Girls’ rugby on a roll in district

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS: The Lytton High School girls’ rugby team had plenty to smile about after beating Gisborne Girls’ High in a thrilling secondary schools final yesterday. Lytton won 37-31. The team are, back (from left): Phoenix Ngarimu, Trish Hina (coach), Georgia Teneti, Manaia Hutana, Shaniqua Casey, Anahera Whaanga-Smith, Parerangi Murray, Gabby Wainohu and Amoe Tarsau (co-coach). Middle: Taley-Jade Kemp, Jasmine Ward, Amoe Wharehinga, Maia Rickard, Kelsey Teneti, Rhythm Monika and Keely West. Front: Reremoana Bartlett-Tamatea and Jody Walters. Pictures by Paul Rickard

GIRLS' rugby in Gisborne and on the East Coast is on the rise, says former Black Ferns world cup winner Trish Hina, who coaches the Lytton Academy and is the Ngati Porou East Coast women’s rugby development officer.

“We’ve just had the final of the first ever Ngati Porou East Coast under-18 girls’ secondary schools competiton, won by Lytton, 37-31, against Gisborne Girls’ High in a really close game that could have gone either way,” said Hina, who was speaking from Auckland International Airport on the way to Gold Coast for a two-day sevens tournament this weekend.

“We’re taking two teams from the Paikea Peak Performance programme, the under-14 and u16 girls.

“We took two teams last year and the u14s will be defending the title they won. The u16s will be aiming to go one better after they came second.

“The local competition had teams from Lytton, Girls’ High, Tolaga Bay Area School and a Ngati Porou East Coast composite team, and ran for six weeks. It’s been a long time coming and we’ll look to build on the number of teams next year.

“It was basically a 12-a-side competition with sometimes teams having 15-a-side. It follows on from the Ngati Porou East Coast u15 White team coming second and the Blue team coming sixth in the 12-team Hurricanes u15 tournament last week.”

Hina said the Black Ferns winning the World Cup in Northern Ireland was a huge boost for the sport.

“The only disappointment is they still have not had a public parade, which they deserve.

“Having Renee Holmes (Girls’ High Year 13 student) make the Hawke’s Bay Tuis team in the women’s rugby NPC competition was another bonus for girls’ rugby here. It shows girls from here can play at a higher level.”

Hina said the Paikea teams had a big season ahead of them, with u18 girls, u14 girls and u14 boys going to Las Vegas in March for an invitational sevens tournament.

“Amoe (Tarsau) and I will be in charge of the u18 girls’ team. TK (Moeke), former Poverty Bay, Ngati Porou East Coast and Heartland 15 Championship player, is coaching the u14 girls and Duane Hihi and Carmen Hihi are in charge of the u14 boys.”