WOB and Motueka HS win sevens titles
Waimea Old Boys and Motueka High School Gold have confirmed their overall dominance with winning performances in Saturday’s Turf Hotel Motueka Sevens tournament.
Waimea backed up the previous week’s winning effort at the Picton Sevens with another unbeaten run at Sports Park Motueka to comfortably win the men’s title. And the talented young Motueka HS responded in kind to also secure consecutive tournament wins in the women’s division.
Late defections by Marlborough club sides Central and Moutere in the men’s and women’s grades respectively meant an altered draw. However, it didn’t detract from the overall tone of another competitive tournament in which Waimea and Motueka again produced dominant performances.
Waimea ultimately proved too strong for all their opposition, highlighted by their eventual 40-5 six tries to one win over Nelson in the men’s final.
With James Lash orchestrating Waimea’s winning effort, they’d easily progressed to the final following a 35-19 quarterfinal win over Marlborough club team Renwick and a convincing 40-14 win over Stoke in the semifinals. Besides Lash, Mo Tau, Cameron Ross and Dan Hytongue provided plenty of pace and physicality to Waimea’s winning effort.
Nelson had beaten Marist 20-7 in the quarterfinals and Kahurangi 26-14 in the semifinals, but were clearly no match for Waimea in the decider.
Led by sisters Risi and Keilamarita Pouri-Lane and Sydnee Wilkins, Motueka HS Gold secured their second straight women’s crown with a comfortable 31-5 win over Waimea Old Boys in the final.
It hadn’t been as convincing for Motueka in the round robin when they’d just held on to beat Waimea 26-22. But with this month’s Condor Sevens national secondary schools tournament now coming more clearly into focus, Motueka proved too good in the decider.