the VRU in terms of generating consumer-orientated rugby content that is valued by the market and participants who are prepared to pay to play. Thank you to the VRU staff for all their efforts in executing on another successful year of community rugby in Victoria including a series of exciting and financially sustainable rugby events. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the VRU Board of Directors who worked tirelessly during a very eventful year in Victorian Rugby and in particular Tim North who was very supportive. Simon Davis General Manager Victorian Rugby Union

13 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 1 3 VICTORIAN RUGBY DEVELOPMENT REPORT Game On Game on in 2016 was a major focus for the development team. With Game On only being introduced into the rugby landscape in 2015 it was still seen as a new program for schools and it was important that our ARU target for participants was hit. These numbers were achieved in-part through successful programs ran by development staff in both terms 3 and 4 at Collingwood College and Victoria University Secondary College. In addition to these larger programs, Viva 7s was also introduced across numerous other government and private schools of whom since, have expressed a desire to commit to further programs and gala days in Throughout Term s 1 & 2 of the school year 20 different schools from across Victoria participated in Game On. These schools were spread out all over the state and gave a lot of different clubs the opportunity to participate in the program and promote their rugby club within the local schools. Term 3 was by far the biggest Term in regards to participant numbers in Game On for the VRU in different schools participated in the program in Term 3 with over 2000 individual participants in these schools. Overall in individual participants took part in Game on throughout Victoria at over 50 different primary schools. This 5670 is well over our target from the start of 2016 which was 3854 individual participants. The focus for the development team in 2017 will once again be to attract these large numbers of individual participants and transferring them to their local clubs. Various local rugby clubs have also embraced the game and concept of Viva 7s with Southern Districts, Eltham and Power House Jnrs all having sought to run programs during It is predicted, that in tandem with the greater exposure of Viva7s and understanding of the game that such programs will have increased success in Viva 7s offers a fun, inclusive and non-contact environment that allows for all levels of play and accessibility for new players to the sport of rugby. It is this rationale that will see Viva 7s remain a priority for the development team in Secondary Schools 7s As in previous years the secondary schools 7 s gala Days took place in Term 3 of the school Calendar. This year there was 3 separate Gala Days run. We ran Separate U14, U16 and U18 Gala days with schools from all over Victoria entering, rather than Regional Based Gala Days. All three of these Gala Days were held at the Power House RUC in Albert Park, the most central venue for all schools. These Gala Days were held in the lead up to the trials for the Victorian Youth 7 s team giving selectors an opportunity to identify boys that may have the ability to play 7 s at a higher level. A number of boys from these gala days went on to trial for the Youth boys 7 s team. VIVA7s VIVA7s participation, like the Game On program, was a significant focus for the development team in The ARUs targets for participation in Victoria were set at 354 for community based participation and 750 for secondary school based participation. Both targets were successfully achieved and surpassed with final figures showing 509 (community-based) and 1726 (school-based) participants respectively. The change in format for the Gala Days this year meant that 12 different schools could compete at each Gala Day with a number of schools entering in all 3 of the Gala Days. The U14 Gala Day introduced a large number of new schools including Albert Park College who bought along 12 keen participants, 11 of them who were first time rugby players. The standard of competition at these Gala days was as high as ever and a large number of boys who participated in these Gala Days were invited to train as part of the Victorian 7 s programs. The winners from the Schools Gala Days are below: U14 Winner-The Grange U16 Winner-Melton Secondary College U18 Winner-The Grange

14 1 4 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N Development Camps This year our main development camp was run in conjunction with Camp Wallaby. Camp Wallaby is an organisation partnered with the ARU to help states run development camp. Our Camp Wallaby was run at Albert Park over 3 days in the School holidays after Term 2. There was over 30 participants who took part in all 3 days. Camp Wallaby are looking to get involved again in development camps in It was great to see the girls picking up the skills and game quite quickly and being able to enjoy themselves. The feedback from the students and staff was around the fact that it was something different and involved all students in the fun, fast, non-contact game. Schoolgirls Rugby This year the Victorian Rugby Union held 3 Gala Days for rugby 7 s for females in the state of Victoria during Term 3 and Term 4. The first took place at Albert Park where we ran our first mixed Viva7s Gala Day. The day involved 7 mixed teams comprising from 3 schools playing Viva7s, the Australian Rugby Unions new noncontact form of rugby 7 s. We ran two age divisions for this event: Junior (Yr 7,8 & 9) and Senior (Yr 10,11 & 12). Fountain Gate across both age divisions proved to be quite fit and fast. Later that Term we took rugby 7s out to the western schools to play full contact 7s for under 14, 16 and 18 age groups. The Gala Day was hosted at Power House Rugby Union Club in Altona and saw 12 teams from 6 schools competing across the 3 age divisions. We had a fantastic turn out of players, staff and family and the day gave an opportunity for the girls to showcase their skill, speed and strength as they battled to be the champions. The Grange were the under 14 winners, along with Victorian University Secondary College taking out both the under 16 and under 18 finals. To finish off the year, in Term 4 we went out to Fountain Gate Secondary College to host a south-east rugby 7 s full contact Gala Day in conjunction with Iron Armour Academy. The day involved 8 teams from 5 schools, with Hampton Park and Kurunjang returning for their second Gala Day for the year. Showing that rugby is becoming more and more welcomed by schools, and something that many want as part of their regular sport rotations. Fountain Gate once again proved quite strong and took out the under 14 and under 16 divisions, proving that they re rugby program is paying dividends and producing some talented girls. Throughout the year we also ran a series of VIVA7s girls-only sessions out at various Girls Secondary Schools in the region. With the likes of Ivanhoe Girls, Carey Grammar, Sirius College, Marian College, Mount St Joseph Girls College and Loyola College being involved.

