National Club Sevens Championship this weekend

Above: Action between Upper Hutt (maroon) and Wainuiomata at Porirua Park in October in the Wellington American Ambassador’s Series. Upper Hutt are joining other clubs from around the country in this weekend’s National Club Sevens Championship.

?Sixteen clubs from around New Zealand will assemble at Burnham Army Camp near Christchurch for the National Club Sevens Championship this Saturday 16 February.

The Burnham Bulls, as holders of the Middlesex County Wavell Wakefield Cup, are joined by clubs from Wellington, Auckland, Tasman, West Coast and Otago, as well as several from Canterbury.

Wellington will be represented at the one-day tournament by Upper Hutt, who finished first equal with Marist St Pat’s and Tawa in the Wellington club American Ambassador’s Sevens Series late last year.

The 62-year old trophy is hosted by the previous winner of the tournament and Burnham coach Chris Neill said they were thrilled to be part of the revival of the historic event.

“Ever since we won the Middlesex Cup we have been keen to return the tournament to a true national championship so we are delighted to have Suburbs, Pakuranga, Upper Hutt, Central, Wanderers, Kiwi Rugby and Otago University coming to Burnham,” he said.? “Rugby sevens is known for its skill and flair and for its ability to throw new stars into the limelight, and there will be no exceptions this weekend”.

Burnham beat nine-time champions Otago University 36-26 in the last tournament in February 2011 with three tries to Canterbury flyer Willie McGoon, and the two sides will line up alongside Lincoln University and Marist-Albion in Pool A.

The 16 teams, who were invited on the basis of results in their recent respective club championships, will also be playing for an invitation to the Fiji Coral Coast Sevens ‘champion of champions’ tournament in November 2013.

“The tournament has a unique aspect in that teams will be playing for trophies of a military flavour – the championship finalists will play for both the Middlesex Cup and the Bosnian AK 74 Bayonet,” continued Neill.

The tournament has a rich history.? It has been going since 1951, when it was first held in Dunedin and won by local club Zingari-Richmond.? It fell away in the 1990s and wasn’t contested for a decade up to its revival in 2006. Recent winners have been (not played for last year):

2006 Green Island (Dunedin)

2007 Green Island (Dunedin)

2008 Alhambra-Union (Dunedin)

2009 Alhambra-Union (Dunedin)

2010 Otago University (Dunedin)

2011 Burnham (Canterbury)

In over 60 years of competition, it has been held by 22 individual winners - five from the North Island and 17 from the South Island. It has been held by South Island clubs continuously for more than three decades- the last North Island club to win it was Hamilton Old Boys in 1976. The only victory by a Wellington club was by Petone in 1973.

The 16 teams for the 2013 tournament will be split into four pools of four, commencing at 11:00 am. The final at Coronation Park in Burnham is scheduled for 6:20 pm.

The Pools are (Canterbury teams unless stated):

Pool A
Burnham
Marist Albion
Otago University (Otago)
Lincoln University

Pool B
Sumner
Prebbleton
Central (Tasman)
Upper Hutt (Wellington)

Pool C
Samoan United
Canterbury University
Kiwi Rugby (West Coast)
Pakuranga (Auckland)

Pool D
Sydenham
Covenant Brothers
Suburbs (Auckland)
Wanderers (Tasman)

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