SINGAPORE – Young local schoolboys will get the opportunity to play on the same pitch as the stars of the HSBC World Sevens Series at the upcoming HSBC World Rugby Singapore Sevens (April 16-17), organisers said today (Feb 11).

Twelve local and local international schools are set to battle it out in the World First Singapore Schools Sevens Under-14 Series - a three-leg competition (March 12, 19 and April 2) held at the National University of Singapore’s Sports Stadium - to earn the right to be the first schoolboys to turn out in a schools rugby sevens final at the 55,000-capacity National Stadium at the Singapore Sports Hub on April 17.

The winner of each leg will earn 10 points, the runner-up and second runner-up will get eight and six points respectively, and the two schools with the highest points will play in the final at the National Stadium.

St. Andrew’s Secondary (SAS) were the kings of Schools Sevens rugby last year, as their Under-14 squad won both the Saints 7s and Singapore Schools 7s tournaments.

This is not the first time a schools rugby final is played at the National Stadium.

In 2014, the national C Division 15-a-side championship final saw Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) beating arch-rivals SAS 28-8.

Singapore Rugby Union (SRU) general manager George Danapal said that having a Sevens series in the first half of the year provides the U-14 players with “valuable game time” and “hence prepares them for the 15-a-side season in July”.

“Sevens rugby focuses quite a bit on individual skills like passing, evasive running and tackling, thereby increasing the skill levels of the individual player,” he said.

“With three legs to play, players have the opportunity to garner more game-time exposure and work on their teamwork.”

Fourteen-year-old Saints player Mikail Yue summed up the excitement of his rugby-playing peers.

“It’s not every day you get to play at a world-class venue in front of tens of thousands of local and overseas rugby fans,” he said. “While the world’s top players are playing in the ‘Road to Rio’ World Seven Series, it’s cool we have our own ‘Road to Kallang’ series.”

The organisers have also kept tickets to the HSBC World Rugby Singapore Sevens affordable for school children. A two-day season pass for youth (12-18 years old) costs S$75 for Category One (fixed seating), S$65 for Category Two (free seating) and S$25 for Category Three.

For kids under 12, Category Two and Three season passes cost only S$2 each.