Rangataua win another sevens tournament

HAT TRICK: Rangataua celebrate winning the BOP Club Rugby Sevens final against Mount Maunganui. PHOTO: Andrew Warner.

Rangataua Sports are revelling in a run of success that shows no sign of ending any time soon.

Following their first Baywide title in the Premier division this winter, the boys from the Maungatapu Peninsula have won three sevens tournaments in succession.

It started with the Greerton Marist Sevens, followed by cleaning up the cream of Waikato's clubs at last weekend's Hamilton Suburbs event, before they took out the Bay of Plenty Club Sevens at Paengaroa yesterday.

With sevens maestro Ruki Tipuna in vintage form, Rangataua never gave Mount Maunganui a chance in the open grade final, winning 38-12 to reverse the result from last year's final and take home the Gordon Tietjens Trophy.

Mount Maunganui had seven leading players away in Rarotonga at a sevens tournament but still fielded a strong team with Isaac Te Aute, Jesse Dodunski, Andy Devoy and Danny Kayes helping the team to the final past Poroporo in the semifinals.

But two tries to Tipuna and one each to livewire Adam McGarvey and captain Matt Clutterbuck had Rangataua out to a 24-7 halftime lead they never looked like relinquishing.

Clutterbuck was understandably proud of how well his team had performed in recent weeks.

"It is just years of playing together and understanding the game. We have those experienced players who know how to buy time with the ball and never panick," he said.

"They stay relaxed and know that our game will come through.

"We had a bit of a rebuilding year last year and this year we are really getting the benefits. We brought some young guys through and obviously we still have some old warhorses in there, so we have a good mix and good coaching."

Mount Maunganui coach Paul Tietjens was gracious in defeat.

"With Rangataua they control the tempo and possession of the ball really, really well. It is all coming to the fore now with them winning the last three tournaments in a row.

"For them to beat us quite convincingly in the final was nothing against our performance - they were just the better side on the day."

In the women's final Rangiuru defeated Rotoiti 19-5 and Mount Maunganui beat Te Puna 26-21 in the Tight 5 final, while Waikiti won the first final staged in the Te Manawa Whenua - Bay of Plenty Heartland Sevens grade for the division one and two clubs by 27-5 over Waimana from Eastern Bay.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union operations manager Neil Alton said they had record entries, huge support for the teams and the successful introduction of a second tier competition.

"The Manawa Whenua grade went brilliantly. We had teams like Matata, Ruatoki, ED, who are smaller clubs and want to play sevens but don't have the personnel of the premier teams. So having them here has added an extra dimension to it.

"In the women's grade, the quality of games has been great and has improved. Tauranga Sports, Rangataua, Rotoiti and Rangiuru having their teams in shows the growth of women's sevens.

"And we have had some really good young referees here. Jamie Bell was recently named in the national regional sevens squad and did the (men's open) final."

Results: Click HERE