Black Orchids win Fiji Airways Cairns 7s tourney

Black Orchids were crowned the Fiji Airways Cairns Rugby 7s Tournament Champions after edging out Tonga’s Saints Academy 14-12 on Saturday, 31 October 2026, at Manunda’s Stan Williams Park in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.  

The men from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB) stayed undefeated through to the pool games right up to the grand final. They walked away as the ultimate champions with a $20,000.00 prize money. 

The Black Orchids were outstanding in the two-day tournament, showing skill, strength, determination, and composure to claim the bragging rights and pocket the lucrative prize money.   

Orchids made their debut in the sixth edition of the Fiji Airways Cairns 7s tournament in Down Under. They immediately put the annual seven-a-side event on notice by securing the top honors. 

Before participating in the annual 7s event, the Black Orchids had a six-week intensive training in Fiji under the Game Plan Pacific Program, which helped prepare the players for the tournament, with their hard work paying off. 

They opened the tournament with a 33–12 victory over Vunuku Brothers and continued their strong performance in the knockout stages, defeating New Dawn Brothers 28–21 in the quarter-finals before beating Nationwide Army 21–19 in the semi-finals.

The eventual champions completed their impressive, undefeated campaign by holding off the Tonga Development Saints Academy 14–12 in the Cup final to snatch the coveted trophy and prize money. 

The historic victory marks a major achievement for the players, coaching staff, sponsors, and supporters, as Black Orchid 7s continue to raise Bougainville’s flag on the international rugby union stage.

Originally established in 2021 as Cairns Bula 7s, it continued its second year under the Bula 7s name and later evolved to the Cairns 7s Rugby Tournament. Fiji Airways took the naming rights of the event in 2025.