Creating pathways through overseas rugby

Reihana Wylie and Pele Paenga (left, back row,) and Luke Bradley (second from right, back row) stand with a contingent of rugby players and whānau from Gisborne Boys’ High School as they take time for a group shot before boarding their flight out of Gisborne Airport to Auckland yesterday afternoon. The squad are heading to Japan for a rugby tournament after stopping at Fiji for a night to train at the rugby academy.Picture by Paul Rickard

 by Renae Lolohea

A friendship that began at Gisborne Boys’ High School over two decades ago between Reihana Wyllie and Luke Bradley has opened the boarding gates for a group of Gisborne Boys’ High School students.

A contingent of 30 students and whānau including a group from Auckland are Japan-bound to be a part of a rugby tournament.

Wyllie has coached some of these boys from age six.

With boys now aged 15, Wyllie would like to create pathways through rugby for these boys.

“It was really about trying to give them an opportunity to experience something overseas, with the hope that in the future this could be a dream of theirs to go play professional rugby overseas,” Wyllie said.

Wyllie, who is a part of the local club YMP, spent a year in the United States playing club rugby and would like the boys to gain experience like he did in Japan.

Bradley who owns LRB Sports — a rugby agency — has helped many students get scholarships in Japan through rugby.

He lived in Japan teaching English for 10 years, creating contacts in the schools.

“We are creating pathways for our boys not only in rugby but also to study in Japan. Scholarships in Japan are very well covered,”

Bradley said.

The scholarships include education, accommodation, and food with the option of two flights home a year.

“They come away with a degree out of it and most come away fluent in Japanese.

“The courses are done in Japanese, so there are challenges. But those who see it out reap the rewards.”

Wyllie reached out to Bradley when he heard he had returned to Gisborne initially to discuss his daughter’s rugby aspirations.

Over time, the discussion turned to the boys rugby team and a plan to head to Japan was put in place.

Covid put a two-year halt to the plans, but once the borders opened, the planning and fundraising started again.

The team will meet up with the Auckland crew this morning before flying to Fiji.

The team will spend a night in Fiji and train in a rugby academy there.

They fly to Japan tomorrow with the two-day tournament starting on Saturday.

“We’re fortunate to have a few coaches come in to watch the tournament,” Bradley said.

“So there could be opportunities for the boys if they choose to pursue a career there through university scholarships.”

The team is being billeted out to homestays to get them immersed in the culture.

Bradley and Wyllie have been running wānanga in Gisborne to teach the boys basic Japanese, the ‘dos and don’ts’ of Japanese culture, haka, and of course to hone their skills through rugby practice.

The trip isn’t just all business; the itinerary includes a school exchange, a theme park day, a cultural day, and shopping.

They return to New Zealand on October 6.