Bay quartet shine at Marist Sevens event

Brad and Sam Weber are the first Hawke's Bay brothers to gain New Zealand Marist Sevens selection.

The pair were among three Hawke's Bay players selected in the national team to play in the Fiji Marist International Sevens tournament on March 2 and 3 after their Napier Old Boys Marist side finished second at the annual New Zealand Marist Sevens tournament in Wellington at the weekend. Hastings Rugby and Sports winger Timo Vaiusu was the other.

Brad Weber, 21, was named men's player of the tournament and Hastings Rugby and Sports Kate Bradshaw was named women's player-of-the-tournament after her side won the three-team women's section of the tournament with an unbeaten run.

"I didn't think I would get the men's award ... I thought it might have gone to somebody from the winning team," Brad Weber said referring to the fact Napier Old Boys Marist were pipped 21-17 by Ardmore Marist of Counties in the final.

Both he and his brother were surprised at how well NOBM did considering the majority of their players attended Friday night's play in the Wellington-hosted leg of the World Sevens Series at Westpac Stadium. "I didn't give us a shot," 18-year-old Sam said.

"We actually played better on the first day than we did on the second ... we were more relaxed," explained Brad.

A Magpies squad member last year, Brad, is returning to Otago this month with the aim of making Otago's ITM Cup squad. He believes he will have a better chance of securing more game time there than with the Magpies.

Sam will also study at Otago University this year. Vaiusu, 18, was a Hawke's Bay under-18 teammate of Sam's last year and is rapt with his selection considering he is in his first year of Sevens play.

A teacher's aid at Kimi Ora School in Flaxmere, Vaiusu, arrived in the Bay from Wellington in 2007 and after one season as a Hawke's Bay under-16 representative had two in the Hawke's Bay under-18s. His Hastings side lost to Ardmore Marist in the quarter-finals of the weekend's tournament.

The Samoan-born player hopes to play for the Hastings Rugby and Sports premier team in the winter after his Sevens season has ended.

Bradshaw, 18, was thrilled with her success with the Hastings women in what is likely to be her last outing with a Bay team before heading to Auckland for university commitments. She had originally planned to study in Otago but opted for Auckland because of the better opportunities in rugby.

Bradshaw will play for the College Rifles club at first five-eighth outside Black Ferns halfback and Hawke's Bay age group product Emma Jensen. The side is coached by long-serving Black Ferns first five-eighth and multiple world champion Anna Richards.

It was a memorable weekend for Bradshaw. After returning from the capital she played in yesterday's winning mixed team Outkasts in a Waitangi touch tournament at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park.