Activate Rugby Academy hosts successful inaugural 7s tournament in Oxford

Activate Rugby Academy today welcomed schools and colleges from across the country to Oxford for the inaugural Activate Rugby Academy 7s Tournament. 

The tournament, hosted at Oxford Rugby Club, brought together boys’ and girls’ teams for a new competition designed to widen access to high-quality, professionally run 7s rugby and provide more young players with meaningful opportunities to develop in a competitive environment. 

Launched by the City of Oxford College and University Centre’s rugby provision, the tournament was created to give more college-based players meaningful competitive opportunities in the build-up to Rosslyn Park 7s taking place next week. 

The event featured a strong and diverse line-up of teams. In the boys’ competition, Activate Rugby Academy were joined by Peter Symonds, Newman College, St Regis, Stourport, Samuel Whitbread, Richard Huish, Esher College, Beechen Cliff, Abingdon School, Impington, Ashton on Mersey, Farnborough College, Hartpury, Magdalen College and SGS College. 

In the girls’ competition, teams included SGS College, Esher College, Peter Symonds A, Newman College, Samuel Whitbread, Peter Symonds B, Worthing College and Richard Huish. 

The day concluded with the boys’ and girls’ finals, rounding off a landmark occasion for Activate Rugby Academy and strengthening relationships between college and school rugby programmes while bringing together a wider community of young players, coaches and supporters. 

The boys’ final was contested between Stourport and Abingdon School, with Stourport coming out on top with a 26-12 win. Meanwhile, the girls’ final saw SGS College beat Newman College with a 32-7 win. 

Tom Redfern, Head of Boys Rugby at Activate Rugby Academy, said:

“Today has been a brilliant occasion for everyone involved. 

“Bringing together so many strong rugby programmes for our inaugural tournament has created exactly the kind of meaningful experience that helps players and teams grow. 

“Events like this give our group the chance to test themselves, strengthen as a squad and keep developing in a competitive environment, and I’m incredibly proud of how our players represented Activate Rugby Academy throughout the day.” 

Caroline Purdom, Group Director responsible for Activate Rugby Academy, said:  

“This tournament has been about more than rugby alone. It has been a valuable opportunity to build relationships with other rugby programmes, welcome partners from across the sector to Oxford and create an event that we hope will continue to grow in the years ahead, opening up more opportunities for young people to connect, compete and develop through the game. 

“My sincere thanks go to the Friends of Activate Rugby Academy for the huge contribution they have made to helping organise today’s event, and to our sponsors, Rhino Rugby who were our match ball sponsors, VenaTour, Apex Mouthguards, TClark Ltd, Proelio HR and NextGen livestreamed the games from Pitch 1 for the day.” 

Activate Rugby Academy, part of City of Oxford College, supports talented 16 to 18-year-old players to combine their academic studies with high-level rugby development and competes in the RFU ACE League, with specialist coaching and access to strength and conditioning and sports therapy support.  

The programme helps young people develop as players and learners, supporting progression in sport, education and future careers.