Sevens tournaments in Napier and Pukekohe this Saturday

Two one-day sevens tournaments in Napier and in Pukekohe this Saturday feature clubs and representative teams from throughout the North Island.

The first is the Napier Old Boys Marist Invitational 7s tournament hosted by the Hawke’s Bay club sevens and fifteens champions. The second is the Counties Manukau Provincial Union hosted by the home union in Pukekohe.

Napier Old Boys Marist Invitational 7s tournament

The NOBM Invitational 7s tournament features 15 men’s and eight Colts teams from throughout Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Waikato and King Country.

There is $2,500 up for grabs for the Cup winner, while the NOBM 7s tournament doubles as a qualifier for the Middlesex County Wavell Wakefield Cup National Club 7s, hosted by the Eden club in Auckland in the New Year, should qualification not been achieved yet.

Home club Napier Old Boys Marist won the Bali 10s tournament in late October and are the current Hawke’s Bay rugby champions. This past season, their fifteens team won the Nash Cup and Maddison Trophy both unbeaten, scoring 1,027 points and conceding 227.

Members of the NOBM side played for the Hawke’s Bay Brothers team that won last weekend’s Poverty Bay Sevens. Havelock North finished second and MAC third in Gisborne.

Other local clubs to feature in the men’s grade are Napier Pirate, who regularly strike their banner at these tournaments, Havelock North, Hastings Rugby & Sports, Napier Technical, Taradale, MAC and Central, who are set to host their own tournament in Waikpukarau on 17 February.

United Matamata Sports are the sole Waikato men’s side, having reached the Plate final of the recent Waikato Club Sevens tournament.

Defending champions the Southern Sharks from Hawera were originally scheduled to play here again, but the Taranaki club sevens champions have been in Thailand this past week winning the Bangkok 7s tournament.

Last but not least is a contingent of five Wellington clubs making the journey up State Highway 2 to Napier to contest the men’s tournament.

The five Wellington clubs taking part are recent American Ambassador’s Sevens series champions the Upper Hutt Rams, on-field legs two and three winners Northern United, leg three Cup finalists the Wellington Axemen, Poneke and Tawa (two teams).

None of the Wellington teams may be at full strength, each likely to contribute key members to the Wellington Provincial Sevens squad, who contest the Counties Manukau Sevens tournament at the same time (see below).

The eight-team Colts grade features Colts sides from four local clubs – Napier Old Boys Marist, Hastings Rugby & Sports, Havelock North and Taradale – as well as three local school teams and a Colts side from the Waitete club in the King Country.

The three school teams are the sky blue colours of Napier Boys’ High School and two teams from this year’s National Top Four fifteens champions Hastings Boys’ High School. Both Napier and Hastings are attending the secondary schools Condor 7s in Auckland in early December so this will serve as vital preparation for both schools.

Waitete is the former club of the late great Sir Colin Meads who recently passed away.

Pool play across two fields starts over porridge at 7.40am and is scheduled to run through to approximately 1.30pm. The knockout matches run through on both fields all afternoon, with the Colts final scheduled for 5.00pm, the Plate final at 5.20pm and the Cup final at 5.40pm.

Napier Old Boys Marist Invitational 7s Pools:

Men’s
Pool A: Napier Old Boys Marist, Tawa 1, Northern United, Napier Pirate
Pool B: Central, Upper Hutt Rams, Havelock North, BYE
Pool C: Hastings Rugby & Sports, Tawa 2, Poneke, MAC
Pool D: Wellington Axemen, Napier Technical, Matamata, Taradale

Colts
Pool A: Napier Old Boys Marist, Waitete, Hastings Boys’ High School 2, Hastings Rugby & Sports
Pool B: Napier Boys’ High School, Hastings Boys’ High School 2, Havelock North, Taradale

Counties Manukau Provincial Sevens tournament

The Counties Manukau Provincial Sevens is a straight round-robin shootout between five men’s and six women’s teams, lasting from mid-morning to late afternoon.

The five men’s teams taking part are host union Counties Manukau, Wellington, Northland, Waikato and North Harbour.

The six women’s teams taking part are the Counties Manukau Heat, Auckland, North Harbour, Northland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

This tournament is part of the build-up to the Provincial Regional Qualifiers for the National Sevens in the New Year. The Central Region Qualifier is in Levin on 9 December and the Northern Region Qualifier is in Cambridge on 9 December.