Sevens: Hayes shines as Green Machine roll continues

GREEN MACHINE: NOBM's Humphrey Sheild bursts away from Southern Sharks player and former Magpie Trinity Spooner-Neera during Saturday's final. PHOTO/WARREN BUCKLAND

NOTE down the name Ricky Hayes ... more will be heard of this rugby player in the future.

Despite playing in his second summer of sevens and first at premier level Hayes, 19, was one of the stars of Napier Old Boys Marist's senior men's title win at his club's inaugural Invitational Sevens tournament at Park Island on Saturday. He scored two tries as the hosts walloped Taranaki's Southern Sharks 43-5 in the final and four during the team's three games earlier in the day which were also won.

"I don't even know what the positions are in sevens. I wanted to use today to push my case for a permanent berth in the club's 15-a-side premier team next year," Hayes said.

A Hawke's Bay under-19 loosie or second five-eighth this year, Hayes, also played as a loosie for his club's colts team which reached their competition final in August.

NOBM premier team's head coach Craig Gowler agreed Hayes, who works as an apprentice boat builder for Dickey Boats in Napier, was destined for higher honours in both versions of the code.

"We've been taking our time with him and he certainly achieved his goals today."

Others to shine for the hosts included speedster Liam Edwards who has shaken off an unlucky sequence of injuries which have prevented him from cracking the Magpies squad in recent seasons and former Magpies loosie Joseph Penitito who is in this summer's Hawke's Bay Sevens training squad.

Gowler also praised the contribution from pivot Johnny Lauano who returned from Australia for his Christmas holidays three weeks earlier than originally scheduled so he could play in the tournament.

Lauano arrived in Auckland at 8.30pm on Friday before travelling by car to Napier so he could play alongside his brothers Migao and Sami.

Lauano won't be playing for NOBM next year as he has a contract on the Gold Coast. Saturday's title completed a memorable year for the Green Machine which completed the Nash Cup-Maddison Trophy double during the winter.

Former Havelock North stalwart Jason Skipper, who played more than 200 premier games for the villagers, coached the Southern Sharks team which included former All Black Sevens rep and former Magpie Trinity Spooner-Neera.

"We only had 11 players for the day but our biggest problem in the final was not having enough ball," Skipper said.

At least we beat the old team," he said within earshot of former Havelock North teammate and the villagers' sevens coach Murdoch Paewai.

Skipper was referring to his troops' 26-12 win against the villagers. He said his team would return next year, particularly with the event likely to be staged a fortnight out from the regionals rather than a week as was the case this summer. Because of that he missed the services of four players who were saving themselves for this weekend's regionals in Horowhenua-Kapiti.

In their respective semifinals NOBM beat Hastings Ruby and Sports 12-5 and Southern Sharks beat Wellington 17-12.

Hastings Rugby and Sports won the four-team colts competition with a 24-5 win against Napier Old Boys Marist in the final.