Sevens season underway, Development and Pride in action

It’s a weekend of change, with the representative 15’s season approaching its end while locally the shortened form of the game starts to take centre stage.

With last night’s 36-18 win over Northland at Westpac Stadium, the Lions concluded the regular-season portion of their campaign having won nine of their 10 matches. They now sit and wait for who they’ll host in next weekend’s semi-finals in their quest to return to the Premiership at the third time of asking. Just who they’ll face remains to be determined, with Manawatu, Otago, Bay of Plenty, or even a return visit by the Taniwha all possibilities and that – and when they’ll play – won’t be decided until the Turbos take on Hawke’s Bay in the final match of the round on Sunday afternoon.

Of the two sides in action tomorrow, first up is the Wellington Pride, who are at Linfield Park in Christchurch to take on Canterbury at 11.30am, and unlike the Lions are fighting to just make the playoffs. Having perhaps struggled to match the size and physicality of Auckland and Counties-Manukau in recent weeks the Pride might find Canterbury’s style more to their liking and not too dissimilar to their own preferred game plan; and that bodes well for an expansive game if conditions allow.

Canterbury, however, will be anything but a pushover having won five of their six matches so far. Their only loss was a 10-41 reverse to Auckland in round two and are the only side to topple Counties-Manukau this season where they hung on 32-29 after a first-half blitz put them 24-5 up at halftime. That result that also saw them claim the JJ Stewart Trophy which will be at stake tomorrow. Their other wins came over Otago (20-7), Manawatu (40-10), Tasman (67-12), and Waikato (31-20). The mainlander’s obvious star is halfback and Black Fern Kendra Cocksedge and keeping her in check will be crucial for the Pride, while teenage fullback Grace Brooker will be a threat. They’ll be captained by prop Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox.

Wellington has made a hatful of changes from the side that went down to Counties-Manukau last Saturday. In the pack Janet Taumoli comes in and joins her Ories teammates Raylene Lolo and Alicia Print in the front row with Holly MacDonald making her run-on debut at lock. The halves combination that finished last week starts this time with both Reijeli Uluinayau and Acacia Te Iwimate making their first starts of the season at halfback and first-five respectively, with Vaine Marsters returning to midfield at second-five. The outside backs are all teenagers with 19-year old Monica Tagoai at centre with 18-year olds Ayesha Leti-l’iga and Dhys Faleafaga on the wings and Cheyne Copeland making her first start at fullback. Last week’s starters Brooke Tauaneai, Joanah Ngan-Woo, and Tina Vau’ua-Hamlin all revert to the bench.

Such is the congestion on the table the Pride’s fate for the playoffs, however, isn’t completely in their own control. A win over Canterbury doesn’t necessarily guarantee they’ll be through to next week as they’ll need either Auckland (who host Waikato) or Manawatu (at home to Counties-Manukau) to lose as well. Conversely a loss puts them at the mercy of being caught and passed by Waikato and being left at the bottom of the ladder, raising the possibility of relegation to the Championship next year.

The Wellington Development side finishes their short programme with their clash against their Auckland counterparts at Colin Maiden Park in Auckland’s eastern suburbs, kicking off at 12.30pm. The B’s have come out on the wrong side of the scoreboard in both their matches so far against Tasman and Canterbury and will be looking for a change of fortune against a North Island opponent.However Auckland won five matches in claiming their Northern Region B’s competition with their only loss coming to

However Auckland won five matches in claiming their Northern Region B’s competition with their only loss coming to Taranaki, and will be difficult opponents. They’re strengthened by the addition of three players who have turned out for the Lions in recent weeks in Ha’amea Ahio, Alex Dalzell, and Losi Filipo.

Lyndhurst Park Sevens

Locally the Seven’s season gets underway in earnest tomorrow. As noted in Monday’s Off the Ball column the WRFU has reverted back to a multi-tournament format for the Men’s 7s title and with it the biggest trophy (by size) the union gives away; the Ambassador’s Trophy. That gets underway tomorrow at Tawa’s Lyndhurst Park with a full field of 16 teams entered for the first round, made up of every Premier club bar Avalon and two teams from Old Boys-University, Wellington and Marist St Pats.

