Hamilton Girls’ High School were the top girls secondary school team in the country last year, defending their National Top Four title in September and winning the Condor Sevens in December for the third straight year.
Fellow Chiefs region school Tauranga Girls’ College (TGC) recently defeated Hamilton Girls’ High School (HGHS) in a thriller. Secondary school girls’ rugby is on the rise and TGC is part of this. We caught up with TGC’s co-coach Jeff Robb on the team’s recent win over the national champions and the growth of TGC rugby. College Sport Media: Please give us a run down on the game against HGHS that TGC won 36-34? Jeff Robb: The match was a fantastic game to watch with both teams playing with commitment and skill. HGHS took the early lead with a well taken try by centre Jasmine Hotham (daughter of Nigel Hotham who is the Hamilton BHS’s First XV coach). Soon after they pressured the TGC line again and converted a penalty. TGC responded soon after with a well worked forwards try. This punch and counter punch countinued with the teams turning at halftime with TGC leading 17-15. Early in the second half HGHS pressured TGC into mistakes and Jasmine Hotham was once again to the fore scoring a couple of quick tries helped to push HGHS out to a comanding lead. TGC once again worked their way back into the game with some strong carries by No. 8 Sela Moataane and with seven minutes left TGC trailed 22-34. TGC never gave up and scored two tries in the last few minutes to winger Piatarihingamare Devon. One of them was the last movement of the game, an 80 metre breakout try which first five-eighth Hope Garner held her nerve to convert and put TGC in front with the final 36-34 score line. The key factor was self belief and realising that they could compete with the national champions. A never say die attitude and confidence in themselves which comes from all the hard work that they have been putting in. CSM: Is this a new fixture against HGHS? JR: This is the first time that this match has been played. Every year in the final week of Term 2, TGC and HGHS have a traditional sports exchange. In the past rugby has never been played as the standard of the TGC rugby team was not up to delivering a worthwhile game. This year we asked if we could play to assess where we are sitting with our development. CSM: What’s the qualifying process to reach this year’s Top Four tournament? JR: We have to win the BoP Championship final, which is on 13 August. Then if we are successful we will have to play the top qualifier from the Waikato area on 20 August to see who qualifies for the Top Four from the Chiefs area. It runs along the same lines as the boys First XV qualifiers. So we could have a rematch with HGHS. CSM: TGC is currently a front runner in the Bay of Plenty Secondary Schoolgirls competition? JR: We are leading that, so we’re hoping to continue our good form and playing the second placed team in the BOPSS final on 13 August. The five teams in the Baywide Premier grade are: TGS, Trident/Opotiki, Taupo Nui A Tia, Rotorua Girls and Te Puke. Games are played home and away with the top two at the end of the rounds playing in the final. CSM: Traditionally, who are the strong schools in BoP secondary schoolgirls rugby? JR: Over the last few years Opotiki has been the stand out team representing the BoP at the Top 4 qualifiers. Te Puke had a good year last year, losing the BOPSS final to Opotiki but winning through to the semi-finals at the National Condor 7s. Rotorua Girls have a good young team this year and have given us a couple of good games. CSM: How long has the TGC team been together? JR: This is the second year for the majority of these players. We played for the first time as a team last year but finished fourth in the BOPSS competition. This was a huge improvement on the year before where the TGC team didn’t win a game all season. We were lucky enough to finish second at the BOPSS 7s behind Te Puke and when a team pulled out of the Condors tournament we were invited to attend and finished 7/8th, losing in the quarter finals to Te Puke once again. We are still a relatively young side. We only have two Year 13’s, with the majority being a good mix of Year 11’s and 12’s. CSM: What are the strengths of the TGC team? JR: We have a balanced side where we have some hard working forwards especially openside flanker Teagan Meyer who is only a Year 10, and our ball carrying No. 8 Sela Moataane. Our backs are also quite skilled both defensively and