KUCHING: The KRFC U16 School 7s Rugby Tournament Dick Bentham Cup, held today (Dec 7), aimed to foster youth rugby participation in Sarawak.
The tournament, first introduced in 2013 by former KRFC president Dick Bentham, was revived this year after a COVID-19 hiatus.
“We started with under-14 teams, but this year, we’ve upgraded to Under-16 to give it a fresh start,” Bentham told Sarawak Tribune at the Song Kheng Hai Rugby Field.
Eight schools – Vokmat, Sakura, MRSM, SMK Tarat, Sainsku, SMK Tebedu, St.Joseph, SMK Muara Tuang – ranging from novice to experienced teams, participated in the tournament.
“We invited mainly novice teams to give them a chance to grow and compete,” he said.
The event’s focus was to spread the number of schools playing rugby and increase participation.
“We want to build a solid foundation for rugby in Sarawak, and these eight schools are just the start,” he said.
Bentham emphasised the importance of nurturing young talent and promoting the values of rugby.
“It’s been a lot of work, but seeing the boys enjoy themselves today makes it all worthwhile,” he said.
Looking ahead, Bentham remains optimistic about the tournament’s future and its role in developing rugby in Sarawak.
“I think the reaction today has been great. The boys have enjoyed it enormously, and I’ll continue to work on this next year,” he added.