15 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 1 5 SENIOR CLUB COMPETITION Thousands of fans and players packed Box Hill s RHL Reserve on Saturday for the Victorian Rugby Union s Senior Grand Final Day. Sixteen teams competed across eight divisions including Colts and Women s with teams representing eleven of Victoria s rugby clubs in action. The biggest story of the day was the Melbourne Unicorns capturing their 18th Direct Connect Dewar Shield championship with an upset victory over three time defending champions, Harlequins. The hard-fought match saw Harlequins get off to a fast start behind their ruthless attack and punishing defence to take a 19-6 half-time lead. However, the Unicorns fought back in the second half, dominating possession and territory to finally take the lead in the 75th minute and held on for their first title in five years. The two evenly-matched teams poured everything into the breakdown and both sides displayed impressive defence throughout. Ballarat s scrum proved the difference in the end when a big push led to the break that resulted in the game winning try. Finals Day capped a historic season for rugby in Victoria. The Rebels posted their highest ever winning percentage and now boast three home-grown Victorian players, and the Rebels U20s had five players selected in the Australian U20s team. The quality of the rugby and the closeness of the contests across the board throughout the day point towards rugby in Victoria continuing to go from strength to strength. The quality of the rugby and the closeness of the contests across the board throughout the day point towards rugby in Victoria continuing to go from strength to strength. Melbourne Rebel Mick Snowden was awarded the Paul Gascoigne Medal for best on ground, after scoring a try and bravely overcoming a shoulder injury to lead his team to victory. Melbourne nearly completed a clean sweep of the Premier Divisions, winning the Premier 3 final over Endeavour Hills and the Premier 4 final against Power House. Harlequins prevailed in the Premier 2 division with a victory over Melbourne. No doubt inspired by the golden efforts of the Australian women s sevens team earlier in the week the Women s Division final saw Uni Panthers defeat Box Hill Quins In the Colts final, the next generation of Dewar Shield stars were on display when Moorabbin took out a closely fought encounter over Harlequins. The Division 2 finals showed rugby is alive and well across Victoria as Kiwi-Hawthorn faced Eltham in the 2A final and Ballarat and Melton squared off in the 2B decider. The 2A game was won by Kiwi-Hawthorn who were too good for an Eltham team that kept fighting until the final whistle. DEWAR SHIELD GF Melbourne 20 d Harlequins 19 PF Melbourne 35 d Box Hill 14 SF1 Harlequins 27 d Melbourne 0 SF2 Box Hill 27 d Power House 20 Best on Ground Mick Snowden (Melbourne) PREMIER 2 GF Harlequins 28 d Melbourne 26 PF Harlequins 28 d Box Hill 27 SF Melbourne 29 d Box Hill 15 SF Harlequins 31 d Power House 19 The teams came to play running rugby which saw impressive long range tries from both sides. The 2B final was a tense affair as Ballarat and Melton fought back and forth in a physical match. PREMIER 3 Melbourne 49 d Endeavour Hills 14 PF Endeavour Hills 29 d Harlequins 22 SF Melbourne 38 d Harlequins 0 SF Endeavour Hills 29 d Box Hill 15 PREMIER 4 GF Melbourne 26 d Power House 20 SF Power House 45 d Harlequins 10

16 1 6 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N SECOND DIVISION B GRADE COLTS The Second Division B Grade competition was split in to two conferences in Melbourne were top ranked team in Conference A and Melton were the top ranked team in conference B. Monash Uni, Kiwi Hawthorn, Ballarat and Cerberus also qualified for the top six play-off. Ballarat and Melton qualified for the Grand Final after both clubs had impressive wins in their Semi Finals. Ballarat were too strong in the Grand Final and defeated Melton by five points. B GRADE RESULTS: GF Ballarat 18 d Melton 13 SF1 Melton 29 d Cerberus 24 SF2 Ballarat 24 d Melbourne 18 QF1 Cerberus 36 d Monash Uni 29 QF2 Ballarat 28 d Kiwi Hawthorn 0 Best on Ground Josh Pyalanda (Ballarat) A GRADE RESULTS GF Kiwi Hawthorn 25 d Eltham 13 PF Eltham 25 d Geelong 8, SF Kiwi Hawthorn 14 d Eltham 10 SF Geelong 27 d Shepparton 19 GF Moorabbin 29 d Harlequins 25 PF Moorabbin 33 d Melbourne Uni 31, SF Harlequins 22 d Melbourne Uni 19 SF Moorabbin 38 d Power House 17 SENIOR RUGBY AWARDS 2016 PREMIER DIVISION Player of the Year: Murray Douglas, Harlequins Leading Individual Points Scorer: Lloyd Johansson, Harlequins 122 points Leading Individual Try Scorer: Anipaterce Vaele, Harlequins, 16 Tries SECOND DIVISION A GRADE Player of the Year: Fills Fili, Shepparton Leading Individual Points Scorer: Tony Keach, Eltham, 199 Points Leading Individual Try Scorer: Josh Paver, Eltham, 10 tries SECOND DIVISION B GRADE Player of the Year: Lachlan Taylor, Cerberus Leading Individual Points Scorer: Mitch Cattill, Ballarat, 112 Points Leading Individual Try Scorer: Greg Forster, Melton, 11 Tries Emerson Burgess, Cerberus 11 Tries WOMEN'S Player of the Year: Esiteri R Bulikiobo, Box Hill/Quins Leading Individual Try Scorer: Silei Poluleuligaga, Uni Panthers, 13 Tries Leading Individual Points Scorer: Tangata Tupou Uni Panthers 76 points WOMEN Six teams participated in the Women s competition in Box Hill/Harlequins and Melbourne Uni/Northern entered combined teams. Western Districts and Uni Panthers finished the home and away season on equal competition points. Box Hill/Quins and Moorabbin finished in third and fourth position respectively. Box Hill/Quins and Uni Panthers qualified for the Grand Final with Uni Panther proving too strong defeating Box Hill Quins by seventeen points. COLTS Player of the Year: Mark Lalotoa, Moorabbin Leading Individual Try Scorer: Hunter Paisami, Harlequins, 11 Tries Leading Individual Points Scorer: Hunter Paisami, Harlequins, 79 Points GF Uni Panthers 34 d Box Hill Quins 17 PF Box Hill Quins 27 d WD 15 SF1 Uni Panthers 10 d WD 5 SF2 Box Hill Quins 29 d Moorabbin 17 Best on Ground Silei Poluleligaga (Uni Panthers)

17 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N FIRST GRADE DEWAR SHIELD PREMIERS 1909 Melbourne 1910 Melbourne University 1911 East Melbourne 1912 Melbourne 1913 Melbourne 1914 South Melbourne 1915/25 No Competitions 1926 Navy 1927 Kiwis 1928 Kiwis 1929 Kiwis 1930 Melbourne 1931 Eastern Suburbs (Kiwis) 1932 Footscray 1933 Navy 1934 Melbourne University 1935 Melbourne 1936 Footscray 1937 Footscray 1938 Power House 1939 Kiwis 1940 R.A.A.F. 1941/45 No Competitions 1946 Navy 1947 Navy 1948 Melbourne 1949 Melbourne 1950 Melbourne 1951 Navy 1952 Navy 1953 Navy 1954 Melbourne 1955 Harlequin 1956 Power House 1957 Navy 1958 Power House 1959 Melbourne University 1960 Melbourne University 1961 Melbourne University 1962 Harlequin 1963 Melbourne University 1964 Melbourne University 1965 Melbourne 1966 Melbourne 1967 Melbourne University 1968 Power House 1969 Melbourne 1970 Kiwis 1971 Kiwis 1972 Kiwis 1973 Power House 1974 Power House 1975 Harlequin 1976 Kiwis 1977 Kiwis 1978 Moorabbin 1979 Kiwis 1980 Kiwis 1981 Moorabbin 1982 Moorabbin 1983 Moorabbin 1984 Moorabbin 1985 Moorabbin 1986 Moorabbin 1987 Power House 1988 Moorabbin 1989 Harlequin 1990 Moorabbin 1991 Moorabbin 1992 Harlequin 1993 Kiwi-Hawthorn 1994 Moorabbin 1995 Moorabbin 1996 Kiwi-Hawthorn 1997 Power House 1998 Melbourne 1999 Box Hill 2000 Box Hill 2001 Box Hill 2002 Moorabbin 2003 Melbourne 2004 Harlequin 2005 Moorabbin 2006 Power House 2007 Power House 2008 Power House 2009 Melbourne 2010 Melbourne 2011 Melbourne 2012 Moorabbin 2013 Harlequin 2014 Harlequin 2015 Harlequin 2016 Melbourne

18 18 VICTORIAN RUGBY UNION COWPER SHIELD REPORT Harlequins Rugby Club have received the most club championship points across all junior and senior grades to claim the 2016 Cowper Shield. The object of the Cowper Shield award is to encourage Clubs to recruit and field as many teams as possible, with the ultimate goal of growing the game within Victoria. The award is decided at the end of the home and away season and is awarded to the Club that has received the most championship points. Harlequins finished 77 points clear of the Melbourne Unicorns who have held the top spot for the last six years. Mention must also go to Power House Rugby Club who finished in third position. Left to Right: Simon Davis, Wayne Rudland and Peter Gillooly Harlequins v Moorabbin In 2016, Harlequins had an impressive 280 registered junior players, 186 senior male players and 20 senior female players. These numbers equated to 14 junior teams, six senior teams and one combined womens team with whom they shared with Box Hill. Upon being awarded the Cowper Shield for 2016, Wayne Rudland Harlequin President acknowledged the fantastic result for the Club. Their implementation of club strategies by key members to build the club s participation has taken them from strength to strength.