Holders the Upper Hutt Rams will be looking to retain the trophy for a third successive year, having beaten hosts Wainuiomata in last year’s one-day shootout at Mary Crowther Park. Those teams are on opposite sides of the draw so could meet in the final but history suggests MSP, HOBM, and Ories should be contenders while the shortened format could throw up all sorts of results.

Pools are:
Pool A – Wellington A, Norths, HOBM, MSP B
Pool B – OBU A, Tawa, Paremata-Plimmerton, Wainuiomata
Pool C – MSP A, Johnsonville, Poneke, Wellington B
Pool D – Upper Hutt Rams, Oriental-Rongotai, Petone, OBU B

It gets underway at 9am, with the final timed to go at just after 6pm.

The two tournaments to follow are next week at Mary Crowther Park in Wainuiomata, and then on November 4 at Ngati Toa Domain. The women’s Eleanor Roosevelt Trophy will be decided in a single tournament on the latter date while the Colts competition has been discontinued; which is disappointing but unsurprising given that only two club teams joined the two Condor-qualifying schools in that section last year.

Teamlists

Wellington Pride
1 Raylene Lolo (Oriental-Rongotai)
2 Alicia Print (Oriental-Rongotai)
3 Janet Taumoli (Oriental-Rongotai)
4 Sanita Levave (Norths)
5 Holly MacDonald (Old Boys-University)
6 Kiri Mei (Wainuiomata)
7 Sinead To’oala-Ryder (Marist St Pats)
8 Jackie Patea-Fereti (Wainuiomata)©
9 Reijeli Uluinayau (Oriental-Rongotai)
10 Acacia Te Iwimate (Petone)
11 Ayesha Leti-l’iga (Oriental-Rongotai)
12 Vaine Marsters (Norths)
13 Monica Tagoai (Marist St Pats)
14 Dhys Faleafaga (Norths)
15 Cheyne Copeland (Marist St Pats)
16 Rosie Stirling (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
17 Angel Uila (Petone)
18 Brooke Tauaneai (Wainuiomata)
19 Joanah Ngan-Woo (Oriental-Rongotai)
20 Lilian Mapu (Oriental-Rongotai)
21 Tina Vau’ua-Hamlin (Marist St Pats)
22 Kauna Lopa (Oriental-Rongotai)

Canterbury
1 Phillipa Love
2 Jess Hansen
3 Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox ©
4 Alana Bremner
5 Estelle Uren
6 Nicole Purdom
7 Sui Pauaraisa
8 Rebecca Todd
9 Kendra Cocksedge
10 Charntay Poko
11 Melanie Puckett
12 Lucy Anderson
13 Corrina Whiley
14 Sam Curtis
15 Grace Brooker
16 Nina Poletti
17 Usipua Simaile
18 Kaylee Tavendale
19 Charna Thompson
20 Rosie Kelly
21 Cassie Siataga
22 Olivia McGoverne

Wellington Development
1 Chris Mafi (Johnsonville)
2 Stu Simonsen (Old Boys-University)
3 Ha’amea Ahio (Marist St Pats)
4 Anthony Pettett (Johnsonville)
5 Taisson Lealaisalanoa (Paremata-Plimmerton)
6 Alex Dalzell (Wellington)
7 Marcus Ale (Johnsonville)
8 Matt Peni (Marist St Pats)
9 Regan Sword (Marist St Pats)
10 Piri Paraone (Petone)
11 Losi Filipo (Petone)
12 Paddy Hughes (Wellington)
13 Lester Maulolo (Petone)
14 Olly Sapsford (Wellington)
15 Pakai Turia (Poneke)
16 Valentine Meachen (Marist St Pats)
17 Apanui Heemi (Upper Hutt Rams)
18 James Coburn (Tawa)
19 James Hansen (Paremata-Plimmerton)
20 Lise Soloa (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
21 Ken Kapeli (Marist St Pats)
22 Perry Hayman (Norths)
23 Mike Buckley (Marist St Pats)