Women’s club rugby kicking off this Saturday

Above: Lineout action between winners Wainuiomata and Oriental-Rongotai in last year's Women's Championship final - the two teams line up in the Division One Fleurs Trophy starting on Saturday.

Saturday sees the return of the Women’s game, and competition that is as keenly fought as any other on Wellington’s rugby fields.

There are a few changes to this year’s competition:

• Petone and Paremata-Plimmerton rejoin the grade; Petone – who were the first winners of the Victoria Tavern Trophy - last fielded a team in 2011, while the absence of Pare-Plim (inaugural winners of the Fleurs Trophy in 1993) stretches back to the turn of the century. Petone are being coached by their CCO and past Wellington Pride coach James Porter, while Tala Misky and recent rep U18 coach Findlay Siania share the reins at Pare-Plim.
• These two replace Avalon and last year’s debutants Upper Hutt Rams, neither of which are fielding a team this year and leaving the overall numbers at 10. The absence of any team from the upper valley must surely be a concern to the WRFU.
• Tawa will again go it alone this year after joining numbers with Johnsonville last term.
• For the first few weeks at least, all games will be on Saturday’s rather than last year’s alternating between then and Friday night.

The WRFU has also decided to change the format this season. Rather than mimicking the Premier Men’s format of a full round-robin followed by a split for the championship round, the grade will be split from the outset into two divisions of five teams and maintain that structure throughout the season.

The first round (for the Fleurs Trophy in Division 1) will be a bright and breezy affair comprising just five weeks, after which the movement of teams between the two divisions will be discussed but isn’t automatic. The second round will be a full double-round robin followed by semi-finals and a final in each division, with Division 1 playing for the championship Victoria Tavern Trophy.
Division 1 will comprise last year’s VTT winners Wainuiomata, the joint-Fleurs winners Northern United and Oriental-Rongotai, Old Boys-University, and 2016 Division 2 winners Hutt Old Boys Marist. Marist St Pat’s, Poneke, Tawa, Paremata-Plimmerton, and Petone make up Division 2.

Club Rugby views this is as a largely positive step. The gulf between the top and bottom teams is simply too vast to play a full round-robin, leading to the large number of mismatches that plagued the Fleurs Trophy last season. While the change does remove the opportunity for the smaller teams to test themselves against the big guns (and particularly affects MSP), the tradeoff is more meaningful games for those players likely to make up new Pride head coach Ross Bond’s squad later in the year, and enjoyable ones for most of the remainder.

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One of the identities of the local Women’s game is Wainuiomata and Wellington Pride hooker Alice Soper, who’s passionate involvement stretches all the way back to 2002 and has seen many things in that time. Speaking with Club Rugby, Soper mentions the resurgence since the establishment of the Go for Gold programme and professionalism of the 7’s squad that “the talent is always here but being identified earlier and earlier, given proper support and development. There is room to grow that in the 15s side and an effort to bring school girls back up to 15 a side would help that massively” and that “St Mary's are an example of what a draw card like Ardie (Savea) and some proper resources can do for women's rugby. Not dissimilar to what Piri Weepu and Ken Laban did with my Johnsonville side back in 2006-2009, my hope is with the professionalism of the women's game, that the future is female as we look for role models to draw young players in. All club sides understand our relationships with our local colleges is vital for our survival.” 

On last season and what lies ahead Soper says “Last year was a great season. For the first time, there was a range of teams that could take it out. It was also a season of firsts with OBU toppling Norths for the first time and our side being the first team to ever defeat them in a semi-final. But Norths is a proud side with a memory as long as their history so they will be back and as strong as ever.”

“Ories will be hungry after their loss last year and Norths will be back with a vengeance.  OBU will be backing themselves after their success last year to go all the way this year.”

The champions will have some changes in personnel. Last year’s top try scorer Chanelle Skipper is now in Australia and already in the Queensland side, and there’s been a move of players across to Petone while others have come in from the defunct Avalon side. Jackie Fereti (Patea), Kiri Mei and Maryann Collins will again be key players along with Soper herself, while a significant pickup is former Wainuiomata HS star Sieni Mose who has returned from Auckland for the time being.

Runners-up the last two years, Oriental-Rongotai will be looking to regain the title they last won in 2014. Mason Malagamaali’I has taken over as coach, with Lui Aukuso having moved over to the club’s Premier Men’s team. The team is able to welcome back utility backs Kauna Lopa and Rei Uluinayau from overseas alongside a pair of international recruits in prop Kylah Williams from the US and halfback/wing Claire Beauparlant from France. Motu Matu’u’s sister Neta will also be putting on the boots this year, but the Lady Magpies have lost a pair of influential backs in Lizzie Goulden and Bernadette Robertson who have moved away for work reasons. Their preseason included a trip to Palmerston North and a hit-out against Kia Toa.

Norths found themselves in the rare position of not even contesting last year’s final, having been the dominant force for much of the past decade. Matt Poutoa is back for another season as coach and says that they are “just taking it a game at time” and are “not too focused on results at this point, they will come if we get the 1%’s right”, though their history would suggest that regaining the title would be their season goal.

The OBU Impalas have used their preseason to fine tune their squad which has had some turnover, and a new game plan that will see them opening up our game and starting 2017 at a sprint.Having had matches against Norths, Wainuiomata, and Paremata-Plimmerton in the lead up. They should be highly competitive again, with one to watch in their ranks being youngster Montana Heslop who played for Tasman at the National 7’s and has moved to Wellington to study. One big loss for them will be Georgia Daals – arguably their best player in recent seasons – who is reportedly off for a professional contract in Japan. Gary Hilsdon has resumed as the side’s coach.

Division 2 winners HOBM understand that they’re up with the big girls this year and determined to make the most of it, but are already without several players including their top try scorer from 2016 Atalina Milovale who will miss the year due to a torn ACL. Coach Mo Laumatia remains positive to keep growing and developing players, saying “I have to do my part to keep the women's game going and share what knowledge I have", adding that “the influence and leadership of Rosie Stirling, Dayna Taramai, and Christina Ualesi will be key for the Eagles”. Like Wainuiomata they have picked up a clutch of former Avalon players.

Amongst the Division 2 sides Marist St Pat’s will be looking to build on last season with Ryan Setefano joined in the coach’s chair by club legend Fa’atonu Fili; giving the MSP ladies the benefit of wisdom from over 300 games of Wellington Premier rugby alone. Setefano says the team is “looking forward to a good year and have been putting in the hard work, and hopefully we will see an exciting brand of rugby with some exciting talent looking to compete”.

Returnees Paremata-Plimmerton's team is based around many of last years Aotea College’s Girls 1st XV side, who have chosen to move into the senior ranks as a group. Co-coach Findlay Siania's aim for their season is to "build the team, combinations, and confidence for seasons ahead", particularly when many of the team are under 20, and the oldest just 26. Siania's daughter Eve - last year’s Aotea and Wellington rep U18 captain – will spearhead their forwards while keep an eye on the distinctive blonde locks of Swedish inside back Tove Svanborg, out experiencing New Zealand rugby.

Saturday’s first round opens up with Hutt Old Boys Marist hosting Oriental-Rongotai at Trafalgar Park and Old Boys-University visiting Norths at Porirua Park in the two Fleurs Trophy clashes, with Paremata-Plimmerton facing Tawa at Ngatitoa and Petone against Poneke at the Rec the games in Division 2. Wainuiomata and Marist St Pats have the respective byes.

All four matches kickoff at 11.30am.