19 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 1 9 JUNIOR COMPETITION Junior Player Pathway Rebel Rascals (Under 6 s/u7 s) Junior Player Pathway Non-Competition (Under 8 s - Under 10 s) 2016 saw the introduction of the Rebel Rascals, a regionalised in-season program for the under 6 and Under 7 age groups. Rebel Rascals (Under 6 s) The Under 6 s had a 14-week program, with weeks 1 to 5 facilitated by the Development Officers and weeks 6 to 14 facilitated by Club Coaches. Each Session included the following components: Warm Up Catch and Pass Evasion Tag Games Gala Days involved all clubs coming together, these were held on the Wallabies test match weekend at Harlequins on June 18th and at AAMI Park as a curtain raiser to a Melbourne Rebels match on July 23. Rebel Rascals (Under 7 s) The Under 7 s had a 14-week program, with weeks 1 and 2 facilitated by the Development Officers. From week 3 onwards the Under 7 s participated in small sided games facilitated by Club Coaches. The 2016 non-competition Pathway Program continues to grow in numbers. There was again an increase in non-competition pathway teams (U8 - U10) from 32 in 2015 to 39 in The following clubs entered more than one team in a non-competition pathway age group: o Endeavour Hills (2 x under 10 teams) o Moorabbin (2 x under 8 teams) o Harlequins (2 x Under 8 teams) o Harlequins (2 x Under 10 teams in conjunction with Maroondah) This continued growth has been driven by several key factors: The clubs and individuals driving the promotion of their club within their local community, including schools and within other sporting clubs. The Game On program facilitated by the development officers The Pathway season began with gala days hosted by Endeavour Hills, Footscray and Box Hill. These days were supported by VRU staff and the host clubs. During the English tour in June; the guard of honour was formed by the Footscray and Box Hill Redbacks (Box Hill and Kiwi Hawthorn) under 12 s. The Pathway season began with gala days hosted by Endeavour Hills, Footscray and Box Hill. These days were supported by VRU staff and the host clubs. During the English tour in June; the guard of honour was formed by the Footscray and Box Hill Redbacks (Box Hill and Kiwi Hawthorn) under 12 s. A once in a lifetime experience for these kids; we hope they remember it fondly. Both clubs not only represented their clubs well, but also diligently represented rugby in Victoria. Power House taking place in the Rebel Rascals Program

20 2 0 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N Junior Competition: Under 11 to Under saw the introduction of the Under 13 competition which will continue to develop in coming seasons. 16 clubs enter teams in the 10 different grades; Under 11 s, Under 12 A s and B s, Under 13 s, Under 14 A s and B s, Under 16 A s and B s and Under 18 A s and Under B s. The following clubs participated in fielding Junior competition teams in 2016: Box Hill Eltham Endeavour Hills Footscray Geelong Harlequins Kiwi Hawthorn Melbourne Racing Rugby Melbourne Unicorns Melton Moorabbin Northern Power House Juniors Shepparton Southern Districts Wyndham City It was wonderful to see a range of clubs represented during the Junior Finals. 14 clubs participated in the Junior Semi Finals held at both Moorabbin and Northern 12 clubs participated in the 10 Junior Grand Finals held at Southern Districts The 10 Premierships were won by 7 different clubs 2016 Junior Grand Finals Under 11: The Minor Premiership in the Under 11 s went to Southern Districts who finished on 66 points, 5 points ahead of Moorabbin. Harlequins had the tough task of taking on Southern Districts in their semi-final, but they well and truly stood up under pressure. In a tight tussle, they fell 1 point short. Southern Districts 27 def Harlequins 26. Moorabbin faced an extremely determined Endeavour Hills in their semi-final. Moorabbin took control early, but a very fast finishing Endeavour Hills were too strong. Endeavour Hills 31 def Moorabbin 19. The Under 11 Grand Final was always going to be a tight affair. Great defence meant limited opportunities for both teams. Great team play and straight kicking form Jontee Catterick (Southern) helped the Pirates take out the premiership 14 points to 5. The game was played in such a great spirit! Minor Premiers: Southern Districts Southern Districts 14 d Endeavour Hills 5 Best Player in Grand Final Walker McFadden (Southern Districts) Under 12B: The minor premiers in the Under 12B competition were Power House. In their semi-final, they took on Melbourne. Both teams thoroughly enjoyed their rugby, it was a shame there could only be one winner. The final score Power House 19, Melbourne 7. The second of the semi-finals was between Melton and Harlequins. Melton used a combination of their strength and speed to keep the score board ticking over. Despite Harlequins being ever so determined, Melton were the superior team on the day. The final score Melton 36 d Harlequins 15. It was great to see Melton back in 2016 and to see their young boys and girls enjoying grand final day was a highlight in its self. They had the tough task of taking on a very structured and skilful Power House. Being unable to score in the first half made it incredibly tough for the Melton team to work their way into the game. Power House took out the final, 35 points to 10. Minor Premiers: Power House Power House 35 def Melton 10 Best Player in Grand Final Athens Tuaena (Power House) Under 12A: The Minor Premiership in the Under 12A grade was won by Wyndham City who remained undefeated all season (90 points). Brimbank made their first ever appearance in the Junior Finals, this is such an achievement in their short history as a club. Unfortunately, they were outclassed by Wyndham City on the day losing 5 points to 55 in a very fast-paced game. Brayton Taare and Iverson Tolai Tato both scored 3 tries. Semi Final 2 saw Harlequins and Moorabbin do battle. The home ground advantage for the Rams didn t deter a determined Quins. Sione Vineula scored 2 tries to help his side defeat Moorabbin, 24 points to 17.

