Waimea girls win rugby title
‘‘When the stars align, you get to a stage where things are working pretty well.’’
Jeff Schultz, head coach
Waimea College cemented its place as the top of the south’s best girls secondary school rugby side following an emphatic 64-7 victory over Motueka High School in Wednesday’s final.
The match, played before a large after-school crowd on Waimea’s main field, was a reversal of fortune for the Richmondbased team, who lost 27-29 to Motueka in last year’s final.
For Motueka, it brought down the curtain on a long period of dominance in Tasman girls’ rugby, which saw it ranked in the country’s top 10 schools and a regular Crusaders zone representative in the national playoffs.
Waimea head coach Jeff Schultz said the win was a big deal for his team, especially those players who had been involved for several years – in some cases, five years.
‘‘We’ve been on the back of some pretty big hidings before, so for them it was brilliant.’’
Waimea had beaten Motueka in the first round of competition, but Schultz said the return of a number of key players had bolstered the visitors’ lineup, and a tough contest was expected.
‘‘It was a bit of an unknown . . . but we managed to come out on top.
‘‘I think it was generally won all over the paddock, to be fair. The backs didn’t play better than the forwards or vice versa . . . it wasn’t a half-a-game effort, and they kept their foot down throughout the second half, which is sometimes hard to do when the score blows out.’’
He said that, as with many school sports teams, the cycle of senior players finishing school and new students coming through had worked in Waimea’s favour this year.
‘‘It’s swings and roundabouts every year – you get those periods of rebuilding, and obviously when the stars align, you get to a stage where things are working pretty well.
‘‘You’ve also got the scenario where the ones that haven’t played rugby before are looking up to these older girls who are pretty good players, and they don’t know any different, and they’re all trying to lift themselves to that level which makes a bit of a difference as well.’’
Waimea’s development has been apparent in a number of local representative teams.
Ten players were named in the Tasman under-18 team this week, while Leah Miles, Anya Schultz, Jamie Paenga and Jess Harvie were named in the Mako women’s squad for this year’s Farrah Palmer Cup campaign.
Schultz said that given the level of involvement in Tasman teams and other commitments, it was unlikely that the Waimea team would be playing in the Crusaders region final or any subsequent playoff this year.
‘‘We’ve never really delved into it, and it’s a bit of a tricky one . . . a time thing, really, so the quick answer is no.’’