Northland's Dutch NZers on 7s tour of Europe

The NZ Dutch Barbarians, back row from left, Natalie Lowe (Auckland), Payge Beatson (Kaitaia), Nalani Karena (Kaitaia), Leilani Erwin (Kerikeri), Mia Andersen (Kerikeri), Anika Moetaua (Otago), Georgia Brierly (Wellsford) and coach Bodean Rogers (Kaikohe); front, Phoenix Littin (Kawakawa), Holly Wratt (Canterbury), Jorja Miller (South Canterbury) and Jurney Blair (Kaitaia). Photo / supplied

A Northland-based Rugby Sevens team made up of Kiwi girls with Dutch connections has been racking up some hefty scores as their European tour gets under way in the United Kingdom.

However, the girls will face their first real test this weekend when they compete in an international under-18s tournament in Amsterdam.

Bay of Islands man Harko Brown, who founded the NZ Dutch Barbarians along with his daughters Yves, 16, and Billie, 15, said the team had racked up ''blow-out scores'' of 60-0 and 40-0 in their first games in London against Cobham Rugby Club earlier this week.

For the third match some of the Kiwi girls donned Cobham jerseys but the visitors still won 32-0.

Brown said the NZ Dutch Barbarians had ''good speed out wide and some powerful runners up the middle'' but this weekend's international games would be the real tester.

On Wednesday the girls took a train to Amsterdam, where they will compete in a Sevens tournament against the Dutch and Swedish national U18 sides as well as the current Dutch club champions, Amstelveen.

Saturday's games will take place at the Amstelveense Rugby Club grounds, just south of Amsterdam, while Sunday's finals will he held at the National Rugby Centre in the city's west.

Next Wednesday the girls will head to Paris to play the French secondary school champs.

Brown said the warm-up games in London were ''good friendlies with great hosting, meals and speeches''.

The European tour was a team-builder for the World School Sevens in Auckland in mid-December. There the NZ Dutch Barbarians would meet three other Kiwi teams with overseas heritage (Samoa, Fiji and Tonga) as well as U18 national reps from New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Canada.

The girls in the NZ Dutch Barbarians all have family connections to the Netherlands. Some are of Dutch descent while others have, for example, Dutch step-parents.

Brown, who is well-known as a promoter of traditional Māori sports, said the tour had its genesis when his Netherlands-born mother, Anita Brown (nee Mulder), challenged him to celebrate his Dutch descent as well as his Māori heritage.

His daughters came up with the concept for the NZ Dutch Sevens team as an 80th birthday present for their Oma (grandmother). They were, however, unable to go on the tour.

With the Browns staying behind in New Zealand, Moerewa's Jo Littin and Craig Miller of Timaru picked up the job of managing the tour.

Seven of the team's 11 members, as well as coach Bodean Rogers of Kaikohe, hail from Northland. The team is captained by Phoenix Litton of Kawakawa with Natalie Lowe of Auckland the vice-captain.