21 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 2 1 The Grand Final between Wyndham City and Harlequins showcased the future of Victorian Rugby. Plenty of highlights; in what was again a fast-paced game. The depth of Wyndham team allowed them to put on a dominating display. John Takatu u scored 3 tries, doing his bit to help the Rhinos secure the final 44 points to 14. Minor Premiers: Wyndham City Wyndham City 44 def. Harlequins 14 Best Player in Grand Final Divad Paul (Wyndham City) Under 13: Harlequins had a very strong year, only losing one game all season. They were awarded the minor premiership finishing on 78 points. Both teams struggled to make use of their limited opportunities. With the scores locked close to full time, Rupert Grenfell (Souths) had a penalty kick to try and claim victory, but with such windy conditions the kick fell short. Into extra time and you still couldn t tell who was going to come out on top. Neither team could score under the pressure of such tight defence. With a score of 7 a piece, it meant that as Minor Premiers, Southern would also be awarded the premiership. Minor Premiership: Southern Districts Southern Districts drew Brimbank 7-7 (Southern Districts Premiers) Best Player in the Grand Final: Rupert Grenfell (Southern Districts) Under 14A: Souths had the very tough task of taking them on in the semifinals. This team displayed a wonderful attitude on and off the field all season, their semi final was no different and they should be congratulated. Harlequins put on a dominating display, taking it out 55 points to 5. Semi Final two was a much closer contest, half time saw Melbourne up 10 points to 5. They battled it out right until the final whistle. Melbourne, taking it out by 3 points, Melbourne 15 defeated Endeavour Hills 12. The Under 14 A grade minor premiership was taken out by Endeavour Hills on 73 points, closely followed by Wyndham City on 68 points. These two teams were the standouts during the season and they continued to show their dominance in the semifinals. Endeavour Hills defeated Moorabbin 55 points to 0 in their semi-final. With 7 try scorers, Wyndham City were hard to contain, they defeated Harlequins 48 to 5. The Grand Final saw Melbourne step up to take on Harlequins. Played in great spirit, there was plenty of individual flashes of brilliance from both teams. However, it was the depth of the Harlequins team that lead them to a 55 to 5 victory over Melbourne. Lachlan Peel kicked very well, with 6 conversions; along with 2 tries of his own. Minor Premiership: Harlequins Harlequins 55 d Melbourne 5 Best Player in the Grand Final: Sebastian Sialau (Harlequins) Under 14B: Southern Districts had a wonderful season, taking out the minor premiership on 63 points. But they didn t have it all their way in the semi-final. Box Hill had big plans on upsetting the minor premiers and they came so close. Southern Districts defeated Box hill 22 points to 19. The second semi-final was a tight tussle, with ferocious tackling and slick skills. In their first finals appearance, the Brimbank boys held their composure and played a wonderful game of Rugby. Melton were unlucky not to get the win, in what was a wonderful display of rugby from both teams. The final score was Brimbank 33, Melton 31. The Grand Final lived up to all expectations. It was a hard-fought battle, with both teams determined to win every contest. In the end, it was Wyndham City who finished on top, 15 points to Endeavour s 12. Minor Premiership: Wyndham City Wyndham City 15 def Endeavour Hills 12 Best Player in the Grand Final: Tevita Mapa (Wyndham City) Under 16B: With some crucial games late in the season, Footscray were able to secure the minor premiership (73 points), with Melton hot on their heels and Box Hill and Melbourne not far behind, it was always going to be a tough finals series. Semi-final 1 saw Melbourne face the minor premiers. Footscray didn t put a foot wrong and unfortunately despite putting in 110% Melbourne just couldn t get a score on the board. The final score; Footscray 46, Melbourne 0. Kamipeli Taipaleti scored 3 tries for the doggies.

22 2 2 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N Semi-final 2, was a much closer contest. Both teams attacked with confidence, but little errors let them down. It was a fierce contest for most of the game, but Melton showed why they deserved a spot in the final. The final score Melton 23 defeated Box Hill 14. Shepparton made the trip to Northern and were in great spirits when they arrived. They had good reason to be happy post-match too; putting on a wonderful display of rugby, involving their whole team to take victory 74 points to Box Hill/Melbourne 19. David Warra scoring 3 tries. With both teams determined to make a statement, the grand final was not to be missed. Footscray remained strong in defence, but couldn t do much to stop the speed of the Melton backs. Footscray finished strongly but it wasn t enough, going down 22 points to 31. Minor Premiership: Footscray Melton 31 def Footscray 22 Best Player in the Grand Final: PJ Tupuola Throughout the home and away season Eltham and Shepparton had some close contests; the grand final was no different. Eltham s strong defence had to work overtime to contain the Bulls, who have plenty of scoring power. The Bulls were able to use their pace to keep the score board ticking over and in the end won 31 points to 22. Shepparton 31 def Eltham 22 Best Player in the Grand Final: Billy Fangatua Under 16A: Under 18A: Wyndham City, Northern and Endeavour Hills shared the wins during the season and finished 1, 2, 3 after the regular season. As predicted, all 4 teams in the finals came to win, with two hotly contested semi-finals. Harlequins came up against minor premiers Wyndham City and they came flying out of the blocks. The second half was a bit off a different story, with Wyndham City dominating for most of the half. Haloti Fonua was on fire and he lead his team to victory. 36 points to 15. The second semi-final saw Northern and Endeavour Hills do battle. Alex Saaga (Northern) put on a show, with some wonderful individual efforts throughout the game. Although under pressure numerous times throughout the game Northern were victorious 27 points to 19. Wyndham City and Northern took to the field for their Grand Final; with plenty of support for both teams, there was a great atmosphere. What followed was an action-packed final! Northern made use of their opportunities and used the ball wisely. In what was again a great final. Northern 24 def Wyndham City 19. Minor Premiership: Wyndham City Northern 24 def Wyndham City 19 Best Player in the Grand Final: Alex Saaga (Northern) Under 18B: After the home and away season Melton RUFC informed the VRU that they were taking strong action and removing their U18 team from the competition effective immediately, due to the conduct of several players, team officials and spectators. A decision was made to place 2nd place (Eltham) directly into the Grand Final and proceed with the second semi-final. The minor premiers in the Under 18 competition were Wyndham City (75 points). They had a very strong season, only dropping 2 games. Their Semi Final saw them take on Moorabbin and in Semi Final 2, it was Power House v Endeavour Hills. The Rams and the Rhinos took it to each other in a tough physical contest. It wasn t a day for the kickers, with both teams struggling to convert. In the end, it was Wyndham City 34 points defeating Moorabbin 17. Power House and Endeavour Hills had a bit of a scrappy start to their game, with little errors not helping the cause. But in the second half it all started to click for the Power House boys and they ended up running away with the game, 31 points to 17. The grand final between Wyndham City and Power House was the last match of the day. The first half was a tight tussle and neither team looked to take control. But as the match progressed the game started to open up a bit and the Rhinos took advantage of that; scoring multiple times and putting the game out of reach of the Power House team. Wyndham City 41 defeated Power House 20 Minor Premiership: Wyndham City Wyndham City 41 def Power House 20 Best Player in the Grand Final: Kati Tai (Wyndham City) In addition to the weekly Junior Competition the VRU held three very successful events hosted by member clubs: Northern RUFC and Moorabbin RUFC hosted the Junior Semi Finals on September 3. Southern Districts RUFC hosted the Junior Grand Finals on September 10.

