Secondary School 7s season underway this Saturday

The start of the secondary schools Sevens competition rugby season is this Saturday with the second annual Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council Secondary Schools 7s in Palmerston North and three zone tournaments in Wellington, Porirua and the Hutt Valley.

The Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council School 7s is being played at the Rugby Institute at Massey University and features 15 teams from 12 schools.

It is the final event in the 2015 representative programme run by the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council. In 2015, the Council has organised 38 provincial union age-group representative fixtures, with over 600 players nearly 50 schools taking part and spanning the U16 to U20 groups

This year, the 7s Tournament is being held well before the pressure of NCEA exams comes into focus for many players.

Council Chairman, Gordon Noble-Campbell said: “the success of last year’s tournament has meant that Sevens Rugby is now an important part of our annual rugby programme for secondary school students, with the earlier timing also making it easier for schools to accommodate the tournament in their annual sporting schedule.”

The tournament will again be hosted by the Manawatu Rugby Football Union.

The tournament officials include S. Thompson, M. McEwen, B. Ousey, M. Wibmer, M. Booth, S. Soutar, P. Van Deventer, J. Booth, C. George and A. Tuia.

The Boys’ competition is operating two pools of five teams with the top team from each pool progressing to the final. The Girls’ competition comprises one pool of five teams with the top teams from the pool contesting the final.

New champions will be found this year, with inaugural winners Scots College and New Plymouth Girls’ High School not returning this year.

Scots College set this tournament in motion last year by beating St Pat’s Silverstream in the final, with TJ Va’a scoring a hat-trick.

Games commence at 10.00am on two fields for the most part, with the Boys final at 3.00pm and the Girls Final at 3.30pm.

There are also three tournaments in the Wellington region, serving as warm-ups to the Wellington and Wairarapa Condor 7s qualifying event on Labour Day Monday at Naenae College.

These are the Wellington Zone 7s Tournament (involving city schools), the Hutt 7s (Hutt Valley schools) and the Derek Wotton Memorial Trust 7s (Western Suburbs schools).

The Derek Wotton tournament commemorates the Porirua police officer and former local rugby player and supporter who was killed in the line of duty in July 2008. The Trust in his name was set up on the first anniversary of his death. It aims to support youth in the Porirua and Kapiti area by assisting with ways to improve their lives, including through sport.

Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council School 7s pools and draw

Boys Pool A: St Pat’s Town White, Manukura, Palmerston North Boys’ High School Blue, Hastings Boys’ High School, Cullinane Boys
Boys Pool B: Wanganui High School, Wellington College, Palmerston North Boys’ High School White, St Pat’s Town Blue, Freyberg High School
Girls Pool: Cullinane Girls, Feilding High School, Queen Elizabeth College, Paraparaumu College, Wanganui Girls’ College

Games:
10:00am: Manukura v Cullinane Boys and Hastings BHS v PNBHS Blue
10.20am: Wgtn Coll v Freyberg HS and St Pat’s Blue v PNBHS White
10.40am: FAHS v Wanganui GC and Paraparaumu v QEC
11.00am: PNBHS Blue v St Pats White and Cullinane Boys v Hastings BHS
11.20am: PNBHS White v Wanganui HS and Freyberg HS v St Pats Blue
11.40am: QEC v Cullinane Girls and Wanganui GC v Paraparaumu
12.00pm Hastings BHS v MANUKURA and St Pat’s White v Cullinane Boys
12.20pm St Pat’s Blue v Wgtn Coll and Wanganui HS v Freyberg HS
12.40pm: Paraparaumu v FAHS and Cullinane Girls v Wanganui GC
1.00pm: Cullinane Boys v PNBHS Blue and MANUKURA v St Pat’s White
1.20pm: Freyberg HS v PNBHS White and Wgtn Coll v Wanganui HS
1.40pm: Wanganui GC v QEC and FAHS v Cullinane Girls
2.00pm: St Pats White v Hastings BHS, PNBHS Blue v MANUKURA, Wanganui HS v St Pat’s Blue and PNBHS White v Wgtn Coll
2.40pm: Cullinane Girls v Paraparaumu QEC v FAHS
3.00pm 1st Boys Pool A v 1st Boys Pool B
3.30pm: 1st Girls Pool v 2nd Girls Pool