Awanui wins bowl final at club sevens

Awanui won the bowl final at the New Zealand Club Rugby Sevens in Hamilton on Sunday.

Manager Glen Subritzky took a 12-strong squad to this year's tournament held at the Melville RFC.

As the Northland rugby sevens champions, Awanui played very well overall, although the drop from third place last year to ninth out of 16 teams was a little disappointing.

"We were hoping for a little bit better. We still played well, ninth in New Zealand," Awanui lost one of its pool games on day one to the team that eventually took out the title, Eden.

"They won it [overall title] easily. We gave them their best game," he said. , Awanui had only been one try away from being in the top eight.

Awanui went on to win all of its games on day two, beating Tauranga Sports 19-5 (bowl quarter final), Linton 21-7 (bowl semi final) and Ardmore Marist (the Counties Manukau champions) in the bottom eight final by 17-12.

The latter result represented revenge for the loss to Ardmore in pool play on day one of the tournament last Saturday.

The other day one result for Awanui was a loss to the Upper Hutt Rams 21-12.

Another highlight was seeing Awanui speedster Matt Tuatagaloa picked for the Samoan Invitational side to attend the Summer Sevens in Samoa later this year.

Eden became the New Zealand club rugby champions, picking up the 2017 Middlesex County Wavell Wakefield Cup with a 26-7 win over North Harbour's Massey in the cup final played in hot conditions in Collins Road in Hamilton on Sunday afternoon.

Eden were deserved winners, playing through the tournament unbeaten with six wins. On day one they beat two-time cup finalists, Upper Hutt Rams 28-12, Ardmore Marist 21-0 and Awanui 21-12.

Eden began day two with a 26-5 cup quarter-final win over Hawke's Bay challenger Napier Technical, and then beat Auckland rivals, Suburbs, 28-10 in the cup semi-final.

The Auckland club sevens champions became the seventh winner of this tournament and the first Auckland club to win it since Pakuranga in 2013.

2014 champions, Rangataua of Bay of Plenty, won the plate, beating defending champions Melville in golden point extra time after scores were locked 12-12 at the end of regulation fulltime, while the sole South Island side in the tournament, Geraldine, won the shield.

Next year's tournament will be hosted by Eden at Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham near Eden Park.