23 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 2 3 JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN'S REPORT There was a disappointing increase in the number of cases to come before the Judiciary in 2016 with a total of 43, the highest since 2012 and an increase of 87% on The following table shows the trend over the past six years: Clubs should therefore be on notice that misconduct involving adults at Junior matches will continue to be treated very severely by the Judiciary. It is contemptible behaviour by people who should be setting an example of the values that Rugby stands for, and it is treated as such. A comparison with 2015 based on the incidence of offence types is given below: In 2015 too the heaviest sanctions imposed by the Judiciary, generally speaking, were for acts contrary to good sportsmanship and for misconduct. Clubs may be assured that the Judiciary will continue to take a strong stand against this kind of offence. This is especially the case when the offender is an adult in a position of influence over junior players. In 2016, the Judiciary Committee introduced an early-plea option for players facing offences assessed as being at the low end of seriousness. This assessment was made by a member of the Judiciary Committee on the basis of written reports from match officials and, where available, video footage. On the basis of this assessment, players were then offered a verdict and, where an offence was found proved, a sanction, typically of one or two weeks suspension or occasionally a reprimand. The pattern is not dissimilar to that of other years. Striking is almost invariably the most common offence for which players appear before the Judiciary. However, there were some noticeable and unwelcome features of the pattern of offences in The most disturbing of these was the incidence of misconduct and Code of Conduct violations at junior matches. Three of the Code violations involved either a player, a water carrier or a coach at junior matches. The remaining two involved assistant coaches. All five of the misconduct cases arose from a single U14 match, three committed by spectators, one by a player and one by a touch judge. The objective is to save players, club officials and members of the Judiciary the time involved in a full hearing where the offence is not serious and the charge is unlikely to be contested. In 2016, 13 of the 43 cases that came before the Judiciary in the season were handled this way. Of course, if a player does wish to contest the matter, the option of a full hearing remains available. I would like to thank my fellow members of the Judiciary Campbell Thompson (Deputy Chair), Harry Forester, James Lofting, Tomo Boston, Dan Crenan, Graeme Tosch, Bill Gillies and Sam Horgan. As always, they gave generously of their time, wisdom and expertise. Finally I would like to thank Chris Evans for his unwavering support and assistance throughout the season. Denis Muller Chair As an indication of the seriousness with which the Judiciary regards such cases, where spectators and other adults are involved, the sanction typically was suspension for eight matches. One Code violation involving an assistant coach resulted in suspension for ten years and the other for 52 weeks.

24 2 4 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 2016 FINAL SENIOR CLUB RESULTS Dewar Shield Premier 2 Premier 3 Premier 4

25 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 2 5 Division 2A Division 2B Womens Colts

26 2 6 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 2016 FINAL JUNIOR CLUB RESULTS U11 u12a U12B U13 U14A U14B

27 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 2 7 U16A U16B U18A U18B

28 VICTORIAN RUGBY UNION 28 Melbourne v Moorabbin at the Bendigo Goldfield 7s Southern Districts Junior Rugby players meet Gold Medallist Ellia Green at the Melbourne International 7s

29 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 2 9 VRRA REFEREES REPORT ACHIEVEMENTS Many of these are repeated from last year yet are still very relevant: By any measure 2016 has been another successful year for the Association and our members. We have continued to show the growth from earlier years and our performances both on and off the field have displayed top quality service to all our key stakeholders, sometimes in difficult circumstances. With another round of Sevens tournaments after the main competitions it feels like the season just gets longer and longer. A big thank you to those who have given their service to all those post season events; your support is truly valued. As is customary, I started drafting this based on last year s report, and much of what was said then remains the case now it may sound familiar, but is nonetheless, true. The season cannot be a success without great support from a number of sources: The referees themselves - who always give as much as they can and generally will respond to the need for change and flexibility The referee coaches - led by Alastair Grigg and who have produced a significant number of reports on referees and spent a lot of time helping them to develop further The VRU - predominantly through the thankless efforts of Amanda and Chris in trying to get all their games covered Our other halves for allowing us (or is it needing us?) to be out of the house for so long at weekends (and beyond!) Over 88 referees and 24 Green Shirts officiating at more than 1,200 games, including pre and post season as well as 7 s tournaments. Over 1,000 of these were Seniors, Juniors and VSRU games. The Green Shirt Program continued with great success in Thanks to all those referee coaches and other referees who have focused on the new referees, for their hard work in this. Many of us perhaps can t recall how daunting it can be, especially for some of the younger green shirts, so we need to continue to focus on supporting them through their early stages of refereeing.outstanding physical training and education program were well attended. Long may this continue. Representation at various representative tournaments. Remarkable on-field performance by our match officials. We continue to raise the bar. GREEN SHIRT PROGRAM We had another good year with our green shirts and we were successful in converting a good number of them. Inevitably we lose refs, for a good number of reasons, so we need to make sure that our stocks remain strong and the new referee program is certainly one way that we can do so. This requires continued effort from all of us to recruit new members and ensure that they are supported on the field. A big thanks goes again to those senior referees who have given of their time to observe and mentor the new referees thereby supporting the efforts of the Coaching team. Great work team. This is my first year in this position and I would like to thank Tony and all those committee members over the years who have come before us for laying such magnificent foundations. I would also like to stress all of the hard work and commitment of your committee when Tony persuaded me to take on this role he said it is relatively easy if you have a good committee and I would say that I have had a great committee, which has made it particularly easy and rewarding to be the President of the Association. With their help and efforts, it makes life out there in being the face of the Association very easy. I am sure that this year s committee will continue to add their own touch and enable us to grow further. Whilst we managed to exceed our target of 35% you can see that more work is needed to just edge us ever higher 21 refs took the field this season but, as with last year, we only converted half of them. We need to increase that conversion rate to something closer to 75% of those that took the field. In that way we can take the pressure of those refs who (happily?) do 2-3 games a weekend.

30 3 0 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N EDUCATION PROGRAM Our education program ran well this year. The following key activities formed the focus of education in 2016: Junior Gold Cup 2 x Home Games (U15 & U17) Dan Coelho, Amber Hibbard Jared Jensen, Oli Kellett 1. The Annual Update was great opportunity to learn more about the various systems which the ARU is putting in place, as well as catching up with old friends and colleagues. 2. Ongoing physical training sessions many thanks for Ollie for being our own personal trainer and Stefan for some tips and tricks on sprinting. 3. Monthly meetings for Senior Referee Group, and Association generally National Rugby Competition 4 x Home Games (ARs, 4/5/6s, Asst. Coaches) Rebels Super XV games 2 x Rebels Trials (ARs, 4/5s) 7 x Rebels Games (4/5/6s) 2 x Super U20 Games (ARs, 4/5/6s) ARU 7s tournaments 4. Other Accreditations a. L1 Referee 10 b. L1 Referee Coach 2 SOCIAL PROGRAM A key role of the VRRA is to provide a social network for all rugby referees in Victoria, and this year has been no exception. There are some of the hats and outfits worn at the Grand Final Day which will, unfortunately, stay in my memory for ever! AWARDS FOR 2016 Referee Coach of the Year Mel Nash Best Clubman for the VRRA Digby Brandenburg Best New Referee Alex Zhang The highlight, at least for me, was the chance to hear from Nigel Owen and Craig Shubert in the run up to the England Test in June I was particularly taken by their emphasis on some of the cultural, inclusive elements of rugby which we see at community level, but are obviously as important to international referees. OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS P1 Debuts James Ardern Jason Breytenbach Paul Kennedy Interstate Club Competition Appointments Sydney Oli Kellett and Dan Coelho Brisbane Dan Coelho Canberra Shannon McLachlan and Amber Hibbard The Frank Lang Trophy for the Most Improved Referee Dan Coelho The Ed Sullivan Trophy for the Best Group Two Referee who does a Grand Final Paul Kennedy Specialist Touch Judge Andrew Schwilk The Victorian Rugby Union Team Coaches Award for the Best Referee in Victoria Oli Kellett The Russell Craig Perpetual Trophy Presented to the Number One Ranked Referee in Victoria Oli Kellett Darwin 7s Jared Jensen, Amber Hibbard, Shannon McLachlan Mel Nash Central Coast 7s Amber Hibbard and Dan Coelho National Championship Appointments Schools Championship Dan Coelho Women s Championship Amber Hibbard Farah Palmer Cup (NZ Women s NPC) Amber Hibbard

