Touch Rugby: Tauranga athletes ready for Touch World Cup in Kuala Lumpur

Quentin Gardiner, Tamati Fraser, Puawai Gardiner, Zane Welsh, Mickel Rawiri and Carlos Savage are among the 13 Tauranga athletes competing at the Touch World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Photo / Andrew Warner

When the world's best touch players face off in Malaysia next week there will be 13 Tauranga athletes among them hunting for a world title.

Tauranga's Carlos Savage, Ifor Jones, Puawai Gardiner, Quentin Gardiner, Tamati Fraser, Arron Samuels, Mickel Rawiri, Raelene Kuka, Zane Welsh, Charisse Billing, Matapa Skudder, Riini Hurkmans-Mcleod and Carl Knox will represent New Zealand across different divisions at the Touch World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Competition starts on Monday, and finals to decide the world champions are on Saturday.

Puawai and husband Quentin, who leave for Kuala Lumpur today, are no strangers to representing New Zealand in the sport that they've been playing most of their lives, but are looking forward to competing in their first World Cup event, playing in the 30s Mixed division together. Their campaign starts against Chile and Scotland on the Monday before taking on Australia on Tuesday.

Having played two Trans-Tasman Series events for New Zealand's Open Mixed team, the world cup will be Puawai's third campaign for New Zealand.

She's expecting hot weather and strong competition, with the toughest coming from Australia - a squad Puawai says play "hard and fast".

"They're relentless, they just keep going and going," Puawai says.

"We're just expecting really good games."

To prepare for the warmer weather, some athletes have been training in sweat suits, some have been using a heat chamber and they've all been trying to schedule their sessions for the warmest times of the day.

While all teams will be going out on to the field wanting a spot in the finals, and a win, Puawai believes New Zealand's Open Men's team have a good chance of beating Australia.

Carlos Savage, who with Ifor James was selected among the first touch players to represent New Zealand in the NRL Touch Premiership that starts in May, has been part of the Open Men's team for the past three years and Puawai says the squad has only narrowly lost to Australia in previous competitions.

Puawai says the Tauranga players all know each other having played with and against each other. She says touch is a way of life for many of them.

And much like her first time wearing the New Zealand singlet in 2017, Puawai's excited to wear it a third time.

Touch World Cup divisions:
Mens / Womens / Mixed Open.
Mens / Mixed 30.
Mens / Womens 35.
Mens / Womens / Mixed 40.
Mens / Womens 45.
Mens / Womens 50.
Womens 27.

Tauranga athletes competing at Touch World Cup:
Carlos Savage (Open Men's).
Ifor Jones (Open Mixed).
Arron Samuels (45 Men's).
Puawai Gardiner (30s Mixed).
Quentin Gardiner (30s Mixed).
Tamati Fraser (30s Mixed).
Mickel Rawiri (30s Mixed).
Raelene Kuka (30s Mixed).
Zane Welsh (30s Mixed).
Charisse Billing (27s Women's).
Matapa Skudder (35s Women's).
Riini Hurkmans-Mcleod (35s Women's).
Carl Knox (35s Men's).