The good news is that the weather is expected to be fine on Saturday for the second leg of the WRFU Ambassador Sevens series to be played at Maidstone Park.
For all players, supporters and organisers the predicted sunshine in Upper Hutt will be a welcome relief from the howling storm that swept through Wellington and forced the cancellation of the first tournament at the Polo Ground two Saturdays ago.
With the series now reduced from a three to a two-leg series, there’s much to play for all 24 Senior Men’s and Colts teams taking part.
The day starts at 9.00am when host club Upper Hutt takes on neighbours Avalon on the main field and HOBM 2 and Wainiomata meet on the number two field, culminating with the Men’s Cup final at about 5.00pm. All up there’s 55 games and 14 clubs have entered teams, with Hutt Old Boys Marist and Marist St Pat’s each entering two teams in the Men’s grade and Upper Hutt fielding two sides in the Colts division.
Pool A: Upper Hutt, Avalon, HOBM 2, Wainuiomata
Pool B: HOBM 1, Petone, Paremata-Plimmerton, Marist St. Pat’s 1
Pool C: OBU, Poneke, Wellington, Ories
Pool D: Wests Roosters, Tawa, Marist St Pat’s 2, Norths
Pool A: Upper Hutt 1, Wainuiomata, HOBM, Old Boys University
Pool B: Norths, Poneke, Petone, Upper Hutt 2
?
Most WRFU representative teams are playing away from home on Saturday.
The Wellington Development side was scheduled to be playing the New Zealand Defence Force in the first match of two at Davis Field near headquarters in Trentham, but due to a redeployment this match has now been cancelled. The positive spin-off from this though is that a group of leading players should now be available to play for their clubs in the Ambassador Sevens tournament.
In the only two WRFU home matches this Saturday, the Wellington U16s host the Wanganui U18s at Porirua Park at 11.30am*, followed by the Wellington U18s against the Centurions there at 1.00pm.
WRFU representative fixtures this Saturday:
Ricoh Wellington Lions v Auckland, Eden Park, 5.35pm
Wellington Development v New Zealand Force CANCELLED
Wellington Pride v Waikato in Hamilton, 11.00am
Wellington U20 v Hawke’s Bay U20, Napier, 2.30pm
Wellington Maori v Wairarapa Bush B, Masterton, 2.30pm
Wellington U18s v Centurions, Porirua Park, 1.00pm
Wellington U16A v Wanganui U18, Now in Wanganui
Wellington U16 Development v Horowhenua Kapiti, Waikanae, 2.30pm
?