Open Sevens tournament on Saturday

Above: MSP and Upper Hutt players competing for the ball in last year's first American Ambassador's tournament at Maidstone Park. MSP and Upper Hutt tied with Tawa on 40 points at the head of last year's series but Tawa won the title based on a greater points differential. ?

It’s a rugby bonanza. This Saturday marks the start of the Sevens rugby season in Wellington, with the first of two official Wellington Rugby Football Union club Sevens tournaments taking place at Evans Bay Park and on the adjacent St Pat’s Town Artificial.

Twenty three teams representing 12 clubs have entered this Saturday’s 2013 WRFU Open 7s Tournament.

This tournament is the first of three tournaments coming up, ahead of the Wellington and Wairarapa secondary schools Condor Sevens qualifying tournament being held at Naenae College next Monday 28 October (Labour Day) and the American Ambassador’s official WRFU senior club tournament the following Saturday, 2 November.

These two WRFU senior club tournaments replace the three-leg American Ambassador’s tournaments that were held last year, won by Tawa on points differential after Tawa, Upper Hutt and Marist St Pat’s finished tied after two of the scheduled three rounds went ahead at Maidstone and Porirua Parks. The third was washed out.

These tournaments have also been pushed back to better align with the summer’s representative regional and national Sevens tournaments.

Wellington Men’s and Women’s Sevens teams will be selected to take part in the Auckland tournament on 23/24 November and then the Regional national qualifiers in Palmerston North on 7/8 December. Should Wellington qualify, the National tournament at Rotorua is on 11/12 January.

These club Sevens tournaments on Saturday and on 2 November have also been given their own window so as not to clash with the representative season, meaning a greater proportion of Wellington’s leading club and representative players will be involved.

Twelve Premier and Senior 1 clubs have entered teams in the Men’s draw, which will consist of three pools of three teams and one of four. There are two pools of three teams in the Colts division and one pool of four in the Women’s section.

The first matches kick off at 9.00 am, with the knockout rounds scheduled to start at 1.15 pm and the Men’s Cup final at 4.30 pm.

Teams and Pools

Men’s
Pool A: Johnsonville, Upper Hutt (1), Wainuiomata, Wests Roosters
Pool B: Marist St. Pat’s, Upper Hutt (2), Northern United
Pool C: Wellington, Old Boys University, Tawa
Pool D: Poneke, Oriental-Rongotai, Avalon

Colts
Pool E: Poneke, Old Boys University, Upper Hutt
Pool F: Wellington, Marist St. Pat’s, Northern United

Women’s
Pool G: Poneke, Wainuiomata, Old Boys University, Northern United

The draw at a glance:

9.00 am - 1.13 pm: Men’s, Women’s and Colts Pool play.
1.15 pm: Men’s Cup quarterfinals (Pools A and B)
132 pm: Men’s Cup quarterfinals (Pools C and D)
1.49 pm: Women’s semi-finals
2.06 pm: Colts semi-finals
2.23 pm: Men’s Plate semi-finals
2.40 pm: Men’s Cup semi-finals
3.00 pm: Women’s final (followed by presentation)
3.30 pm: Colts final (followed by presentation)
4.00 pm: Men’s Plate final (followed by presentation)
4.30 pm: Men’s Cup final (followed by presentation)

Upcoming Sevens tournaments at a glance:

Community Sevens Programme

• 19 October: WRFU Open Sevens tournament, Evans Bay Park
• 28 October: Secondary Schools Condor Qualifying tournament for Wellington and Wairarapa schools, Naenae College
• 2 November: WRFU American Ambassadors Cup tournament, Wakefield Artificial.
• 30 November: Piri Weepu Sevens tournament, William Jones Park, Wainuiomata
• 24/25 January: Ulalei Sevens tournament, Wellington
• 7/8 February: Marist Sevens tournament, Wellington
• 15 February: Hawke’s Bay Sevens tournament, Waipawa
• 15/16 February: Middlesex Cup Rugby Sevens tournament, Auckland

Representative Sevens Programme

• 16/17 November: Local tournament, TBC
• 23/24 November: Auckland Sevens Tournament (men and women), Northcote RFC, North Shore
• 7/8 December: Representative Regional Qualifiers, Palmerston North
• 4/5 January: Mt Maunganui Sevens tournament (men and women), Mt Maunganui
• 11/12 January: National Sevens tournament (men and women), Rotorua

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