Lightweight stars seize chance to show skills

Gisborne Intermediate School Leopards won the Bay of Plenty/Poverty Bay/Hawke’s Bay Intermediate Schools Lightweight Rugby Festival final. They are, back (from left): Wayne Ensor (staff), Kelan Bryant, Pyrenees Boyle-Tiatia, Taine Moeke, Logan Bruce, Quaydon Chaffey-Kora, Sol O’Connor and Brendon Hart (staff). Front: Gareth Langford, Braith Ingram, Ascha Wells, Safin Tuwairua-Brown, Rubi Hart and Bayley Lingman. Absent: Quentin Mill (staff). Picture by Liam Clayton

Ten teams from eight schools seized the chance to showcase their skills at a rugby festival for lightweight players.

Gisborne Intermediate School Leopards won the final of the Bay of Plenty/Poverty Bay/Hawke’s Bay Intermediate Schools Lightweight Rugby Festival.

They beat Taupo 15-10 after the game went to “golden point” because the scores were level at the end of regulation time.

The 10-a-side tournament was aimed at students who often miss out on rugby opportunities because of their light build.

A total of 130 students from Gisborne, Ilminster, Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, Mokoia, Taupo, Taradale and Heretaunga intermediate schools took part. Each player had to weigh less than 48 kilograms.

Gisborne Intermediate hosted the tournament and entered three teams — Hawks, Stallions and Leopards.

Deputy principal Brendon Hart said the 36 students in the three teams had trained together as a squad.

The Leopards were named only the day before the event, so their success reflected the hard work put in by the whole squad.

In their semifinal, Leopards had beaten Heretaunga Intermediate 20-5 after being behind in the game. Taupo beat the much-fancied Mt Maunganui Intermediate team in the other semifinal.

Hart said those taking part played the game in good spirit and were great ambassadors for their community.

The tournament emphasis was on players having fun and achieving their results through skill and fair play.

He thanked the Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union and Poverty Bay Rugby Referees Association for their help, and the families who billeted visiting team members.