attack wise with speed coming on the wing with Piatarihingamare Devon. CSM: Are any players in the Bay of Plenty representative system? JR: There are about eight players who made the BOPSS U18’s this week. If some of the other girls didn’t have other commitments we could have has a couple more make the team as well. Piatarihingamare is also in the Northern Region U18 7’s squad. CSM: Are there any players excelling in other sports? JR: Our second five-eighth, Jade Tuilaepa, is a National Judo Champion and represented NZ at Oceania competitions. She is hoping one day to represent NZ at the Commonwealth games or Olympics in either Judo or 7’s. Lock Holly Topp plays Cricket for Northern Districts School Girls in the summer. CSM: You came on board at the start of last year to help with the TGC 7’s programme? JS: Yes and our XV’s team has grown from our 7’s programme. I joined at the start of last year to help with the 7’s programme and get the girls competitive for the North Island Championships that are held in the Summer Sports week. We came fourth at that tournament and this increased the interest of the girls. They didn’t have a XV’s coach so I offered to help. I asked a mate, Leo Scott, who I have done a lot of coaching with in the past to help out and he was keen to join. Not all girls stayed on for the XV’s season as some returned to netball, basketball and football. After the XV’s season. All girls returned for the 7’s season. The girls who played another sport during winter saw how much the XV’s girls had developed and enjoyed themselves, that they wanted to work hard and stay on and try XV’s this year. Hence our good result at the Condors last year. At the start of this year we once again started with 7’s and went to the Sir Gordon Teitjens 7s tournament run by Manawatu Rugby Union. We performed well, finishing fourth behind Hamilton Girls, Feilding and St Mary’s from Wellington. We worked hard over the next few weeks as we knew we would meet these teams again at the North Island Secondary Schools 7s. Here we beat Feilding High School to top our pool. We won through to the final where we once again met HGHS. The final was an intense affair with the teams locked at 12-all at full time. We went to extra time but no team could break the deadlock. We scored the first try in the final so were awarded winners. It is not the best way to win a final but the recognition was great for the girls knowing the effort they had put in to get there. This was great for those players who usually played another winter sport as they have stayed on this year to play XV’s which has made our team stronger and more skilful. We are hoping to qualify for Condors at the end of the year and will be giving it our best shot to win. The Tauranga Girls’ College squad is: 1. Angel Hira-Mulu (Captain) 2. Phabian Patrick 3. Rose Togatogarua 4. Harmony Hunapo 5. Holly Topp 6. Siobhan Stumpp 7. Teagan Meyer 8. Sela Moataane 9. Savannah Hinga-Miller 10. Hope Garner 11. Angel Haeata-Burrows 12. Jade Tuilaepa 13. Bree Meyer 14. Piatarihingamare Devon 15. Hinemokai Grey 16. Jing Yong 17. Aria Hunapo 18. Lesley McGillicuddy 19. Tihema Eades 20. Praise Peters 21. Lala Moataane 22. Aki Laula 23. Laurene Walker Coaches: Jeff Robb and Leo Scott Managers: Te Rangimarie Hamiora and Kaye Barnett "They used language I can't really say," Xavier Numia recalls of the verbal spraythe St. Pats Town's First XV received at halftime of last season's Premier One semi-final against St. Pats Silverstream. Down 20-8 (four tries to one) Town faced defeat to Silverstream for the second consecutive week and elimination in the semi-finals for the fourth year in a row. "The forwards were sleepy in the first-half of that game. We needed to get busy, fix our set-piece and want it more," Numia remembers. From a lineout move the big prop scored the first try of the second-half and Town rallied to win 23-20. It was their first victory on Silverstream's home ground since 1997. "Stream are always hard to beat. We haven't won the traditional since 2010. They are our traditional rivals. They always have a tough pack and good backs," Numia says. Tomorrow on Land Rover First XV Rugby Town hosts Stream at Evans Bay Park. Stream have won 59 of the 84 traditional encounters, but Town are second on the table with a 5-1 record in contrast with Stream who are fourth with a 3-3 record. "It will be a tough game. We have a few injuries and they will be up for it," Numia believes. Town Centre Billy Proctor is