Hawke's Bay club Sevens on Saturday

The China Barbarians and the Hastings Rugby and Sports Academy teams in action in last weekend's New Zealand Marist Sevens tournament.

This weekend's Hawke's Bay club Sevens tournament at Waipukurau has drawn a competitive field from far and wide.

The one-day open tournament on Saturday features Men's, Women's and Colts sections, with teams from Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa Bush, Manawatu and Wellington all entered. The 46-team tournament also has an international flavour with the touring China Barbarians Sevens team competing.

The Men's division includes eight pools of three teams who meet in round-robin matches over the first part of the day. The winners of each pool then square off in the knockout rounds in the Cup section from later in the afternoon.

The well-drilled China Barbarians team won the Plate final of last weekend's New Zealand Marist International Sevens event and will be one team to watch in the Men's draw.

Of the Wellington clubs, much interest will be on 2013 Wellington Premier and Senior 1 fifteens rugby champions Tawa, who are fielding an ‘A' and a ‘B' team in the Men's draw. The Pacific Warriors are another team to watch, having beaten the Wellington Men's team at the Piri Weepu tournament in Wainuiomata in December. Although that team comprised many of Tawa's leading players. Old Boys University, Avalon and the Wests Roosters will also be strong.

A healthy Manawatu contingent is competing in the Men's division, with the Kia Toa, Feilding Old Boys Oroua and Freyberg clubs joined by the Manawatu Fijians.

Host club Central welcome fellow Hawke's Bay clubs Hastings Rugby and Sports, Tamatea and Havelock North (both fielding two Men's teams), Napier Pirates, Flaxmere Rugby and Sports, Napier Old Boys Marist, Taradale, MAC and 2013 Hawke's Bay Maddison Trophy fifteens champions Napier Technical. Both Hastings (beaten Plate finalists) and Napier Old Boys Marist (beaten Cup semi-finalists) competed in the two-day New Zealand Marist tournament in Wellington last weekend.

Six teams will be competing in two pools of four in the Women's section. Local clubs Napier Technical, Hastings Rugby and Sports (also at the recent Marist tournament), Havelock North, Napier Pirates and Napier Old Boys Marist are joined by Kia Toa and Tu Toa from the Manawatu and Avalon from Wellington.

The tournament also has a strong Colts flavour to it, with 14 teams split into five pools (four pools of three teams and one of two).

Clubs from Wellington (Petone and Tawa), Wairarapa-Bush (Martinborough) Manawatu (Kia Toa, Feilding Old Boys Oroua and Tu Toa) join teams from eight Hawke's Bay clubs in the Colts division.

The tournament kicks off at 9.40 am, with Pool play scheduled to run until just after 3.00 pm, followed by the knockout rounds.

The teams and Pools are:

Men's
Pool 1: Hastings Rugby and Sports, Manawatu Fijians, Tawa B
Pool 2: Avalon, Tamatea A, Havelock North B
Pool 3: Kia Toa, Napier Pirates, Flaxmere Rugby and Sports
Pool 4: Tawa A, Napier Old Boys Marist, Feilding Old Boys Oroua
Pool 5: Havelock North A, Old Boys University, Brother's 7s
Pool 6: Pacific Warriors, Taradale, MAC
Pool 7: China Barbarians, Napier Technical, Central Rugby and Sports
Pool 8: Wests Roosters, Freyberg, Tamatea B

Women's
Pool 9: Avalon Tu Toa, Napier Technical, Hastings Rugby and Sports
Pool 10: Kia Toa, Havelock North, Napier Pirates, Napier Old Boys Marist

Colts:
Pool 11: Havelock North, Martinborough, Napier Old Boys Marist
Pool 12: Petone, Napier Pirates, Feilding Old Boys Oroua
Pool 13: Napier Technical, Hastings Rugby and Sports
Pool 14: Tawa, Taradale, Tu Toa
Pool 15: Central Rugby and Sports, Kia Toa, MAC

For a full round-robin tournament draw click here?

Coverage

We will endeavour to cover this tournament as best as we can remotely. If you have photos and news during or after the event please email editor@clubrugby.co.nz and we can share it to the wider audience, on this website or through our Facebook page.