Duncan’s Bella Anderton-Teasdale and the BC Bears U18 girls rugby sevens squad were in tough, facing high-level competition at the inaugural 2023 Global Youth Sevens Gold Coast tournament Dec. 9-10 at Bond University just outside of Brisbane.
Once known as the World School Sevens, the Global Youth Sevens is an international rugby tournament for U18 girls and boys teams that originated in Auckland, New Zealand in 2016. This was the first time that a leg has been played in Australia.
“The vision of the tournament is to deliver a high-level professional event that provides the players, coaches and management with a life-changing experience and provides an opportunity for the players to showcase their talents on a global stage,” said a release from the BC Rugby Union. “Participants not only get to experience a high level of competition on the field, but also soak in a week of amazing culture and hospitality off it.”
Anderton-Teasdale and her 11 teammates arrived early, training for the event from Nov. 26, giving them a chance to get the lay of the land.
“It was exciting to be there to explore before the tournament and train to acclimatize to the weather,” she said. “Australia is a beautiful country.”
One of only four Vancouver Islanders on the 12-player roster and the only Islander north of the Greater Victoria area selected, Anderton-Teasdale was also the sole aboriginal athlete picked.
“Being selected for Team BC for Global Youth Sevens in Australia was a huge accomplishment,” she said. “To play for my province in an international tournament is a huge honour especially being an Indigenous athlete and the only north island athlete. I always strive to help grow the game of rugby,” she added.
On Day 1, the BC Bears lost to Renegades 27-19 and then won their next two games, 31-10 over the Australian Cavaliers and 61-0 over Nauru. The results advanced them to the semifinals on Day 2 as the sixth seed.
On Day 2, the Bears fell 29-0 to the Australian Schoolgirls, the tournament’s top team and eventual champions. The loss ended their tournament, and concluded the opportunity of a lifetime.
When she’s home in Duncan, Anderton-Teasdale trains at the MacDowell Rugby Academy and plays with her club team at the Cowichan Rugby Club.
