As the days get longer and the weather (hopefully!) gets a bit warmer, our attention now turns to the fast-paced, high-energy world of 7s rugby. Our young players have a jam-packed few weeks ahead, with a number of key tournaments on the horizon. Make sure these dates are locked in;

- Tuesday 21 October – Condors Qualifiers at Ngā Puna Wai

- Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 November – South Island Secondary Schools 7s (Senior Girls & Junior Boys – Timaru)

- Thursday 13 November – Tane Mahuta 7s at Linwood

- Tuesday 18 November – Junior Tournament Week 7s at Hoon Hay
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For our senior male and female teams, the Canterbury Club 7s tournament is set to be a massive weekend of rugby. Mark your calendars for Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 November, at Ilam Fields

This tournament is a real highlight on the calendar and a great way to round out the year. Catering for Mens Open, Mens Social and Women's teams, over 400 players are expected to take part, plus managers, coaches and referees. It's a real festival atmosphere, with food and coffee available onsite it's a good vibe. It’s driven by Gary Mitchell from the Metro Senior Committee – who’s been involved in running this event for 12 years now with the Sumner Rugby Club.

"We get a real buzz from organising the tourney and seeing the vast number of players ,officials and walk in crowd making this a memorable event" said Gary Mitchell. "For us , its starting off with a breakfast like no other. Whitebait patties, crayfish and the usual trimmings, it has become a tradition."

It's not too late to enter a team for your club. Entries close October 23rd with the draw being released before Labour weekend. Social or serious, get involved!

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We’re also excited to welcome a very special guest to Canterbury next week – Tony Hargood, former Wairarapa Bush CEO, is currently walking the length of Aotearoa, kicking a goal at each provincial stadium along the way. It’s all part of his mission to raise funds for the NZ Rugby Foundation.

Tony is expected to arrive in Canterbury Tuesday or Wednesday next week, and we encourage our community to get behind his cause. You can follow his journey or donate here: A Brief Walk Through New Zealand Rugby | NZ Rugby Foundation.

On behalf of the clubs in Canterbury a huge thank you to Mackenzie Paul, a final year law student from the University of Canterbury, who has provided a tremendous amount of support working with over 26 clubs & Rugby organisations on updating their constitutions in line with the changes to the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.

Mackenzie has provided a huge amount of support to rugby volunteers by doing a lot of the heavy lifting in helping draft the constitutional updates to help clubs through this intensive process. We thank her and wish her the best as she enters the workforce.

That’s all for now from us. Good luck to all our teams heading into 7s season, and as always – thank you to every volunteer, coach, parent, and supporter who keeps our community rugby thriving.