‘Training like pros’

DOING THE HARD YARDS: Poverty Bay under-18 women’s team members were all smiles after beating a strong Aotea College in Wellington recently. Two PB teams have been busy preparing for a sevens tournament in New Caledonia next week. Picture supplied

AMATEURS in name, professionals in attitude. That’s the Poverty Bay under-18 women’s sevens teams to compete at a New Caledonia sevens tournament next week.

“We’re taking two teams — Red (13 players) and White (11 players) — and the girls have been training like professionals since February,” says Trish Hina, who is co-coaching the team with Amoe Tarsau. “We pick the girls up every morning, with the first call at Patutahi, to have them at Te Tini O Porou Paikea gym facility in Kaiti for training at 5.30am to 6.30am before dropping them back home to get ready for school.

“We do strength and conditioning three times a week — two fitness sessions, one speed and power session — and finish with two evening squad trainings every week. Once a month we squeeze in mentoring sessions where they learn about goal-setting, team values and nutrition.

“It’s a huge training programme, exactly like professional sport teams, and that’s how we treat our girls. They get only the best for free because they train hard and deserve it. When you throw in their school work, their other sports — most of the girls are multi-talented — and fundraising, it shows you how dedicated they are.”

Poverty Bay were invited to the two-day tournament in Noumea (starting on July 16) after a Gisborne team impressed the New Caledonia management at an u18 secondary schools sevens tournament in Taupo, where they placed third.

“We were using that tournament to prepare for the North Island secondary school tournament in Mt Maunganui,” said Hina, who has represented New Zealand in four sports — touch, softball, rugby union and league. “Out of 12 teams we came sixth, which was a good starting point. Our Red team for New Caledonia comprises 15, 16 and 17-year-olds. The White team is made up of 13 to 16-year-olds.”

Both teams are going with the aim of winning the tournament, which will also feature teams from Fiji, Australia, Tahiti and New Caledonia.

Pathway goal to NZ sevens and Black Ferns 15s“The big picture is to provide a pathway for our girls to go on to play for the NZ sevens and Black Ferns 15s teams. With sevens being recognised as an Olympic and Commonwealth sport the goal is to see some of our girls represent their country at these main events. To expose them to national selectors we need to participate in as many seven tournaments as possible throughout the year and compete at the main secondary school tournaments.”

With only eight weeks to raise $30,000, Hina said the girls and parents had been busy doing car washes, barbecues and raffles.

“We’ve also applied for grants and have been given huge support from our sponsors. We have an amazing fundraising committee, who keep us on our toes with payments and due dates, and we try to have as much fun as possible by using fundraising events as bonding sessions.”

Learned a lot from early daysHina and Tarsau were in charge of the first Poverty Bay women’s team to compete at a Central Region sevens tournament at Levin in November.

“We came fifth with a young team,” Hina said. “We learnt a lot from that tournament. Our fitness, strength and conditioning, skill and speed levels were not up to the standard of the other provinces. We approached our manager, Rua Tipoki, in January and two weeks later Paikea gym facility was up and running. Since February, our girls have made huge improvements in all key areas.

“The parents are huge supporters of the group. They are all on board with what we’re trying to achieve. They’ve seen positive changes in their daughters, which is great.”

Current Black Ferns holding training sessionsHina said the teams would attend a three-day camp at Waikirikiri Park next week before leaving for New Caledonia on Thursday.

Current Black Ferns Justine Lavea and Kiritapu Dermant and former Black Fern Vania Wolfgramm (now the NZ women’s community rugby development officer) and Anna Darling (central region women’s RDO) will attend the camp.

Following the New Caledonia tournament, Poverty Bay will prepare for another international experience — a transtasman sevens tournament on the Gold Coast in September.

Lavea, Dermant, Wolfgramm and Darling will also hold an open training session for all female rugby players at Waikirikiri Park on Monday from 3pm to 5pm.