The U11 Discovery Bay Pirates secure the inaugural 2025/26 Waterford Shield

On Sunday, 18 January the HKU Stanley Ho Sports Center hosted the second annual Waterford Bowl tournament. Organized by the Hong Kong Mini Rugby Football Union (HKMRFU). Nine U11 teams participated, each selecting a 14-player squad for what is recognised as the pinnacle of U11 rugby in Hong Kong.

The tournament structure included four pool games per team, followed by knockout rounds for the top eight. Bowl semifinals matched first against fourth and second against third, while Shield semifinals which were added to this year’s competition featured fifth versus eighth and sixth versus seventh with winners proceeding to their respective finals.

The Pirates started the pool stages on the back foot with a 2-0 loss to HKU Sandy Bay. In the second game, we defeated Valley Fort 3-1, with tries scored by Samu, Yijin, and Milo. The third match against Macau Bats ended in a 2-2 draw, thanks to tries from Samu and Max. Our final pool game resulted in a one sided 8-1 loss against a dominant HK Football Club, with Ellie scoring a try in the closing moments.

Placing sixth overall in the pool stages, the Pirates advanced to the knock outs with a rematch against Valley Fort for the semi final which we won 2-0, with tries from Jack H and Ellie.

The Shield final and our sixth game of the day was against the Monkeys which we walked away winning 3-0, with two tries from Yijin and one from Oliver who was our captain for the tournament.

Congratulations to the Sai Kung Stingrays who ended top of the table and for winning the Waterford Bowl and to all the Clubs who participated for a fantastic day of rugby

Special mention to the parents who came out to support their teams and HKMRFU for organising the tournament that provided not only an opportunity for our young players to test their skills in competition but showcase the development and future of mini rugby in the region.