Having four Wellington Hurricanes players attending their informal training session on Tuesday, and offer them advice in the process, got the 2009 rugby season off to a flying start for the Wairarapa-based Barbarians secondary schoolgirls rugby squad. All Blacks Piri Weepu and Neemia Tialata were joined by Jason Kawau and DanielKirkpatrick and they won't be the last big name players to assist their skills development over the next few weeks either with former Black Ferns skipper Farah Palmer to do likewise on a date yet to be confirmed. Barbarians spokesperson Nicky Bennett said early registrations were "looking good" for the team this season although they were still keen to join up more girls wanting to make rugby their number sport over the winter months. "There are a lot of new players to the game already registered but we can certainly take more," Bennett said. Secondary schoolgirls rugby is for players ranging from year nine students to year 13 and who are under the age of 19 on January 1 2009. The Barbarians play in the very competitive Manawatu secondary schoolgirls competition where matches are staged on a home and away basis. They participate in the open grade where there are no weight restrictions and where the usual 15-a-side rules apply. A requirement to play for the Barbarians is to complete a Rugby Smart training session, the next of which is planned for Memorial Park on Wednesday, March 25, starting at 4pm. Official training for the 2009 Barbarians team will get under way on March 26 at the Masterton Red Star grounds in Colombo road. Photo: All Black halfback Piri Weepu also spoke with the Wairarapa College first fifteen this week.
