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31,100 Get Into Rugby participants in Oceania in 2016 were femaleA GOLDEN YEAR FOR RUGBY IN OCEANIAContinuation of on and off-field successes, including two Olympic gold medals, marks yet another outstanding year for Oceania.Both rugby sevens Olympic gold medallists came from the Oceania region as the sport ended its 92-year hiatus from the Games in spectacular fashion in Rio.Australia’s women had the honour of becoming rugby’s first Olympic champions since 1924 after a 24-17 win against New Zealand, before Fiji’s men turned on the style to beat Great Britain 43-7.Adding to this great achievement, the Fijians also won the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for the second season in a row, helping to put a smile back on the faces of the people affected by Cyclone Winston, while Australia won a first women’s series crown.Later in the year, the Olympic champions went on to win the Oceania Sevens at the ANZ Stadium in Suva, where, for the first time, the men’s and women’s events ran side by side.It was a busy year at the ANZ Stadium, with a host of international tournaments held there throughout 2016. Fiji and Fiji Warriors delighted the home crowd by winning the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup and the World Rugby Pacific Challenge, while Fiji won the Oceania Rugby U20 Trophy to represent the region at next year’s World Rugby U20 Trophy in Uruguay.The venue also hosted the first-ever women’s test to be played on Fijian soil, as Fijiana, playing their first game in 10 years, took on international debutantes Papua New Guinea in the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship. Fijiana triumphed 37-10 but saw their Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 qualification dreams ended by defeats to Japan and Hong Kong in December. Off the field, the Oceania Rugby Super Week conference came to Fiji in February. More than 80 delegates attended and important subjects such as sports science and sports medicine were discussed at a series of workshops. There was also the signing of an agreement between Oceania Rugby and the Oceania National Olympic Committees to deliver sports administration courses across the Pacific. Elsewhere, Queensland’s Gold Coast hosted a streamlined Oceania Rugby U20 Championship, where New Zealand and Australia each won one match. New Zealand took the title on aggregate points difference.Get Into Rugby continues to thrive in the region thanks to support from the Pacific in Union programme. Nearly 80,000 children participated in Get Into Rugby activities in 2016. Encouragingly, there was a three per cent increase in the number of girls taking part. A golden year indeed.TOPAustralia’s Evania Pelite scores a try in the Olympic gold medal matchABOVEFiji fans had plenty to cheerwww.oceaniarugby.comtwitter: @oceaniarugbyYEAR IN REVIEW 2016 WORLD RUGBY 51AROUND THE REGIONS | PARTICIPATE