Rugby: Mixed results for sevens team

Kamo's Mac Sykes had a top weekend playing for Northland at the Singapore Cricket Club International Sevens competition in Singapore. Photo / File

Northland's representative sevens team has completed its first tournament for the representative season, being knocked out in the Cup quarter-finals in Singapore.

The side began the Singapore Cricket Club International Sevens competition with a hiss and a roar, beating the Kenyan international 'Impala' side 24-5 first up.

Northland made an ideal start to the tournament over the weekend after receiving the kick off and attacking, with the end result being a Mac Sykes five-pointer under the bar.

Northland team manager Kyal Collins noted the team proved they had great intensity on defence - often holding the Kenyan team out, turning the ball over, and scoring.

Collins said strong games were had by captain Ben Berridge, Denny Windelborn and Sykes, while schoolboy Jesse Rihari capped off the match with a try in the corner.

However, the first-up win came at a cost as ITM Cup players Whiria Meltzer and Andrew Kaveinga had to go undertake fitness testing the next day, with Kaveinga being ruled out of the remainder of the tournament.

Next up Northland again showed their attacking ability as the beat the NS Wanders 43-0, however in their next match they lost 43-0 to eventual tournament winners the Asia Pacific Dragons.

With Northland finishing second in their pool, they progressed to the final 16 where they beat the Pyrenees7s 24-0 before losing to eventual runners-up the Penguins 21-17.

The Northland side was knocked out in the quarter-final stages in their first visit to Singapore last year and they have high hopes of improving on that result this year.

"We'd obviously like to do better than that - we're 12 months down the track in terms of player development and two of the guys - Will Whetton and Ben Berridge - are making their second trip and their experience will be valuable for the team," Collins said before flying out last week.

The team has been picked from the in-form players from the two tournaments held to date in the Northland Sevens club circuit and includes a smattering of ITM Cup players.

"This tournament is all about getting further exposure for our players in high level tournaments. Auckland are sending a team over too and there are top club teams from all over the world," he said,

Collins said the extra importance given to the sevens game by the New Zealand Rugby Union has been reflected by extra expenditure at the national level and Northland needs to revisit the way the game is viewed in the region - both in the men's and women's games.

Northland: Andrew Kaveinga, Joni Macali Tori, Whiria Meltzer, Denny Windelborn (Awanui), William Whetton (Mid Northern), Ben Berridge (Mid Western), Rhys Te Nana (Moerewa), Mac Sykes, Joshua Brown (Kamo), Warren Dunn (Hora Hora), Ben Mathers (Waipu), Jesse Rihari (Kerikeri).