Wellington teams playing in Auckland 7s this weekend

The representative sevens season starts this weekend for the Wellington men’s and women’s teams when they compete in the second annual Auckland 7s tournament at Northcote Birkenhead Rugby Club on the North Shore.

The two-day men’s tournament opens on Saturday with pool play and continues on Saturday with the championship rounds. The women’s section is played all in one day on Saturday. The winner of the Open Men’s Division will receive an invitation to compete in the 2014 Noosa International 7s Festival.

For the Wellington men’s and women’s squads, this tournament is the first build-up tournament to the National Sevens regional qualifiers in Palmerston North on December 7. The Wellington teams are also entered in next Saturday’s Piri Weepu 7s hosted by the Wainuiomata RFC.

The Wellington men’s team is in Pool B on Saturday, alongside the Counties Manukau representative side. North Harbour club sides Silverdale and hosts, Northcote, round off the pool. Silverdale recently won the North Harbour Club Sevens title.

The other side of the draw includes the North Harbour and Northland representative teams, along with North Harbour club teams, East Coast Bays and Marist North Harbour.

The Wellington women’s side will compete in a single pool against Counties Manukau, Northland,, Auckland Marist, and the North Harbour women’s champions, East Coast Bays.

The men climb into their work early on Saturday, meeting Counties Manukau at 9am, followed by matches against Northcote at 10.20am and Silverdale at 2pm. The women’s first match is against Counties Manukau at 9.40am, followed by Auckland Marist at 11.40am and East Coast Bays at 1pm. The women’s championship matches start at 1.20 pm and the final is at 3.40pm.

The draw for Saturday is:

2???????????? 09:00???? Northcote v Silverdale Pool B Round Robin Field 1
3???????????? 09:20???? East Coast Bays v Marist North Harbour Pool A Round Robin Field 1
4???????????? 09:00???? Wellington v Counties Manukau Pool B Round Robin Field 2
5???????????? 09:40???? Wellington v Counties Manukau Women's Round Robin Field 1
6???????????? 10:00???? Auckland Marist v East Coast Bays Women's Round Robin Field 1
7???????????? 10:20???? Wellington v Northcote Pool B Round Robin Field 1
8???????????? 10:20???? East Coast Bays v Northland Pool A Round Robin Field 2
9???????????? 10:40???? Counties Manukau v Silverdale Pool B Round Robin Field 1
10?????????? 10:40???? North Shore v Marist North Harbour Pool A Round Robin Field 2
11?????????? 11:00???? Auckland Marist v Counties Manukau Women's Round Robin Field 1
12?????????? 11:20???? East Coast Bays v Northland Women's Round Robin Field 1
1 ? ? ? ? ? ? 11:20 ? ? North Harbour v Northland Pool A Round Robin Field 2
13?????????? 11:40???? Wellington v Auckland Marist Women’s Round Robin Field 1
14?????????? 12:00???? Northland v Counties Manukau Women’s Round Robin Field 1
15?????????? 12:20???? North Harbour v East Coast Bays Pool A?Round Robin Field 1
16?????????? 12:20???? North Shore v Northland Pool A Round Robin Field 2
17 ? ? ? ? ??13:00???? Wellington v East Coast Bays Women’s Round Robin Field 1
18? ? ? ? ? ?13:00???? Northland v Auckland Marist Women’s Round Robin Field 2
19? ? ? ? ? ?13:20???? North Harbour v Marist North Harbour Pool A Round Robin Field 1
20 ? ? ? ? ??13:20???? North Shore v East Coast Bays Pool A Round Robin Field 2
21 ? ? ? ? ??13:40???? Wellington v Northland Women’s Round Robin Field 1
22 ? ? ? ? ??13:40???? Counties Manukau v East Coast Bays Women’s Round Robin Field 2
23 ? ? ? ? ??14:00???? Wellington v Silverdale Pool B Round Robin Field 1
24 ? ? ? ? ??14:00???? Counties Manukau v Northcote Pool B Round Robin Field 2
25 ? ? ? ? ??14:20???? 1 placed v 4th placed Women’s WSF1 Field 1
26 ? ? ? ? ??14:40???? 3rd Placed v 2nd Placed Women’s WSF2 Field 1
27 ? ? ? ? ??15:00???? North Harbour v North Shore Pool A Round Robin Field 1
28 ? ? ? ? ??15:00???? Northland v Marist North Harbour Pool A Round Robin Field 2
29 ? ? ? ? ??15:20???? Loser WSF1 v Loser WSF2 Women’s Cup 3rd/4th?Field 1
30 ? ? ? ? ??15:40???? Winner WSF1 Winner WSF2 Women’s Cup Final Field 1

The Wellington Men’s and Women’s teams to compete at the Auckland 7s this Saturday and Sunday 23 and 24 November:

Please note that these are NOT final selections ahead of the regional qualifying tournament in Palmerston North on December 7.Several players are unavailable for this tournament owing to injuries or other commitments such as this week’s national U20s camp.

Wellington men

James Kusel (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
AfaFa'atau (Oriental-Rongotai)
VaeaFafita (Wellington FC)
Greg Foe (Poneke)
Hayden Schrijvers (Upper Hutt)
Nick Grigg (Petone)
Kane Hammington (Upper Hutt)
InokeRasabale (Wests Roosters)
TomasioAlosio (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
Tiwi Davies (Avalon)
Te Wehi Wright (Old Boys-University)
Colin Leilua-Toilolo (Upper Hutt)

Management:

Coaches: Scott Waldrom and Sam Rasch. Manager: Dean Simpson. Physio: Pete Matheson. Trainer: Duncan Pearce

Wellington women

Anna Mason-Mackay
Agnes Dean
Aimee Sutorius
Claire Rowat
TimenaTuma’ai
Ruby Finau
Heniti Davis
Kat Simpkins
Tuese Lewis
Georgia Daals
VaineMarsters
Pauline Piliae
Lizzie Goulden?


Management:

Charles Aliva
Fa’avaeTuma’ai
Adam Allen
Lesley McKenzie