West Honiara schools gear up for first GIR Festival for 2026
BY RICHARD MENANOPO
Secondary schools in West Honiara are set to come together this week for the first Get Into Rugby (GIR) School Festival for 2026, which aims to introduce young students to the fundamentals of the sport in a safe and inclusive environment.
The festival will be held this Friday, April 24, at the Town Ground Rugby Stadium, bringing together eight participating schools: Mbokona Community High School, New Hope Academy, St John’s Community High School, Bishop Epalle School, Tamlan Secondary School, Amoana Christian School, Kelyn Community High School, and White River Community High School.
Targeting students are aged between 13 and 15 years and the event will focus on non-contact forms of the game, with girls taking part in T1 Rugby while boys will compete in tag rugby.
Organised under the Get Into Rugby (GIR) programme, the festival is designed to introduce new participants to the sport by teaching fundamental skills, basic rules, and simple game strategies.
In a social media post shared on the Rakabi Solomons Facebook page, contributor Freda Te’atanga Matangi highlighted the purpose of the initiative, stating that the festival “is a non-contact tag rugby program that is safe, inclusive, and enjoyable, targeting students aged 13 to 15 years.”
She said the event aims to bring together students from different schools while introducing the fundamental skills, rules, and strategies of rugby in a safe, non-contact environment.
The initiative also seeks to promote rugby’s five core values—respect, discipline, integrity, solidarity, and passion—among young participants.
According to information shared by organisers, the event is expected to attract a strong turnout of students, reflecting growing interest in rugby at the school level in West Honiara.
The two-hour programme is scheduled to run from 1:30pm to 3:30pm and marks the first GIR festival for the year, setting the tone for similar activities expected to take place later in 2026.
The festival will provide an opportunity for students from different schools to interact, learn, and enjoy the sport in a fun and supportive setting, while also helping to build grassroots participation in rugby across the capital.
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