out for the season and Numia himself is in doubt with a slight niggle. Town is not unfamiliar with adversity. Last year they weren't expected to topple National Champions Scots College in the Wellington final. Procter scored two tries and Numia shined, outplaying Alex Fidow as Town caused a 19-8 upset. It was the sixth year in a row that the top-ranked team after the round robin didn't win the decider. "It was a great final. We wanted to do it for our brother Jerry Collins who passed away. Billy is an important player, but we have lots of good players like Kevin Fauatea, Tom Horan, El Nino Peniamina and SiaPaese. It's a team game," Numia stresses. Town lost to Wellington College 20-16 in their first traditional of the season, but have scored 267 points in their last five games. "We took a lot from the Col game. We have improved our set-piece and combinations," Numia believes. Numia comes from a sprinting background and until two years ago was a midfield back. His raw strength combined with usual speed saw him selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools team that demolished Australia 32-8 in Brisbane. During the school holidays he scored a try in the Hurricanes U18's 64-20 win over the Crusaders U18's. Numia is hungry for more success. "Both NZ Schools and the Hurricanes was such a good experience. I was surprised to make both of them, but I learned so much. I want to do the best that I can," Numia concludes. St. Pats Town against St. Pats Silverstream kicks-off at 12:30pm on Land Rover First XV Rugby. Following the growth and popularity of VSL’s World Schools Golf Challenge (Est.2006) and World Schools Cricket Challenge (Est.2014), the World Schools Rugby Challenge ‘kicks off’, in April 2017 and will be held in Canberra, Australia. It is essentially a rugby tournament with an equal emphasis on playing and development that will be held at the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian High Performance Sport centre. Teams will assemble from around the world to play in the week long tournament consisting of four days of rugby, two rest days, two ‘rugby educational’ lectures, and two semi-formal functions. For Southern Hemisphere schools this will be a truly magnificent lead-in to the 2017 rugby season, and a wonderful touring and educational opportunity. Sanctioned by the Australian Rugby Union, and with Stephen Larkham as ambassador, the tournament welcomes the following levels of play:
To view more about the opportunity CLICK HERE There are some great Australian rugby players who have progressed through the schools system. No doubt there will be some in this squad too. In 3 months time, this squad will be arriving in Auckland for a game against NZ Schools Barbarians and a Test Match against NZ Schools. Australian Secondary School Rugby Squad James Armstrong, (Knox Grammar School) Adam Doueihi, (St Patrick's College) William Eadie, (St Joseph's, Gregory Terrace) Sean Farrell, (Brisbane Boys' College) Sunia Finefeuiaki, (Marcellin College) (Auckland GS) Luke Gersekowski, (St Edmund's College) Lloyd Gorman, (Brisbane State High School) Esei Haangana Lock (St Paul's Catholic College) Opeti Helu (Newington College) Yirribi Jaffer-Williams, (St Joesph's College) Ryan Lonergan, (Trinity Christian College) Lachlan Lonergan, (Trinity Christian College) Isaac Lucas, (St Joseph's, Gregory Terrace) Fraser McReight, (Brisbane Grammar School) Matthew McTaggart, (St Joseph's College) Luke Osborne, (The King's School) Hunter Paisami, (Pakenham Secondary College) (Mangere College) Thomas Ross, (Darmalan College) Justin Sikimeti, (St Patrick's College) Francis Soakai-Tai,( Erindale College) Rory Suttor, (The Shore School) Laurence Tominiko (Keebra Park State High School) Joshua Vuta, (Somerset College) Nick Wilkinson, (St Joseph's College) Matthew Wilshire, (Toowoomba Grammar School) NZ Australian Fixtures: BMW Australian Schoolboys v Fijian Schools, Thursday 29 September, Sacred Heart College, Auckland BMW Australian Schoolboys v New Zealand Schools Barbarians, Monday 3 October, MT Albert Grammar School, Auckland BMW Australian Schoolboys v New Zealand Schools, Saturday 8 October , Auckland Grammar To read about the coaching staff for NZ Schools CLICK HERE Looking for USA Scholarships? Check out USA CONNECT For more information on the Australian Schools Rugby Programme CLICK HERE Canterbury will play host to the South Island’s best school girl rugby talent in September, with teams from Otago, Southland, Tasman and Hanan