One game at a time for Bay

CAPTAIN: Reporoa's Matt Axtens (with ball) will lead the Bay of Plenty men's sevens side this weekend. PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER

YOUNG Bay of Plenty sevens captain Matt Axtens hopes his side can go one better than they did last year at the Bayleys National Sevens, but won't let his team get ahead of themselves heading into pool play today.

The Bay named a young men's side earlier this week to chase a national sevens title at the Rotorua International Stadium this weekend.

Last year they went all the way to the Cup semifinals but have a much different side this year. One of the players who featured in that side last season, Axtens, will captain the team today and said they had a talented team to make a run at the title.

"It is a really young team but full of talent. In saying that, we have had guys like Matt Clutterbuck, Zar Lawrence and Courtney Mita come back into the team and they add plenty of experience. They are veterans in our team and when they speak you know to listen."

Axtens, 22, brother of Steamers player Carl Axtens, said he was honoured to be given the captaincy role this year during only his second time at nationals.

The Reporoa product, who plays club rugby for Mount Maunganui, said he always enjoyed playing at the Rotorua International Stadium.

"I love playing here, I think it is the best stadium the Bay has got. And I think a lot of the players feel the same."

He said while they wanted to go deep into the tournament they would just take a match at a time, starting with Northland at 12.05pm today. He said they had spoken all week about the importance of their first match and wanted to perform well against the Northlanders before looking any further.

Meanwhile, the Waikato men's team and Auckland women's team will be looking to defend their national titles when games get under way.

Tournament event manager Allison Stewart said the excitement was building around Rotorua for the event. "There is a real buzz about town. It is great seeing the retailers getting involved and showing their support for the participating teams," she said.

"With awesome talent on display, great weather, Sonny Bill Williams coming along with ACC and a whanau zone for kids, the Bayleys National Sevens has something on offer for everyone."

Tickets are available for purchase from the gate. Gates open at 8.30am with the first match kicking off at 9.25am today and 10.05am tomorrow.

The Bay men's draw today, for pool play, includes matches at 12.05pm v Northland, 3.55pm v South Canterbury, and 6.35pm v Auckland.

- Check out the Rotorua Daily Post website for results, full coverage and fixtures throughout the weekend.