Popular prop Dora Laupola and Norths players rewarded for strong seasons

Above: The Northern United team after winning the first round title. From this side, Dora Laupola, Sanita Levave, Nina Foaese, Dhys Faleafaga and Shaye Whareaorere have been selected in the Pride squad and Julie Tusa is in the wider training group. We caught up with Dora Laupola (middle of group shot and inset in the same game against HOBM).

Popular Norther United prop Dora Laupola is not a player to give in easily, as her former coach at Aotea College Findlay Siania testifies.

“Dora joined rugby at Aotea College in 2014 and lasted one training and never returned after a 40-minute running drill.”

“In 2015 Dora returned and this time focused and trained her butt off- She played in the front row and was aggressive both on attack and defence and was part of the 2015 Aotea College Premier 1 winning team.” adds Siania who this year coached the Paremata-Plimmerton women’s team.

It was a similar theme last year, following her first full season for Northern United.

“I had a trial last year for the Pride but I didn’t quite make it, so to come back and be selected this year is a big achievement for me.” says Dora.

Last year Norths missed out on championship silverware, Dora started their 17-19 semi-final loss to OBU on the bench.

So she re-set her goals and had a storming 2018 campaign for Norths, at the heart of a dominant and sometimes relentless forward pack that swept to the first round Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy and second round Tia Paasi Memorial Cup titles.

This week Dora, along with four of her Norths teammates, has been rewarded for a strong 2018 season in club rugby with selection in the 32-player Wellington Pride squad for the Women’s NPC which starts this coming weekend.

She played 11 competition matches for Norths this year at both loosehead and tighthead prop, scoring five tries. None were more valuable than the one she scored in the 20-15 final win against Ories.

She was proud of how Norths went this this year. “The club season as a whole was special, just to bond with the girls was a highlight. One of our main goals was just to make the final, but to take it out capped it off.

“That final was the toughest game of the season, those props for Ories were really giving it to us in that game. But the girls really worked together as a team and we came out with the result we wanted."

She has been training with the wider training squad on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a number of weeks, and has been part of the Pride squad that has played two pre-season matches against Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay.

“For my last year of school I played for the Wellington U18s and last year I filled in for the Wellington Samoans, so to now make the Pride is great for me.”

The Pride have beaten both Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay, whom they play in Saturday’s competition opener. “Both those teams have been really tough, it is a step up from playing club so I need to keep working hard.”

Dora is also enjoying now playing with some of the players she has played against, such as Ories outside backs Bernadette Robertson and Ayesha Leti-l’iga and prop and cousin Janet Taumoli.

There are four Black Ferns squad members returning this week – Jackie Fereti-Patea (Petone), Joanah Ngan-Woo (Ories), Marcelle Parkes (MSP) and Monica Tagoai’I (MSP).

Dora was brought up in Porirua and also played a bit of volleyball at school. Right now rugby is her main focus and an ultimate goal is to play for the Black Ferns in the future.

Of the 32-player Pride squad selected, there are eight players in line to make their Women’s NPC debuts, Dora Lauploa, loose forward Nina Foaese, Petone pair, lock Mary-Lee Sa'u and utility back Sieni Mose, MSP duo utilities Ana Afuie and Marcelle Parkes, Hutt Old Boys Marist midfielder Tyler Bentley and OBU first five-eighth Montana Heslop.

Parkes has been in camp and training with the Black Ferns and starred for the Wellington sevens team last summer.

One player is set to make their Wellington Pride debut after previously representing another province, while two more return after stints elsewhere.

New Pride selection Shaye Whareaorere played 12 NPC matches for the Bay of Plenty Volcanix in 2016 and 2017, before joining Norths at the start of this year, and she can cover all the inside back positions.

Hard running and tackling Ories outside back Bernadette Robertson returns to Wellington, whom she made her NPC debut for in 2016, after playing for the Counties Manukau Heat last year and appearing on the left wing in the Premiership final against Canterbury.

Old Boys University lock Courtney Clarke played a full season for Tasman last year, after previously making eight starts for the Wellington Pride in 2014.

The Pride’s goal is to win promotion back to the top flight after being relegated last year following a couple of tough losses and a couple of other results at the end of the season that didn’t go their way.

The Women’s NPC is short and sharp, with six rounds. The Pride play Hawke’s Bay (away), Canterbury (home), Otago (home), Tasman (away), North Harbour (away) and Taranaki (home) in their six regular season fixtures.

All going well, Dora and some of her Norths teammates could be playing a home semi-final on her home ground at Porirua Park on 13 October.

For this week’s games and the full draw, visit www.clubrugby.co.nz/national