The AIC schoolboy rugby season will look different when competition starts on August 22
The AIC school rugby season returns on August 22, but it will be a different look competition in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Here’s your guide to how it will play out.
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The powerhouse AIC (Associated Independent Colleges) schoolboy rugby premiership season and the First XI football competition have been revamped specifically to cater for the COVID-19 era.
Starting on August 22, the eight school competition has been carved into two pools, with Marist College Ashgrove, St Edmund’s College, Padua College and St Patrick’s College in Pool A, and St Laurence’s College, Iona College, St Peters Lutheran College and Villanova College in Pool B.
It will also be a three round competition, with teams sprinting to qualify for grand final day on the fourth weekend – September 12.
Previously each of the eight schools would play each other once, with a first past the post format and no finals.
Six of the eight schools will host rugby and football grand finals on September 12.
St Laurence’s College would host the year 5 rugby and football finals, St Pat’s the year 6 finals, Padua College the year 7 deciders, Iona College the year 8 grand finals, Villanova College the year 9 finals, St Peters Lutheran College the year 10 finals and Marist College Ashgrove the open rugby and football grand finals.
The rugby season has also been delayed until late August with the short, sharp season designed to reduce COVID-19 impacts.
“Game day schedules are dependent on continued relaxation of Queensland Government road map rules for sport and outdoor activity,’’ an Associated Independent Colleges spokesperson said.
Ambrose Tracey will play in junior rugby and football rounds as the eighth side, while St Edmund’s College will be the eighth team in senior rugby and football.
The AIC is one of the great breeding grounds in world rugby, with the likes of Johns Eales, Des Connor, Andrew Slack, Paul McLean, Brendan Moon, Mark Connors, Dan Crowley, Daniel and Anthony Herbert, Pat Howard, Dom Maguire, Brendan Cannon and Drew Mitchell, among many others, progressing through the AIC system to play for Australia.
Senior AIC Rugby Draw
Round 1, August 22:
Ash v SEC
Padua v SPC
SPLC v Iona
Villa v SLC
Round 2, August 29:
SPC v Ash
SEC v Padua
Iona v Villa
SPLC v SLC
Round 3, September 5
Ash v Padua
SPC v SEC
SLC v Iona
Villa v SPLC