31 VICTORIAN RUGBY UNION 31 WHEELCHAIR RUGBY REFEREES NEEDED An important landmark this year for the VRU is the Memorandum of Understanding with Wheelchair Rugby, which has seen four VRU clubs aligned with teams in the Wheelchair Rugby competition in Victoria. Seven of the 12 squad members who went to Rio were from Victoria and it was a highlight of my year to attend a round robin of friendly matches just before they made the trip to the Paralympics, as well as meeting with some of them with their gold medals on their return! As we all know is the case for able bodied rugby, Wheelchair Rugby is always in need of more referees, so at the risk of cannibalising our own numbers, please let me know if you would like to know more about refereeing this exciting Paralympic sport. CONCLUSION I d like to reiterate my thanks to all of the members of the Association who have made it such an enjoyable and successful year. I am honoured to be part of it and I look forward to catching up with more of you on the sidelines in the future. Thanks and good luck to all on you on your refereeing and personal journeys. Owain Stone VRRA PRESIDENT Referee Jared Jensen Referee Yvonne Savea

32 3 2 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N ELITE PATHWAYS PROGRAM REPORT The Elite Pathway had a fantastic year, both on and off the field, with a number of success stories coming out of our state teams in Three players from our Melbourne Rebels U20 s side, players who have been involved in the Elite Pathway for a number of years, have gone on to sign contracts with the Rebels. Melbourne Rebels vs Northern Territory 43-0 Melbourne Rebels vs South Australia 53-0 Melbourne Rebels vs ACT 24-0 Melbourne Rebels vs NSW 0-33 Our U20 s side made the final of the Super 20 s Competition, with 9 players selected for the Australian U20 side. 5 of which went away to the Junior World Cup in Manchester. We had one player from the Victorian Women s team selected into the Wallaroos squad for the tour to New Zealand. U18 s Schoolboys side finished 4th at Nationals, by defeating a QLD 1 side laden with talent, which is a huge step forward in this age group. The 2016 U12 State Team There were strong performances from our Junior Gold Cup sides and U14 s throughout the year, with a number of new faces in the playing and coaching ranks taking the field. Our young U12 s side only lost 1 game at their U12 s tournament in Adelaide, and our 2016 also saw a number of individual players selected for higher honours:. Sione Tuipuolotu, Jordan Uelese, Ah Mu Tuimaliliifano, Ikapote Tupai and Rob Leota were all selected for the Australian U20 s to attend the Junior World Cup in Manchester. Sione Tuipuolotu, Jordan Uelese, Ah Mu Tuimaliliifano, Ikapote Tupai, Rob Leota, Billy Gray, Angus Fowler, Ta Hosea and Harley Fox all played for Australia U20 s throughout the year. Josh Coward was selected into Australian Seven s program Ikapote Tupai, Robert Valetini, Harley Fox and Ah Mu Tuimaliliifano all had appearances for Melbourne Rising during the NRC season Sunia Finefiuaki, Hunter Paisami, Hinkley Halo-Vaovasa and Callum Kent were selected for Australian Schoolboys and Australian Barbarians Oneata Schwalger was selected in the Australian Wallaroos squad U12's PSSA Tournament Competed in the PSSA tournament in Adelaide, finishing 2nd in the tournament. With strong wins against South Australia, Northern Territory and ACT without conceding a point and a loss to NSW, this young group of future Rebels played extremely well. Their comradery both on and off the field, was a huge credit to not only the players, but to the staff who worked so hard to get them ready for the tournament.

33 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 3 3 U14s NSW State Championships The NSW State U14 s tournament, which is held every year in Orange, is always a tough weekend away with the strong NSW sides usually dominating. Our boys played extremely well in the first 2 games to nearly knock off ACT and Eastwood, and followed up these strong performances with good wins in the remaining 3 matches. With a large number of bottom age players in last year s squad, we should see a number of players returning to play in what is a fantastic tournament. Melbourne Rebels vs Brumbies 5-7 Melbourne Rebels vs Eastwood 0-5 Melbourne Rebels vs Central West 17-0 Melbourne Rebels vs Central Coast 31-0 Melbourne Rebels vs Illawarra 29-0 The 2016 U14 State Team U15s Junior Gold Cup The 2015/2016 U15 Junior Gold Cup (JGC) program provided the opportunity for 26 young players to develop their skills across an extended five-month program, inclusive of a fiveweek competition phase. Through the summer months, the players were tasked with developing their strength & conditioning and core skill competencies in preparation for five challenging games. This pre-competition phase culminated with a trial game against South Australia which produced an encouraging performance ahead of the competition kicking-off. The U15s won both of their home games at the start and end of the competition against Sydney North and Central Coast respectively. It was however, the three-game tour (in four days) of NSW, that would prove most challenging. The tour finished with two wins against Illawarra and Western Sydney and a single loss against Western NSW. The nature of the competition structure was such that the single defeat in Sydney, was sufficient to rule out an appearance in the conference final Melbourne Rebels vs Sydney North West Melbourne Rebels vs Illawarra 44-0 Melbourne Rebels vs Western NSW Melbourne Rebels vs Sydney West 29-0 Melbourne Rebels vs Central Coast 19-10

34 3 4 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N A fantastic group of young men with a huge amount of talent, and we are hoping to see a number of these players filter into our U18 s Schoolboys and U20 s programs this year and into the future. Melbourne Rebels vs Metro East Melbourne Rebels vs Southern Province 34-7 Melbourne Rebels vs Western Province 22-7 Melbourne Rebels vs Metro West 7-22 U17's Junior Gold Cup The 2015/2016 U17 Junior Gold Cup (JGC) program provided the opportunity for 26 young players to develop their skills across an extended five-month program, inclusive of a fiveweek competition phase. Through the summer months, the players were tasked with developing their strength & conditioning and core skill competencies in preparation for five challenging games. This pre-competition phase culminated with a trial game against South Australia which produced an encouraging performance ahead of the competition kickingoff. With a restructure of the U17 s Junior Gold Cup in 2016 saw a number of teams condensed, making for a much stronger competition. With 3 good wins along the way, it was the two tough losses to Metro East & West that limited the teams involvement in semi-finals.