Shield Districts heading to Canterbury to take on the defending champions in the South Island Seconday School Girls Rugby Tournament. Canterbury will actually field two teams in the competition, with the South Island Junior and Teenage Rugby Board agreeing to a second “Development” team from Canterbury. The Canterbury A team will be coached by Tevita Siulangapo and Katie Stanton, and coaches are yet to be appointed for the Development team. Suilangapo says the inclusion of two local teams is great news for the women’s rugby in the region. “A tournament like this allows players to develop their game under different coaches and against some really tough opposition, so this means that even more Canterbury school players will get that opportunity this year and hopefully that results in more of the girls choosing to carry on with the game after secondary school,” Suilangapo said. The South Island Secondary School Girls Rugby Tournament will be held from 25 to 27 September. Players are selected out of the UC Cup schools competition. Canterbury School Girls- A Latai Kaufusi – Burnside Tineka Wanoa – Forward Foundation Harmony Simaile – Avonside Isabella Carter – Rangi Ruru Pip Pendergrast – Forward Foundation Kaylee Tavendale – Rangiora Lucy Jenkins – Forward Foundation Gemma Thornley – Lincoln HS Julie Briden – Forward Foundation Laura Thomas - CGHS Georgie Goodworth – Rangiora Cheyenne Ranga-Pokere - Avonside Bella Digby – Avonside Freya Aldridge - Burnside Grace Brooker – CGHS Easter Savelio – Linwood Islay Fowler – Forward Foundation Skye Taylor – Forward Foundation Mel Puckett – Forward Foundation Rosie Kelly – CGHS Issy Waterman – Riccarton Lupe Manu - Riccarton Canterbury School Girls- Development Rosa Samuelu - Burnside Sarah Hanrahan - Burnside Daisy Sekai – Catholic Cathedral College Sammy Moore - CGHS Kezia Fowler-Blyth - CGHS Bailey Avei - Avonside Jayda Siyakurima - Catholic Cathedral College Brianna James - CGHS Jaidyn Busch – CGHS Lucy Cahill – Forward Foundation Sarita De Gouw – Rangi Ruru Ester Mariner – Linwood Brooke Mitchell Michaelee McDonald - Papanui Alice Dalzell – CGHS Chloe McManus – Forward Foundation Molly Simpson – CGHS Zoe Levien – CGHS Paige Hunter – Forward Foundation Angelina Reason – Lincoln HS Naia Toaolani-Holden - CGHS Salome Naiku - CGHS The New Zealand Schools and New Zealand Barbarians Schools fixtures against Fiji and Australia have been announced. New Zealand Rugby High Performance Player Development Manager Mike Anthony said: “Inclusion of the New Zealand Barbarians in this schedule has been critical because we want to keep casting our net wide. “It’s essential that we develop a wider group for the future. Including a Barbarians team is really important to our organisation. “The advantages are clear. Take Stephen Perofeta for example, who played for the Barbarians last year, and within a year he was the starting 10 for the Under 20 side. Current All Blacks Damian McKenzie, Lima Sopoaga, Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Ardie Savea have all played for New Zealand Schools as part of their development.” The two teams will not officially face each other this year, but may take part in an opposed run-out in the lead up to the test matches. “It’s important that both teams get the best preparation for their matches against Fiji and Australia. We’ve been really successful against Australia in the last three years, and two years ago New Zealand Barbarians Schools also defeated them,” he said. The NZ Schools programme provides an opportunity for young elite school players to be immersed into a high performance environment. “It’s very much a development focus. We want to give our young players the best chance of being better prepared for the demands later on. We’ve ensured that through having the right people supporting the Schools programme the players have the best rugby experience to date. We’ve done that through quality providers and quality coaching.” At the end of September, a group of 55 players will be invited to the NZ Schools Development Camp at the Millennium Institute in Auckland. These players have been identified by the selection network who have been out watching 1st XV games over the last 5-6 months. A new strategy introduced two years ago includes the appointment of an Investec Super Rugby coach to work alongside a college 1st XV coach. This year, Hurricanes Assistant Coach Jason Holland will be the Head Coach of New Zealand Schools with Gisborne Boys' High School's Tom