Taupō Nui Girls’ First XV go from strength to strength

Taupō-nui-a-Tia Girls' First XV welcome opposing teams with a haka.

Taupō-nui-a-Tia Girls’ Rugby First XV are hoping to continue the great results they’ve already seen this season, both on and off the field.

The team are ranked third in the Chiefs Manawa Secondary School Girls’ First XV competition, and were looking to secure a spot in the semifinals in an away game against Rotorua Girls’ High School on Saturday.

Having won two games out of four so far, the team were already in a stronger position than in last year’s inaugural tournament, which saw them walk away with no wins.

This time around, though, the girls have shown a united front as the only co-educational school in a field dominated by many private schools with access to plenty of funding and resources.

Player Annika Nortje said the team is proud of what they’ve achieved so far this year.

“We played some harder, more difficult teams.

“We’ve had a mean season - we’ve been training pretty hard.”

No matter the outcome, the girls wouldn’t have much time to relax, as their next stop will be the New Zealand Rugby Under-18 Girls’ Rugby Festival Series in Ashburton on July 8 and 9.

This full-on competition will see the Nui Girls’ XV take on three 30-minute games each day.

Manager Rose Prisk said both competitions were great opportunities for the girls to get some experience, and they were making the most of it.

“They’ve got good structure this year - we’re playing some nice, structured rugby.”

“It’s good to see the girls’ rugby IQ improving.”

Although the team was under the Taupō-nui-a-Tia name, it was actually made up of girls from multiple settings, with four each from Tauhara College and Tongariro School, one each from Te Kura o Hirangi and Lakeland Learning and one home-schooled player alongside the Nui girls.

This meant that many were balancing training, schooling and travel from Tūrangi to Taupō several times a week.

Tūrangi-based player Manu Anderson said the team had bonded over the motto “one in, all in” after attending pre-season camps and training sessions to get to know each other.

Somehow, the girls have also found time to coach a group of 3- to 6-year-old future rugby players as part of the six-week Tiny Blacks programme.

Nortje said this was a great experience for learning to work with new players, especially ones who needed very straightforward instructions.

“It’s funny talking to them, because you have to be straight-up.”

The programme was also a way to invest in the future of Taupō rugby, said Prisk, and it was fantastic to see there were a large number of young girls in the group.

“Tiny Blacks was one way of giving back to the community.”

“There were heaps of girls - they came in their little Black Ferns jerseys.”