35 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 3 5 U18s Schoolboys The Victoria U18 s Schoolboys success at the national carnival has continued to grow over the last few years, with 2016 proving that we can match with the stronger states. It was a great way to start the week with a big win over Qld 1, but it was followed up by a nail biting loss to NSW 2, a game we should of put away. A win over Western Australia, saw us progress to the 3v4 playoff against Combined States, which we unfortunately lost. The continued success of our U18 s Schoolboys side at this championship has had a direct flow on affect to the strength of our U20 s squad the following year, with a number of players progressing through. Congratulations to Hunter Paisami and Sunia Finefeuaiki on being selected into Australian Schoolboys side, and Callum Kent and Hinkley Halo Vaovasa for being selected into the Australian Schoolboys. Victoria vs QLD Victoria vs NSW Victoria vs Western Australia Victoria vs Combined States Hunter Paisami, Sunia Finefeuiaki, Callum Kent and Hinckley Halo Vaovasa receive their Australia Schoolboys/Barbarians tie after being selected.

36 3 4 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N Super 20s Competition 2016 was the inaugural year of the Super 20 s Competition and saw the Melbourne Rebels side beat NSW U20 s along the way to securing a place in the final against QLD. With a number of players selected to represent Australia at the U20 s Oceania Tournament and the World Cup, it was a hugely successful year for this age group. Sione Tuipuolotu, Jordan Uelese, Ah Mu Tuimaliliifano, Ikapote Tupai, Rob Leota, Billy Gray, Angus Fowler, Ta Hosea and Harley Fox all took the field for Australian U20 s during the course of the Oceania Tournament and games against NSW Country and Australian Barbarians. Of the 9 players capped for Australia, 5 were lucky enough to be selected to attend the Junior World Cup in Manchester. Sione Tuipuolotu, Jordan Uelese, Ah Mu Tuimaliliifano, Ikapote Tupai and Rob Leota were all selected in the Australian U20 s squad that went away. With most of these players filtering back into Dewar Shield First Grade squads, the standard of the competition is ever increasing.

37 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 3 6 Women's XVs With two tough matches to start the Championships up in Sydney against WA and Sydney, these were important matches to win if we wanted to be in the top 4 placings. Results didn t go our way as we struggled to find cohesion in attack and defence. Strong wins against ADFRU and SA to finish off the tournament, gave the team a much needed reward for hard work, and plenty of confiedence to any players hopefully coming back in Melbourne Rebels vs WA 0-19 Melbourne Rebels vs Sydney 0-36 Melbourne Rebels vs ADFRU Melbourne Rebels vs SA 27-5 Emerging Player and Developing Player Programs 2016 saw the introduction of our first ever Women s EPP squad, which saw some of our best up and coming female players join the program. The hunger and results from the players invited in, means it will continue into the future. These two programs have formed a hugely important part of our local talent development, as it allows us to focus on their individual improvement over a 12 month period. Players are selected and rewarded from their performance at a state team level, and invited in to join this Elite Program. With a number of players returning for their second year in these programs the results are starting to show through the strength of our U18 and U20 programs. A focus on athletic development, as well as life skills workshops, has given the program a fantastic approach to developing these players both on and off the field. These programs will continue to foster and grow our local talent into 2017 and beyond. The Elite Pathway does not function without the help and commitment of the Victorian Rugby Community and as such, a huge thankyou needs to be extended to everyone who helped out along the journey this year, your help and support is greatly appreciated.

38 3 7 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N Sevens Programs In 2016 four elite teams competed at National Tournaments. The Senior Mens and Senior Womens teams both travelled to Adelaide to compete in the Senior National 7s Tournament. In this tournament the Men were able to claim victory to the plate and the Women s team finished 11th. The Youth Boys and Youth girls teams travelled to Perth to represent Victoria in the Youth National 7s. The Youth Boys were able to finish on the top of their pool after Day one, going on to finish 4th overall. The Youth Girls had a pleasing result also, finishing 6th overall Youth National Boy s Sevens Championship Final Standings 1. New South Wales Blue 2. Queensland Red 3. Western Australia 4. Victoria 5. Australian Capital Territory 6. Queensland White 7. National Indigenous 8. New South Wales White 9. Northern Territory 10. South Australia Victoria had 7 players selected from the Youth Boys team to attend two Australian National Youth 7s Camps, held in Sydney in From this extended squad two players from Victoria were selected in the final team who travelled to New Zealand to compete in the World Secondary Schools 7s Tournament National Sevens Championships Men s Bowl Winners: Australian Defence Force Men s Plate Winners: Victoria Men s Cup Winner: Queensland Red Women s Bowl Winners: Australian Universities Women s Plate Winners: NSW White Women s Cup Winners: Queensland Red 2016 Youth National Girl s Sevens Championship Final Standings 1. Queensland Red (Winners) 2. New South Wales Blue 3. Western Australia 4. Australian Capital Territory 5. New South Wales White 6. Victoria 7. Queensland White 8. National Indigenous 9. Northern Territory 10. South Australia The 2016 Senior Women's Sevens Team

39 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 3 8 VICTORIAN SCHOOL'S RUGBY REPORT The participation in the VSRU competition in 2016 (61 teams) saw little movement from Of the many things that could make a difference the most vital is the availability of rugby coaches and further to this, teacher rugby coaches at rugby schools. Rugby in the VSRU member schools continued in 2016 with general continuance of the number of teams but alas, during the year some of our smaller participation schools and schools we call emerging reduced their participation. We also had the dilemma in 2016 where many established rugby schools although forming teams at all the age groups only had relatively few boys per squad, sometimes less than fifteen players. The existence of the Melbourne Rebels does at least give a profile at the professional level for players to witness. The significant aspect worthy of mention with this is that via the private ownership, principally through Andrew Cox and the Imperium Group, new participation initiatives brought many positives. Access to Rebels was increased by professional appearances, generously many schools were offered participation in corporate boxes at Rebels games and attendances at special promotional events but the biggest ticket item was the generous free membership for every school aged player. This was well received by all the families and we do hope the figures do bear out that it assisted Mr Cox with his targets in bringing the game to more Victorians. More Victorian players are gaining selection in the Melbourne Rebels training squads which is making more schoolboys see the pathway to a career in Rugby is attainable to a Victorian. Their Ambassador Five Star Program that promotes involvement in the community by the professional players played a role in VSRU schools and we look forward to it continuing if funding permits. Players and coaches can be seen at a variety of events where they spend valuable time on a one on one basis coaching, chatting with players and families, signing autographs and generally displaying real connection with the school s community. The largest schools have five and six teams while some small/ emerging schools have one team. The teams played in 7 playing divisions/ age groups with a total population we believe to be approximately 1200 players. The series of friendlies between established rugby schools and the so called Emerging schools mostly on weekday afternoons had a handful of fixtures in The awareness of rugby and its benefits in the general public will provide all schools greater opportunities to develop the game. We are committed to providing the best coaches possible to meet this interest in rugby by our youth and besides maximizing our training of our own Victorians we are dedicated to the assisting of interested coaches from the teaching profession in NSW, QLD, UK and NZ to relocate and become coaches in Victoria. Any coach from these areas and is a teacher should constantly scan employment opportunities in the 14 VSRU schools to be a teacher and thus improve the schools rugby. The Victorians toured Tasmania with its U14, U16 and U17 teams on the annual tour to the Apple Isle on August. Tassie U14 and U16 travelled to Melbourne for matches on October 10/11. Our Victorian Schoolboys went to the 42nd Australian Championships in Sydney in July with some fine wins making us 4th on the eight team table a credible performance. The win over Queensland No 1 team was especially pleasing. As a result five Victorians were selected for higher honours. Congratulations to Hunter Paisami and Sunia Finefeuiaki on selection to the Australian Schools who played Test Matches against Fiji, Samoa and NZ and also Hinkley Halo Vaovasa (inj), Callum Kent and Kilisimasi Aholelei selected in the Australian Barbarians who played Tonga. The VRU/ Melbourne Rebels Gold Cup teams for Victoria in the U15 and U17 age groups boasted a dozen players based at VSRU schools and this program boosts all the exposure to high level rugby for these young players.