Cairns as his assistant. Ryan Martin from Otago Boys High and Sam Moore from New Plymouth Boys' High will coach the New Zealand Barbarians Schools. “The level of support and the quality of support in the management team is extremely important. Having a professional coach in the environment provides leadership and helps to upskill the rest of the group,” added Anthony. “Both programmes are well resourced with support staff including physios, strength and conditioning coaches, performance analysts, nutritionist and mental skills provider. Many are involved at the professional level with Investec Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup teams.” New Zealand Schools and Australia Schools play for the Trans-Tasman Shield, currently held by New Zealand who defeated Australia 32-8 in last year’s clash. The Jerry Collins Memorial Bronze Boot is also awarded at this fixture, to the standout player as chosen by the opposition management. Last year’s recipient was prop Alex Fidow, who went on to play for New Zealand Under 20 in the recent World Rugby Championship in Manchester. New Zealand Schools and New Zealand Barbarians Schools fixtures: Saturday 23 - Monday 25 September Development Camp (50-55 players) Millennium Institute, Auckland Thursday 29 September Australia Schools v Fiji Schools Sacred Heart College, Auckland 5.00pm Monday 3 October Australia Schools v New Zealand Barbarians Schools Mt Albert Grammar School, Auckland 1.10pm Monday 3 October Fiji Schools v New Zealand Schools Mt Albert Grammar School, Auckland 2.50pm Saturday 8 October Fiji Schools v New Zealand Barbarians Schools Auckland Grammar School, Auckland 1.10pm* Saturday 8 October Australia Schools v New Zealand Schools Auckland Grammar School, Auckland 2.50pm* SKY TV Schedule: *Both games played on Saturday 8 October will be broadcast live on the Rugby Channel. Management teams New Zealand Schools Head Coach Jason Holland (Hurricanes) Assistant Coach Tom Cairns (Poverty Bay / Gisborne Boys High School) Manager Nick Reid (Awatapu College) S&C Coach Gareth Duder (Canterbury) Physio Karl Houltham (Highlanders) Performance Analyst Tom Martin (Manawatu) Barbarians Schools Head Coach Ryan Martin (Otago Boys High School) Assistant Coach Sam Moore (New Plymouth Boys High School) Manager Chris Metcalfe (Mount Albert Grammar School) S&C Coach James Holden (Samoa 7s / Northland) Physio Andy McGregor (Auckland Grammar School) Performance Analyst tbc Support staff to both teams Scrum Coach tbc Mental Skills John Quinn (Canterbury) Nutritionist Johnny Rea (Canterbury)
17/7/2016
HURRICANES YOUTH RUGBY COUNCIL U18 DOMINATE BRUISING JOUST AGAINST CRUSADERS JUNIOR KNIGHTSIn nearly an identical performance of their first meeting in 2015, won by 58 points to 17, the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council Under 18 Team scored an impressive 64 points to 20 victory over the Crusaders Junior Knights Team at Rugby Park in Christchurch on Saturday. Scoring a total of 10 tries to 3, the Hurricanes team played a rampant secondhalf, scoring an unanswered 47 points after trailing by three points, 17-20 at the half-time break. The visitors were rocked early by two good tries to the Crusaders, with first-five Will Havili showing good vision and tactical kicking in giving the home team early territory and a mental advantage. While the Hurricanes hit back with two good tries of their own, the structure of the Crusaders attack gave second-five Logan Bell the opportunity to secure the lead as half-time approached, with Havili adding a penalty for good measure. However, an up-field surge by the Hurricanes propping duo of Tim Farrell and Xavier Numia, resulted in Numia equalling the number of tries scored by both teams in the first spell, at the conclusion of a very entertaining first-half. Whatever was said by the Coaches in the Hurricanes Changing Rooms at halftime had the desired effect, as the visitors took two quick tries in the first two minutes of the second spell, with rampant No. 8 Brayden Iose adding a third. With Havili substituted for the home team after the break, the Crusaders seemed to lose some of their earlier structure and momentum. Taking full advantage, right-wing Vilimoni Koroi scored a double before being replaced, by which time the Hurricanes had rattled up 50 points. The half-back, first-five combination of Carlos Price and Lincoln McClutchie proved problematic to the hosts, with Price earning a personal tally of 19 points in the match, while