Two Australian schools are flying to France for a rugby sevens competition where chef skills are as important as cooking up tries.
The novel format of the Rugby Heritage Cup ensures a one-off experience for Iona College and Stuartholme School.
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It won’t just be the Under-15s sevens tournament at historic Pontlevoy that captivates the two Brisbane school teams in the lead-up to the World Cup.
In order to win the Rugby Heritage Cup, the schools must also head to the kitchen to prepare a national dish and produce a short video on the values of rugby.
Iona’s lamb chop dish and Stuartholme’s vegemite-and-cheese scrolls certainly cover off distinctive Aussie flavours.
Muscles, tastebuds and creativity must all be in sync because each discipline counts equally towards finding the winners.
“When my friends and I saw the first email about this tournament, we looked at the age group and couldn’t believe ‘I’m a chance’,” Iona captain James Turner, 14, said.
“All-round fun, playing with my friends and representing my school are the things I think of because this trip is once in a lifetime.
“We want to do our country proud. We’ve been training heaps and won our last sevens tournament. We thought we got the gist of sevens in those games so we can keep improving.”
Jack Garnier and Tom Haynes are two other trumps for the young Iona line-up.
Both schools are involved in something special from September 2-7. Cultural mix and diversity are a focus at a unique world schools event to celebrate 200 years since the code’s birth.
It is a huge undertaking with 44 boys and girls school teams from five continents.
The two Brisbane schools have conquered the biggest hurdle just to get there by zealous fundraising and parent support. It extends to Iona commissioning special jerseys in the college’s black and white with Indigenous artwork.
Australian rugby needs to take note because the French are already making the case that the tournament is to be handed on to Australia for the 2027 World Cup year.
Iona will face hosts College de Pontlevoy (France), Rugby School (England) and Old Resian Club (Argentina) in a tough pool.
For Stuartholme, they have drawn the hosts, Rugby School and Union Rugby Club Dumbea (New Caledonia).
For Stuartholme coach Paul Davey, it feels like a wonderful reward for the school embracing rugby sevens for the first time in 2020.
“We had a talented Under-13s team win their age group in 2022 so this eligibility fits perfectly for us,” Davey said.
“It’s a little random and wonderfully crazy that we are the school going to France but I really hope this is a step for some of our girls to enjoy rugby’s full pathway to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.”
The quick, balanced running of Mia Townsend, the talent of Edie Moloney and the strong ball-carrying and good hands of Neva Thorn are big positives within the team’s three co-captains.
The Thorn name is back in rugby with Neva the daughter of former All Black and recent Queensland Reds coach Brad Thorn.
Iona College was the schoolboy home for Melbourne Rebels flanker Brad Wilkin, former Red Ed Quirk and Sydney Roosters NRL prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who played Australian Under-19s in rugby.
Every nation at the Rugby World Cup was asked to nominate boys and girls school teams from Under-15s.
Iona College Rector Fr Michael Twigg said: “This is an amazing opportunity for young players from both schools to share in the fellowship of rugby and a fantastic acknowledgement of the contribution of school students to the game’s growth.”
The heritage of both Iona College and Stuartholme can be traced to France in the early 1800s.
