The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial School U18 rugby team have learned a lot despite falling short during the Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament when they lost to Truro College from England 50-15 during the 11th-place decider.
The U18 squad was selected to be part of the tournament after winning the U17 Deans Competition last year.
MGM lost 3 of their games due to disciplinary issues but won a game after they thrashed Chungbuk High School from South Korea 83-0.
They lost to Gose Industrial High School 25-5 and later lost to Toin Gakuen High School 25-0.
The team will now set their focus on winning the Vodafone Deans title this year.
There was a total of 16 teams that were selected to participate during the 8-day tournament including St Augustine’s College from Australia, Jianguo High School from Chinese Taipei, Truro College in England, Chunbuk High School from South Korea, Windhoek Gymnasium in Namibia, Southland Boys’ High School, New Zealand, Jesuit High School in the US, Kokugakuin University Tochigi High School from Tochigi, Toin Gakuen High School in Kanagawa, Tokai University Sagami High School from Kanagawa, Osaka Toin High School in Osaka, Gose Industrial High School in Nara, Iwamichisuikan High School from Shimane and Oita Tomei High School in Oita, Japan.
Between 2020-2021, the Sanix Youth tournaments were cancelled due to the pandemic and only domestic Japanese teams participated in the 2022 tournament.
Former internationals to have played at the Sanix Tournament are Johnny Sexton from Ireland, Ben Gunter and Amato Fakatava in Japan, Manie Libbok and Damian Willemse of South Africa, Finlay Christie from NZ, with the organisers indicating national team players from Australia, Uruguay, Fiji and Tonga have all played in the past.
