By Jorja Dinan

The season started off with the Rugby Sevens competitions. Columba finished strong, coming in second to Otago Girls' High School. This year, in particular, Columba had a huge number of girls sign up to play, which resulted in multiple teams from a range of year groups. It is exciting to see rugby climb to one of the top sports at Columba. We encourage anyone who is interested in Rugby/Sevens to come along, as there are a variety of teams, suited to all skill levels.

After the Rugby Sevens, teams were in good stead for the 15-a-side competition, which started shortly after. It was great to see the improvement of skills over such a short period of time. Thank you to Bob Sinclair for his dedication and commitment.

To the team, safety is always of high importance. So, however, is confidence and being open to learning new things. This year, each player has shown success in their own way and the level of rugby, across all age groups, has been inspiring. I'm excited to see the impressive results that await this team going forward.

By Aaron Everett

The season kicked off well with a pre-season game against Southland Girls’ High School. While we did not win the game, it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The pizza afterwards, where the teams got the chance to mingle, was a highlight. We look forward to continuing this exchange in the future.

After this, we moved into Sevens training and games. This year, the coaching staff was increased, with the introduction of Patricia Hopcroft and Erica Blundell, who bring a variety of approaches on how to upskill.

With our teams keen to impress we charged into the season with great enthusiasm. The Senior Girls had a great season, winning most of their games but unfortunately losing the final to Otago Girls’ High School. While disappointing, this was a good learning experience for the young side. One of the highlights was the convincing win of 36-12 in the semi-final against St Hilda's Collegiate.

The Senior B team worked hard all season and showed great improvements. This can also be said about the Junior team.

The 15-a-side season was tougher, but kicked off well, with a convincing win against South Otago High School. During the season we had to contend with a number of injuries and, overall, the girls had some good wins and disappointing losses. But the most disappointing factor was that the season was cut short, due to COVID. It will be great to see the girls, back on the field, next season.

A special mention to Maddy Sullivan and Jorja Dinan for being selected for the Otago U19 representative side.