Pilgrims Freshmen 7s U20s Tournament Ends on a High

Morobe’s capital came alive over the weekend after the successful hosting of the inaugural Pilgrims Freshmen 7s U20s Tournament from 14-15 February 2026, at Lae’s SCRUM Oval. 

Exciting rugby union talents in Lae and wider Morobe Province rose to the challenge, delivering entertaining and competitive two-day matches across two divisions: U20 Boys and U20 Girls. 

The first-ever Pilgrims-sponsored Freshmen 7s U20 tourney saw 20 boys and 4 girls’ teams battle for the Cup, Plate, and Bowl categories.

The tournament is sanctioned by Morobe Rugby Union (MRU) to discover the next generation of Morobe players and represent the province and country in the future.  

Tournament Director Joseph Wamapiri was pleased with the outcome of the event, explaining the theme behind the tournament. 

“The name of the tournament stems from the major sponsor, Pilgrims Investment Limited, with the freshmen coming from the term used to describe new intakes at universities or colleges. Thus, it describes the U20s as freshmen, which is a fitting name for this tournament,” he said.  

Director Wamapiri acknowledged Pilgrims Investment Limited (naming rights sponsor), First Class Wheels, Goodman Fielders International (GFI), Total Waste Management (TWM), Nestle, and MRU for their support.  

Mr. Wamapiri mentioned that the main reason for creating this Under 20s tournament is to develop young rugby talent, strengthen pathways in Lae and Morobe Province, promote positive youth engagement, encourage gender inclusion, and strengthen community & corporate partnerships.

The director emphasized that they would learn from this experience to build and expand participation, establish sustainable pathways, boost skills and development, raise the tournament profile, and strengthen the competition’s standard.

He noted that with the help of organizations such as Lae City Authority and business houses, they aim to expand by including the U16s and U18s in the future, further increasing the pool of talent that can be identified and nurtured at these ages.  

“There is so much potential that can be unearthed with the right motive and goals. The Pilgrims Freshmen 7s U20s tournament is a refresher for us again in Lae and Morobe Province, and we look forward to the next one to come,” Wamapiri said.

Results for the tournament:

• Cup Champions - 12 Strong

• Plate Winners - Dekenai Construction Tent City Lights

• Bowl Victors - Sagothorn Mites

• Women’s Champions - UniTech Reds

The names of the participants:

Boys

The teams that participated were UniTech Reds, Hornibrooks Harlequins, Dekenai Construction Tent City Lights, Chemcare 1134 Defence, Consort Royals, Irok Pirates, Sea Robbers, Persei Bullets, KC Strangers, 12 Strong, Area 5 UniTech, Kabrats, Jokers 1, Jokers 2, Sagothorn Mites, Bundicamp Magpies, Mix Mates, B-Three, Speedway Rookies, and Malabu Gogunas. 

Girls

UniTech Reds, Hornibrook Harlequins, Bugandi Secondary School, and Wesan Quins. 

PC: Supplied