Briars Women’s Rugby Contributes to the Growth of the Game in the Solomon Islands.

Briars Women’s Rugby recently spent a week in the Solomon Islands, collaborating with the National Women’s and Men’s teams in a high-performance camp. The camp concluded with a friendly tournament at Town Ground, Honiara, on Saturday, October 12, where Briars secured a 2-1 series win.

The tour was arranged on short notice after NSW Rugby and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) extended an invitation to Briars, covering all travel expenses through a generous federal grant aimed at supporting the development of women’s rugby in the Solomon Islands. Eager to contribute to the program, Briars assembled a squad of 12 players, along with a coach, manager, and chaperone, to provide strong competition for the emerging Solomon Islands team.

The tour coincided with the Australian Defence Force Sports program that is focused on upskilling coaches and referees in developing nations. The team worked with the newly accredited coaches as part of the program to practice their skills, plus the newly appointed referees officiated the friendly games on the Saturday. ADF Sports also organised a local school visit which saw our team coach hundreds of local kids in rugby skills.

Joining the team on the tour was NSW Women’s Rugby chair, Kerry Chikarovski, on her first ever rugby tour as part of a team. Kerry integrated into the team seamlessly and was an important role model for the young female athletes on tour. Many stories were shared, and as part of a tour team we all abided by the old rule of “what happens on tour, stays on tour”

The team also engaged with the Australian High Commission in Honiara, joining their monthly networking event on Friday night and dinner with ADF Sports and Solomon Islands Rugby after the tournament on Saturday night where Kerry Chikaroski presented some gifts of appreciation to the acting High Commissioner.

The team’s final full day in the Solomon Islands was a rest day, starting early with a trip to the Florida Islands and the renowned Roderick Bay, home to a beached cruise ship. They spent the day snorkeling, sipping fresh coconuts, and exploring the marine life while taking in the stunning surroundings of the Solomon Islands.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this trip possible and for the continued support of women’s rugby, enabling them to compete at the highest level as part of the Briars Sports family.