Touch: Te Arawa enjoys top tournament

Te Arawa men's player Joshua Taylor in action during the open men's final yesterday afternoon at Puarenga Park. Photo / Ben Fraser

The Te Arawa men's touch team have claimed a national title in Rotorua during the Maori National Touch Tournament.

The popular tournament was held in Rotorua for the first time at the weekend, with the Te Arawa teams performing well at home.

The Te Arawa men's team led the way for the local sides progressing all the way to the open men's final yesterday afternoon.

They saved the best for last in winning the final 6-3 against Te Rarawa (Northland), entertaining hundreds of supporters who gathered around the main touch field at Puarenga Park.

"I'm really happy aye, especially being at home for the first time," senior player Maurice Stone jnr said.

"That was our big goal to perform well at home and there were some good tests we had to go through [to make the final].

"We have been building slowly throughout the tournament and have been fine tuning areas of our game and it all came to fruition in the final."

He said the whole squad bar one player had been raised in Rotorua so it was very special to win at home.

He said it was the first time Te Arawa had won the men's open title at the Maori National Touch Tournament.

The men's team took a small lead into half time yesterday afternoon in the final before running away with the match in the second half.

Stone said the entire team performed well during their run to the title.

Some of the stand-out players in the final included youngsters Ngarohi McGarvey-Black and Joshua Taylor, as well as the Stone brothers, Maurice and Shaquille.

The team included four players from the Rotorua Boys' High School sevens team, which won the national secondary schools sevens title last weekend.

There were nine teams in the men's open division.

The Te Arawa under-16 girls team also won their age group division, making it two titles for Te Arawa.

They defeated South Queensland 6-2 in their final yesterday.

The touch tournament has been hosted by Tainui, in Hamilton, for the past 16 years but was in Rotorua for the first time this year after Te Arawa Touch won the bid to host.

There were nine divisions in total including the senior mixed (over-30s), men's open, women's open, mixed open, under-21 mixed, under-21 men, under-21 women, under-16 boys and under-16 girls. About 4000 players and supporters from New Zealand and Australia attended the tournament.

Maori National Touch Tournament finals:

* Senior mixed (over-30s): Tutahi Taranaki 6 Tauranga Moana 5
* Open men: Te Arawa 6 Te Rarawa 3
* Open women: Te Aupouri 6 Tamaki Makaurau 5
* Open mixed: Raukawa Ki Runga 6 Raukawa Ki Waikato 5
* Under-21 men: Tainui 10 South Queensland 5
* Under-21 women: Te Mahurehure 3 Raukawa Ki Waikato 1
* Under-21 mixed: Ngati Pourahui 8 Raukawa Ki Runga 2
* Under-16 boys: Ngati Raukawa 9 Te Rerenga Paraoa 8
* Under-16 girls: Te Arawa 6 South Queensland 2