Sevens: Great opportunities for Bay girls

Hope Garner will captain Tauranga Girls' College under-15 team at the BNZ Condor Sevens in Auckland. Photo / Andrew Warner

Tauranga Girls' College under-15 sevens team carry the hopes of the Western Bay at the BNZ Condor Sevens tournament that begins tomorrow at Kelston Boys' High School in West Auckland.

Tauranga Girls' won the Bay of Plenty qualifying tournament to take their place in the national finals showdown. They have drawn Long Bay College and Mount Roskill Grammar School in their pool.

Last year the Tauranga girls ran to the top of Mauao carrying rubber tyres in a high profile team building exercise ahead of their first visit to the Condor Sevens finals.

Tauranga Girls' Rose Togotogorua in training for the national sevens tournament. Photo / Andrew Warner

They have not done anything quite so dramatic this time around but they are in good form after winning the Pasifika Aotearoa Cup in Auckland. They defeated a much bigger Auckland Samoa team in the final 17-14 after trailing 14-0 at halftime.

Coach Paul Pou says the key to the victory was Tauranga's superior fitness.

"As always Auckland Samoa were big, fast and strong but one thing they probably lacked was fitness and the top two inches around the ball control," Pou said.

"We hadn't quite hit our straps in pool play to play the best sevens we could but we built nicely up to that final and the result took care of itself really. It has been a three-year programme so far and the opportunities are there now for this age group if the Olympics is a dream of theirs.

"Three years ago we had one under-19 team, last year we had one under-19 and an under-15 team, and this year we had two under-15s and an under-19s. Next year we are going to have two under-19s and hopefully two under-15s.

"The possibility of high profile rugby for girls has been generated by NZRU and the Bay (union) into secondary schools. The opportunities are endless for these girls if they want it, but they know they have to work hard to get there."

Tauranga Girls' under-19 coach, Jeff Robb, says there has been a dramatic improvement in his team this year.

"We are building a core of players and skills. Last year they didn't win a game but we came fourth at the North Island's tournament at the start of this year," Robb said. "It is a definite pathway now for the girls as netball can only take them so far and is not in the Olympics."

Tauranga Girls' will send two teams to Las Vegas in 2017 to compete at a major collegiate tournament.

Tauranga Girls' College Under-15 Condor Sevens squadHope Garner (capt), Jade Carter, Savannah Hinga-Miller, Rose Togotogorua, Minardi Daniels, Teagan Meyer, Frances Lloyd, Kiri-Lee Delamere-Ririnui, Eva Hinga-Miller, Wirinia Tapsell and Laurene Walker, Felila Simanu.