An additional incentive for the players was the selection of a training squad for the top 18 players to attend a Bay of Plenty Schools Sevens camp at Mount Maunganui on November 10.
With Sevens now firmly entrenched internationally with the hugely popular HSBC World Series, and the sport further illuminated as an Olympic sport, there is a clear pathway for young men and women to aspire to.
The Bay's best Sevens talent had some greats from the past to add lustre to the finals on Thursday, with Bay legend Wayne Ormond working as a development role for BOP Rugby, Solomon King helping out Reporoa College, and Hayden Reid and Jason Hona with the Tauranga Boys' Under-19 team.
Director of Rugby at TBC, Chad Turoa, was part of the organisation team at the tournament. He was excited about the talent on display but also the impact the past legends of the game are making in the Western Bay.
"Hayden is a teacher at Boys' College and I know from the school's point of view they have valued his input over the year," Turoa said. "Sevens is something he is passionate about and he has Jason Hona helping out as a technical adviser, which is good because he is an old boy of the school and has been out injured all season with the Steamers.
"Solomon is rehabing after also being out all year, at North Harbour, and that is another great opportunity for Reporoa kids to get some valuable feedback and advice from a guy who has obviously played at the highest level.
"For those sort of guys to be around our local kids is so valuable. The Bay is quite lucky to have all these guys in their back yard who are willing to give back to the sport, which is great."
One major development area in Sevens rugby has been a focus on the women's game, which Turoa says has huge potential for the future.
"Things are rapidly changing and in the New Zealand landscape the women's programme has taken off this year as far as establishing a NZ women's team now. Below that we have the provincial regional competitions for senior women and I guess that is where our secondary stuff fits in to feed into that.
"We have a couple of girls running around here who are part of our women's programme and hopefully some of their mates here will join them as they develop over the next couple of years.
"It is a real opportunity and something the Bay is definitely focusing on and wanting to make a viable opportunity for our local talent. There are so many opportunities in Sevens now.
"A kid could play well for their school, then be in the Bay of Plenty team at the nationals in January and then they could be in Titch's [Gordon Tietjens] team in the space of four months. You can't do that in XVs but in Sevens it is an exciting opportunity."
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union secondary schools 7s tournament, November 1:
Under 19 Boys final: Rotorua Boys' High School 19 Tauranga Boys' College 12
Under 19 Girls final: Rotorua Girls' High School 34 Opotiki College 0
Under 15 Boys final: Rotorua Boys' High School 36 Tauranga Boys College 14
Under 19 Boys Plate: Bethlehem College 35 John Paul College 0
Under 15 Boys Plate: Te Puke High School 17 Reporoa 12.
Bay secondary schoolboys 7s devel camp at Blake Park, Nov 10:
Mungo Mason, Carlos Savage, Daniel Hollinshead, Connor Fifita, Weimen Kapia, Christian Kelly (Tauranga Boys' College); Jordan Tahere, Ryan Henstock, Billy Carter (Otumoetai College); Ryan Hathaway, Michael Foden (Reporoa College); Josh Brown, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Mason Walker, Pita Volavola (Rotorua Boys' High School); Mathew Cole, Luke Allen (Bethlehem College); Danny Kayes (Mount Maunganui College); Patelo Kelemete (John Paul College); Jackson Sinclair (Trident High School); Hori Richardson (Kawerau College).
