Whakatane Marist defiant despite another thrashing

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

The Whakatane Marist women's rugby team continued their losing way yesterday with another mauling - 0-145 at the hands of Te Teko.

But the rookie players, who now have a grand total of 795 points scored against them in six games and none on the board, remain undaunted.

They say they have to start somewhere and are learning as they go. There will be no throwing in the towel.

The women, aged 14 to 33, put their hearts into yesterday's game on their home ground, cheered on by more than 120 whanau and friends.

But they were up against a class Te Teko side that included Black Fern Exia Shelford, Bay of Plenty women's representative Rachael Wikeepa and her fellow NZ secondary school rep, Lauralee Hillman.

With little idea of positional play, Marist were hot on tackling and raised a huge cheer from the sidelines when they won a scrum, even if the halfback was so overwhelmed that she lost the ball. But the points continued to pile up. Te Teko were up 61-0 at halftime.

As the tension mounted, Marist coach Julian Tunui expressed disappointment. The game was dedicated to his brother, Rangi Hiroa Tunui, who last week died, aged 64, and was buried on Saturday.

"I expected a better effort this time," the coach admitted. "But you only need two or three good players on the other side to split up our fellas every time."

Although they had more ball than in some previous matches, Marist did not always know what to do with it. Their menfolk on the sidelines were generous with loud advice - and with praise when the girls got it right.

Said the ever-jaunty captain Sharleen Evans after the game: "It was primo. I'm ecstatic - the girls put in 100 per cent effort."

She warned that coach Tunui might have to do better than promise a pie to the first player to put a point on the board.