NSW I Captain, Jack McGregor has been announced as the winner of this year’s RUPA Medal as the best player in the Final of the Australian Schools Rugby Union (ASRU) Championship on Saturday.
NSW I became the 2015 Championship winners, retaining the BH “Jika” Travers Shield for the fourth consecutive year in a row after beating QLD I by a close 22-20 on a chilly afternoon at St Ignatius College Riverview.
Playing at his own school ground as a student at St Ignatius’ College, Jack joins fellow NSW I representatives, 2014 winner Connor O’Shea from St Joseph’s College in Hunter’s Hill and inaugural 2013 winner Jack McCalman from The King’s School in Parramatta, as the newest recipient of the RUPA Medal.
The Medal is part of RUPA’s partnership with ASRU, awarded to the most outstanding talent each year since its inception in 2013. Throughout the week RUPA visited each team at the Championship to provide information for their potential professional rugby lives, including advice on agents, financial management and mental health.
To top off the acknowledgement, Jack was also named in the Australian Schoolboys team, who will take on Samoa and New Zealand in the annual Tri Nations Series to be hosted by Brisbane in September and October this year.
It’s Jack’s second year at the National Schools Championships, after his first taste within the runners-up NSW II side last year. Despite a five pointer from Jack, NSW’s second team were pipped in the final by NSW I by 38 points to 24 in the 2014 Championship.
Renowned for his leadership skills and strong ability to control the game, this year Jack was chosen to lead the NSW I XV. Whether at fly-half or fullback, Jack was a standout throughout the six-day tournament, proving to be a crucial asset for the team’s ongoing victorious campaign.
It’s not the first time he’s made the list of rugby match report mentions. He stepped up as Skipper for Riverview this year after proving a key factor in the team’s second place finish to Scots in NSW’s GPS 1st XV Championship in 2014 (check out his 2014 highlights here).
Hitting the rugby fields from a young age, Jack has been a representative in NSW PSSA teams, the 2012 and 2013 NSW Schools teams at the Under 16s Championships and was also part of Australian Rugby’s Sydney Junior Gold Program, the national development program designed to develop players from U15 level and above.
He has also represented St Ignatius’ College at State Athletics Championships.
Jack is currently House Vice Captain at St Ignatius, the same rugby nursery who has produced the likes of Melbourne Rebel Mitch Inman, NSW Waratah Jack Dempsey and recent Queensland Reds player, Dave McDuling.
Jack’s speed, kicking prowess and powerful passing is creating a positive reputation for the budding rugby star who, if history is anything to go by, could be well on track to earn a Wallaby number next to his name.
Since the very first Australian Schoolboys team in 1969, the Australian Schools program has produced approximately 160 Wallabies.
The ASRU program remains an integral component of the Australian rugby pathway, with the annual National Championship providing ample opportunity for some of the country’s best school-age rugby players to showcase their talent, having done so since 1975.
Proactively supporting and developing the next generation of Australian rugby players is one of RUPA’s key objectives. With education and off-field development recognised as key initiatives within the ASRU and RUPA, together the partnership ensures Australia’s rugby players can become better people, better players and live better lives from the outset.