McClutchie was able to create numerous opportunities for the outside backs to score well-executed tries. For the home team, the right-wing, full-back combination of Mikaele Ravalawa and Ngane Punivai bamboozled the visitors defensive line on occasion, with both scoring good tries in the first stanza. Ravalawa, a member of the Fiji Sevens Team at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games scythed through the Hurricanes defence early in the game, while his team-mate on the left-wing Leicester Fainga’anuku also looked dangerous. But the deciding factor of the match was the quality of the bench of the Hurricanes, with those that came on for substituted players increasing the tempo of the final quarter of the game. Late tries scored by Ueta Tufuga and Te Ariki Te Puni under-lined the superiority of the visitors. For the home team, Captain and open-side flanker Cam Russell battled gamely, while No. 8 Cruz Topai-Aveai refused to take a backward step all game. Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council Under 18, 64 – Tries: Lincoln McClutchie, Mosese Dawai, Xavier Numia, Carlos Price, Brayden Iose, Matene Ruawai, Vilimoni Koroi (2), Te Ariki Te Puni, Ueta Tufuga. Carlos Price, 7C. Crusaders Junior Knights Under 18, 20 – Tries: Ngane Punivai, Mikaele Ravalawa, Logan Bell. Will Havili, 1P, 1C. For Photos of the Hurricanes Youth Council Camp - Click Here Great to have the starting line ups for this clash tomorrow at Rugby Park, Christchurch (corner of Malvern and Rutland Streets) with a 2pm kick-off. For those that can't make it, the match will be broadcast live on 1161AM in the Wellington region and top of the South Island in the Tasman region, and simulcast on Radio Ngati Porou, and online to the world at www.tunein.com (search on Te Upoko) from 2.00pm. Commentary by Gordon Noble-Campbell, expert comments by Hurricanes High Performance Manager Chris Stirling. Crusaders U18 1 BEECH Eden - Motueka High School 2 KARATI Perry - Burnside High School 3 MILNES Ewan - Christchurch Boys High School 4 GRACE Cullen - Timaru Boys High School 5 VAN-BRUCHEM - Boris Shirley Boys High School 6 THATCHER Kale - Christ’s College 7 RUSSELL [C] Cam - Burnside High School 8 TOPAI-AVEAI Cruz - Shirley Boys High School 9 CHAPMAN Louie - Christchurch Boys High School 10 HAVILI Will - Nelson College 11 FAINGAANUKU Leicester - Nelson College 12 BELL Logan - Shirley Boys High School 13 PARKINSON Rupena - St Kentigern College 14 RAVALAWA Mikaele - Burnside High School 15 PUNIVAI [VC] Ngane - Christ’s College 16 ARCHER Josh - Shirley Boys High School 17 MOLI Sam - Marlborough Boys College 18 HARRISON-JONES - Quinn Marlborough Boys High School 19 PORTER Cam - Burnside High School 20 DONKERS Ben - Christchurch Boys High School 21 GROOBY Jack - Nelson College 22 GILBERT Sam - St Andrews College 23 MCLEOD Dallas - Christ’s College Coaches: Joe Maddock, Andrew Goodman, Simon Livingstone, Simon Kneebone Managers: Jamie Livingstone, Trevor Best Physio: Kurt Harrington Trainer: Blake West Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council U18 1 NUMIA Xavier - St. Patrick's College, Wellington 2 DEVERY Jacob - Hastings Boys' High School 3 FARRELL Tim - Napier Boys' High School 4 AH KUOI Naitoa - Wellington College 5 BAUCKHAM Liam - Hastings Boys' High School 6 RUAWAI Matene - Palmerston North Boys' High School 7 TIPOKI Naera - Gisborne Boys' High School 8 IOSE Brayden - Palmerston North Boys' High School 9 PRICE Carlos - St. Kentigern's College 10 MCCLUTCHIE Lincoln - Hastings Boys' High School 11 DAWAI Mosese - Feilding High School 12 TO'O Denny - Rongotai College 13 PLUMTREE Reece - Wellington College 14 KOROI Vilimoni - Feilding High School 15 GARDEN-BACHOP Connor - Scots College 16 TE PUNI Te Ariki - Palmerston North Boys' High School 17 KERERU-SYMES - Keanu Hastings Boys' High School 18 MATENGA Sam - Gisborne Boys' High School 19 CIRIKIDAVETA Te Ahiwaru - St. Kentigern's College 20 TREMAIN Will - Napier Boys' High School 21 SWORD Regan - Marist St. Pat's RFC 22 TUFUGA Ueta - Massey University RFC 23 TOALA Danny - Hastings Boys' High School Coaches: Darren Larsen, Tom Cairns, Greg Fleming Manager: Nick Reid Physio: Emma Lattey Trainer: Joel Marshall
14/7/2016
Highlanders best 34 U18's...The Highlanders have stayed development focused as they named two development teams for their U18 development week. The abbreviated teams of 17 provided the aspiring professional rugby players a chance to show their talent against the best in the region.
