Campion and Cedar Grove Impress as 2026-2027 RLJ/Flashship Couriers National U19 Championship Gets Underway
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The 2026-27 Rugby League Jamaica (RLJ)/Flash Ship Courier Service National High School Under-19 Championship has kicked off with an exciting opening two rounds of carnival action, featuring the leading schoolboy rugby league programmes.
Ten schools registered to participate in the boys' championship, divided into two groups of five, with the competition adopting a carnival-style round-robin format before progressing to the knockout stages.
Group A features defending champions Campion College, Calabar High School, St. George's College, Jose Marti Technical High School and Kingston High School.
Group B comprises Spanish Town High School, Greater Portmore High School, Cedar Grove Academy, BB Coke High School and Waterford High School.
The opening carnival was staged Oct. 22-23 at Calabar High School and Cedar Grove Academy, respectively, while the second round followed Oct. 29-30 at Cedar Grove Academy and Jose Marti Technical High School.
Rugby League Jamaica Vice Chairman Adrian Hall expressed optimism about the new season and the continued growth of the schoolboy competition.
“We are encouraged by the strong start to the championship and the level of competitiveness shown by the schools. It is particularly pleasing to see emerging teams challenging the more established programmes. Our focus is on developing young talent, expanding participation and creating a pathway for players to progress into club and national rugby league. We also thank Flash Ship Courier for supporting the development of the sport at the school level,” Hall said.
Campion and Jose Marti Set Early Pace in Group A
Campion College and Jose Marti Technical emerged as two of the strongest performers in Group A, producing impressive results across the opening carnivals.
Campion began their title defence with a 4-4 draw against St. George's College before edging traditional rivals Calabar 10-6. They followed with a commanding 30-0 victory over Kingston High School but suffered a 14-0 defeat to Jose Marti Technical.
Jose Marti also impressed, recording a 30-0 victory over Kingston High, a 14-10 win against Calabar, a 14-0 shutout of Campion and another 14-0 victory over St. George's College to complete an unbeaten opening carnival.
Calabar registered victories over St. George's College (4-0) and Kingston High (30-0), while St. George's College defeated Kingston High 30-0.
The second Group A carnival produced several closely contested fixtures, with Campion defeating St. George's College 10-8 and Calabar 6-4 before recording another shutout against Kingston High, this time 10-0.
Jose Marti maintained their strong form with another 30-0 victory over Kingston High and an 18-0 win against Campion. However, Calabar held Jose Marti to a 4-4 draw, while St. George's College also earned a 4-4 draw against the early frontrunners.
Kingston High registered a notable improvement, defeating Calabar 6-0.
Cedar Grove, Spanish Town and BB Coke Battle in Group B
Group B also produced several competitive encounters, with Cedar Grove Academy, Spanish Town High School and BB Coke High School emerging as strong contenders.
Spanish Town opened their campaign with a 12-4 victory over Greater Portmore before drawing 4-4 with BB Coke. However, Cedar Grove Academy proved difficult to overcome, defeating Spanish Town 12-0.
Cedar Grove also recorded a 4-0 win over BB Coke and a convincing 16-0 victory against Greater Portmore.
BB Coke demonstrated their attacking potential with victories over Greater Portmore (10-4) and Cedar Grove (10-6), while Spanish Town secured a 4-0 victory over BB Coke in another closely contested fixture.
The second carnival saw Spanish Town defeat Greater Portmore 10-4 and BB Coke 6-0, while Cedar Grove recorded victories over Greater Portmore (10-0), BB Coke (6-10 defeat in their first meeting, followed by a 10-6 win in the second carnival) and Spanish Town (10-6).
BB Coke also produced another strong showing, defeating Greater Portmore 10-4 and Cedar Grove 10-6.
Championship Format and Knockout Stages
Under the competition format, two competition points are awarded for a victory and one for a draw.
The top four teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, with the competition progressing through the semifinals before the championship final.
The quarterfinals were scheduled for Nov. 5-6, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 13 at Cedar Grove Academy.
The championship final and third-place playoff are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19, with the final set for 3 p.m.
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