Wellington Regional Condor 7s qualifying tournament on Monday

Once again Naenae College is the venue and Labour Day Monday the date for the Wellington regional qualifying tournament for the Condor 7’s.

On the line are three places – two boys and one girls – in the national tournament in Auckland in early December, which this year has moved from Kelston Boys’ High to a new venue at Sacred Heart College. The tournament has grown along with the move, and this year will feature 32 Boys teams and 20 Girls up from 24 and 16 respectively, but there’s no corresponding increase in Wellington’s allocation.

Last year’s national tournament was a bit of a mixed bag for the Wellington sides. Boys winners St Pat’s Town and runners-up St Pat’s Silverstream were both eliminated from the main draw in the crossover fixtures and came up short in their bids for minor silverware on day 2, while Girls winners St Mary’s had similar misfortune on day 1, but did take out the Bowl section.

Monday’s competition at Naenae College will feature 21 teams with 14 in the Boys competition and 7 in the Girls, including a second team from St Pat’s Town (who are ineligible for the Cup section), and as always, for several players it will be their last time they pull on the school jersey.

Boys:

Unlike previous years, the competition seems wide open and it could be a case of the teams that simply want it more that make it through to the Nationals.

St Pat’s Town provided the upsets last year, knocking off a loaded Scots College team that had been runners-up nationally the two years previous in the semi-final and then toppling Silverstream in the final. They warmed up by taking two sides to the Hurricanes tournament last week where their ‘A’ side finished runners-up to Hastings Boys for the second successive year, and will fancy their chances of repeating, especially with NZ Schools selectee Billy Proctor – who was badly missed in the Premiership final – in good form.

Silverstream will be keen to claim the title back and restore some pride after missing out on even making the Premiership semi-finals. They took last weekend’s Hutt 7’s and will lean heavily on a group of Todd Svenson, Jack Wright, Albert Polu, and bustling hooker Frederick Sunia.

The side that Silverstream beat in the Hutt final, Scots College, is also looking for redemption after last year’s result and likewise not making the Premiership semi-finals. NZ Barbarians player Conor Garden-Bachop and Malo Manuao will have the job of steering their side around the park, while Premiership winners Wellington College will look to do what Town did last year and pull off the double and end a curious run of underachievement in this format. Adrian Seumanufagai and Reece Plumtree led last week’s runners-up effort at the Derek Wootton Memorial Sevens, and will be joined on Monday by First XV skipper Toka Sopoaga. These two are both drawn in Pool C and their meeting will end the chances of one of them.

Rongotai College were last year’s other beaten semi-finalist and were also in action last weekend in Palmerston North where they acquitted themselves well. In Karl Brownlie, Denny To’o, Esi Komaisavai and Pene Va’a they have both the talent and experience to make it through the Nationals, but can they make the step up to do that. They’re drawn in Pool D with Bishop Viard who beat Wellington College twice on their way to winning the Derek Wootton title for the fourth consecutive year. They too have some exceptional talent, exemplified by Adam Tone and brother’s Roy and Tom Maiava, and their meeting should be a cracker.

Of the remaining sides Aotea College, Wainuiomata High and Town B will fancy their chances of ruining someone’s day, with the field rounded out by Hutt Valley High, Taita, Heretaunga, and the hosts Naenae.

Pool A: St Pats Town A, Aotea College, Hutt Valley HS
Pool B: St Pats Silverstream, Wainuiomata HS, Naenae College
Pool C: Scots College, Wellington College, St Pats Town B, Heretaunga College
Pool D: Rongotai College, Bishop Viard College, Taita College, Upper Hutt College

Girls:

After last year when 11 girls teams competed, the fact that only seven will this year is perhaps something of a disappointment. However it’s likely that the quality will more than make up for the lack of quantity.

Unlike the Boys division, the Girls’ comes with one simple question - can anyone stop St Mary’s?

A year ago they surprised in taking this title but this year – after winning the local fifteens and Hurricanes crowns and runners-up at the national Top Four – they will be the side everyone is gunning for. However they took the girls section at the Wootton sevens and their side is chock full of talent; led by Wellington Pride back Monica Tagoai, playmaker Cheyne Copeland, and multisport stars Dhys and Lyric Faleafaga, Ana Puleiata and Renee Savai’inaea, and will be warm favourites to be the first Wellington girls side to make repeat trips to Auckland.

Their great rivals this year Aotea College are the likely challengers. While St Mary’s got the better of them again last weekend they will use that as motivation, but will be without two players who turned out for them in an invitational capacity. Porirua College will be led by their own Pride player in Ayesha Leti-Liga, while Premier 2 winners Wainuiomata will consider themselves a factor.

2014 winners Wellington East, St Catherine’s, and Taita complete the field.

Format: 

Pool play gets underway from 9am with the knockouts starting from 1.40pm. With only one side from each of the Boys pools advancing the big clashes in each - based on seeding - are timed to start at 12.40pm. The pool winners will advance to the Cup semis, runners-up into the Bowl and the remainder into the Plate. In the Girls section the teams will play four matches using a weighted schedule based on seeding with the top two after that facing off in the final.

The Girls Cup final is scheduled for 3.40pm, followed by the Boys at 4.10pm.