John Caswell was in attendance and has captured some great photos from the game ... Check out the full gallery by clicking here. Plus, like his Facebook page to keep track of the best rugby photos from the Dunedin region - CLICK HERE Team Blue 1. Ethan Degroot (Southland BHS) 2. Ricky Jackson (Otago BHS) 3. Mitchell Mahoni-Rae (Otago BHS) 4. Woody Kirkwood (John McGlashan College) 5. Joshua Hill (South Otago HS) 6. Isimeli Tuivaga (Otago BHS) 7. Sailosi Vea (Waitaki BHS) 8. Samuel Fischli (Tokomairiro HS) 9. Tim Hogan (Otago BHS) 10. Mitch Taylor (Southland BHS) 11. Luke Jarvie (John McGlashan College) 12. Josh Mason (Southland BHS) 13. Levi Emery (St Kevins College) 14. Josh Duff (Kings HS) 15. Kaleb Talamahina (Southland BHS) 16. Brady Robertson Prop/Hooker (South Otago HS) 17. Keegan O'Donnell Lock/Flanker (Otago BHS) Team Maroon 1. Ta'u Latu (Kings HS) 2. Flynn Thomas (Southland BHS) 3. Peter Armstrong (Waitaki BHS) 4. Ben Paulin (Southland BHS) 5. Sam Moir Grace (John McGlashan College) 6. Daniel Thwaites (Central Sounthland College) 7. Taine Te Whata (Otago BHS) 8. Josh Hayward (Waitaki BHS) 9. Jay Renton (Southland BHS) 10. James Holland (Otago BHS) 11. Sam Jones (Otago BHS) 12. George Thomas (Otago BHS) 13. Funaki Lavemai (Waitaki BHS) 14. James Te Pairi (Kings HS) 15. Burns Mills (Otago BHS) 16. Jack Clemment Flanker (Kings HS) 17. Luc Thompson 1st 5/8 (South Otago HS) Looking for USA Scholarships? Check out USA CONNECT 23 of the Hurricanes region’s top under 18 years of age rugby players, have been selected to form the squad to play a Crusaders Region Under 18 Team at Christchurch’s Rugby Park, on Saturday, 16 July. Representing 10 different schools, 7 of the players are from Wellington, 7 from Hawkes Bay, 6 from Manawatu, 2 from Poverty Bay, and 1 from East Coast. Four players who do not currently attend secondary school in the region qualify under the team’s eligibility criteria based on their age and Provincial Union affiliation. Head Coach Darren Larsen is looking forward to the challenge of taking the team to Christchurch for Saturday’s match, which kicks-off at 2.00pm. “It’s been a demanding process to select a squad of 23 players from the huge pool of talent that was available to the team’s selectors. We’re looking forward to the boys implementing their learnings from the Development Camp this week, resulting in a quality performance on Saturday.” Hurricanes High Performance Manager, Chris Stirling, is also pleased with the ability of the group and the potential they offer for the future. “We consider that the Hurricanes Club is extremely fortunate to be able to select a team that represents some of the best youth talent in the region every year. The boys selected will value their opportunity to wear the Hurricanes jersey and become part of a growing tradition of recognising our emerging players.” The U18 Team forms part of the comprehensive programme for teenage rugby administered by the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council on behalf of the regions 8 Provincial Unions. Council Chairman, Gordon Noble-Campbell said. “The Hurricanes Region is a strong contributor to the strength of New Zealand Rugby at all levels, both through our Provincial Union Teams and our Super Rugby affiliation with the Hurricanes. This team is an important part of growing that link to create future success.”
Looking for Hurricanes U18 Development Camp photos? CLICK HERE Looking for USA Scholarships? Check out USA CONNECT |
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