40 3 9 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N VSRU Representative Teams Management Staff 2015 The oldest continuously running Schools Sevens competition continued in 2016 with the traditional season opener when Xavier College again hosted the VSRU Sevens on April 16th. It was a magnificent day made all the more by the contribution of Direct Connect whose sponsorship funds made for a heightened experience for all. The Senior Cup final saw St Kevin s College 29 defeat St Patrick s College 14. Marcellin College won the Plate Final over Melbourne Grammar School and St Kevin s II won the Bowl final over Melbourne High School. In the Under 16 group Xavier College 28 defeated Marcellin College 25 while Haileybury won the Plate and Melbourne Grammar the Bowl. We were again very pleased that The Hutchins School, Hobart joined us at two age groups for the Sevens. The Victorian team at 2016 ARU Youth Sevens Championships had several VSRU based players in it including Angus Edwards and Simon Harris (St Kevin s College) and Sam Lindeman (Scotch College). VSRU Schoolboys Results 2016 Our 1st Division expanded as proof of the broader development of some schools. Marcellin College and St Patrick s College who had moved to 1st Division in 2015 became the teams moving up the ladder the most. Both teams played a high standard of rugby all year and as the results fell it was Marcellin who went through to play St Kevin s College in the Grand Final The season Grand Final Day was on August 6th at Scotch College who hosted a very spectacular day of rugby for 10 matches on the two available pitches including their #1 Australian Rules oval. The wonderful support of Principal Mr Tom Batty and his superb co-operative staff led by Director of Sport Mr Stuart Powell and Teacher in Charge Ms Claire Jones made sure that it was an excellent day. Tasmania tour Team Results 2016 Tasmania in Melbourne Team Results 2016 Congratulations to Curator Mr Michael Smith and Facilities Manager Mr Greg McMahon for the production of the two magnificent fields. The 1st XV 1st Division Grand Final was won by St Kevin s College 32 over Marcellin College 22. The 2nd XV Grand Final was won by Haileybury 15 over Geelong Grammar 5 and for the 1st XV 2nd Division; Carey Grammar 41 defeated Melbourne High School 10. Further cups were presented on the day to St Kevin s College as both U16 Premiers and U15 Premiers. The Bob Dalziel Shield was played as the 1st XV 1st Div 3/ 4 play-off where Geelong Grammar School 26 defeated St Patrick s College 24. An abridged version of the Springtime Sevens for school hosted by the VRU over the last three years was played in Term 4. Many thanks to Mr Justin Carroll, in his role at Melbourne Rebels cum VRU, who co-ordinates the program. These Friday afternoons and evenings are great carnivals of school sport.

41 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 4 0 Any appraisal of the opportunities extended to players of rugby at schools in Victoria to travel and enjoy playing the game interstate and overseas will show that the VSRU embarks on an incredible touring program. The boys concerned, travel, live in hosts homes, meet new friends, play great matches and immerse themselves in the culture and traditions of the places they visit. In 2016 we hosted Gowerton School from Wales who were excellent tourists, who were billeted by families and played some magnificent rugby. The now annual visit by Sunshine Coast Grammar was welcome as well. The memories will last forever. The arduous program would not be possible without the volunteering of all the staff to conduct the tours and our thanks to them are immense. Our continued appreciation is recorded here for the efforts of the VRU, which had been amalgamated with the Melbourne Rebels organisation but in 2015 was separated due to the sale of the Rebels to private equity companies. The ability of the VRU to assist the VSRU has declined due to the reduction in personnel and budgetary constraints but we all will work together into 2017 to ensure rugby at the community level is developed. We congratulate the VRU Board and President, Mr Tim North QC, in their commitment to this and the programs they are endeavouring to implement in schools not part of the VSRU. The infrastructure of the main rugby schools to develop their rugby allows for the game based in VSRU members to continue. There has been a steady decline in the time teachers have to offer to the extra duties of running a state sports competition such as the VSRU thus why there have been fewer Office Bearer positions filled in There has also been a steady increase in the expectations of the service possible. With sponsors and with extra fees being placed on individual schools the position of Operations Assistant was in place for 2016 with Justin Carroll also taking on roles with Rebel Rugby to run the Sevens, Coach Education, Schools Community Liaison and Rebels player engagement program. Our appreciation is extended to Mr Carroll s for his work in running the Administration of the VSRU in It is often mentioned that there would be no rugby without the men and woman who volunteer to be match officials. We have been looked after well in 2016 by the Victorian Rugby Referees Association with President Mr Owain Stone and Appointments Clerk Ms Amanda Pozzobon. There are simply not enough referees to officiate at all the required matches each Saturday. The critical shortage of referees was again felt in 2016 by schools. All are endeavouring to recruit more people so we appreciate their efforts. A more direct and more substantial payment scheme is hoped to attract more to the cause. Mr Nic Henderson and Mr Chris Evans (VRU) were again generous with their assistance in working with the players and management of the U18s to provide the very best for their Championships campaign and the competition generally. Special thanks to our sponsors Direct Connect, South Yarra BMW, TGI Fridays, Trinity Grammar School (Kew), Team Fever, BLK, Thrifty South Melbourne whose support makes it possible to send representative teams on tours. The 2017 season commences with the Sevens Tournament on Saturday 22 April at Xavier College. Teams from around Australia are welcome and we look forward to schools from NSW and Tasmania taking part in The season then runs through each Saturday to the semi-finals on 5 August, followed by a special Grand Finals Day on Saturday 12 August. There will be 62 teams competing in seven age groups/ divisions. Kevin Culliver Chair VSRU 19/10/2016 The new VRU P/T position Mr Carroll fills has responsibility for a variety of other school based rugby development projects. A great hope is the re-emergence of the midweek competition utilising the new Melbourne Rebels Super 15 franchise name so as to entice the 25 schools or more who have lots of rugby players at them but no formal competition to play in whether this be 10/12 or 7 aside is for the future. It is also perhaps time, with funding, that the 8 rugby schools with primary schools reenact the Walla rugby and Try rugby programs so successful years ago into the life of these existing rugby schools. We will hope again that some inroads can be made to re-establish program once so well part of the VSRU scene.

42 4 1 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N POST WAR PRESIDENTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

43 V I C T O R I A N R U G B Y U N I O N 4 2 APPRECIATION

44 NOINU YBGUR NAIROTCIV VICTORIAN RUGBY UNION