Piri Weepu Sevens tournament to take centre stage on Saturday

Expect a stream of traffic heading over the hill to Wainuiomata on Saturday morning.

The eighth annual Piri Weepu Sevens tournament is being played at Wise Park and it is the last chance for fans to have the opportunity to watch their favourite local players before rugby in the capital goes into hiatus for three months.

This year’s edition features 16 teams as well as off field entertainment and an expected appearance by the man himself who the tournament is named after, Piri Weepu.

Eleven men’s and five women’s teams will take the field from 9.30am on fields one and two for three hours of action-packed pool play, followed by men's and women's finals. 

Two Wellington’s men’s squads and one women’s draft representative squad is entered, and with their official teams for the representative sevens that follow being named after this both will take no prisoners in their quests for victories.

As well as these two teams, the visiting Wanganui men’s side will be tuning up for the Central 7s qualifiers in Levin next weekend.

The men’s side of the draw has two invitational teams, the Wellington Samoans and the Wellington Niueans, and seven club teams in action.

Home club Wainuiomata is joined by recently crowned WRFU series winners Northern United, Petone, the Wellington Axemen, Johnsonville, Poneke and Marist St Pat’s.

There were up to three school teams entered, but this website understands that St Mary's College, Wainuiomata High School and Scots College have been pulled from the draw by higher officials, potentially damaging their preperations for next week's Condor 7s in Auckland.

Both Scots College and St Mary's are considered genuine chances at the Condors tournament in Auckland, but limited preperation could be a hindrance. Although several individual players from these three school teams are likely to be playing for the senior sides and possibly for one of the WRFU sides. 

The men’s side of the draw thus sees one pool of five and one of six.

The women’s section includes the Wellington represenative squad, recent WRFU sevens champions Northern United, Petone, Poneke and Wainuiomata.

The Piri Weepu tournament began in 2011 and is now established on Wellington’s sevens calendar, as well as being the final local tournament of the year. It also assists in the development of young and up-and-coming players within the Wainuiomata Alan Parlachief Rugby Academy.

Tournament details

What: Piri Weepu Invitational 7s tournament
Where: Wise Park, Wainuiomata
When: Saturday 24 November 2018

Pools
Men’s Pool A: WRFU Reps, Wellington Nieuans, Wanganui, Petone, Northern United
Men's Pool B: Wellington Black, Wellington Samoans, Wainuiomata, Poneke, Marist St Pat's, Johnsonville
Women’s Pool B: WRFU Reps, Wainuiomata, Petone, Poneke, Northern United

Schedule
Men’s pool play between 9.30am and 12.30pm (15 matches)
Women’s pool play between 9.30am and 12.30pm (eight matches)
Women’s Final – 1.00pm
Men’s Final – 1.20pm