Talent of young insideback combination flowers over season
THE season has been rosy for University — or should that read twice as Rosie.
In a starstudded team, two younger players have been making great progress in pivotal positions.
Eighteenyearolds Rosie BuchananBrown and Rosie Kelly have helped the team storm into the today’s women’s club final against Pirates.
University went unbeaten during the round robin and dispatched AlhambraUnion 6510 in the semifinal last Saturday.
The two Rosies have quality players around them including flanker Georgia Mason, second fiveeighth Michaela Baker and centre Sam Hollows. But they have held their own and guided the team around the park nicely.
BuchananBrown has provided some sharp service. The halfback is from Marlborough and started playing Rippa rugby when was 5.
She grew up playing against the boys. The physical education student played on the side of the scrum when she played with the boys.
But her skill set is better suited to halfback in the women’s game.
The diminutive Kelly, who hails from the West Coast, looks more like a halfback and has played most of her rugby in the position. But she has shifted out one place this season in the interests of the team.
The health science student is still honing her tactical kicking skills but the transition has been relatively smooth.
The fact there is a Rosie at halfback and first fiveeighth has not caused any confusion.
‘‘Not yet. But some of the forwards have said we need to sort out a nickname,’’ BuchananBrown said.
Pirates beat University 2710 at Kettle Park last year to claim the crown.
Pirates was the favourite in 2016 but was pipped when Uni
versity scored late to win 1713.
There is a plenty of history between the teams but University has dominated its rival of late, scoring a 517 win earlier in the season followed by a comfortable 487 win in May.
Despite starting as a strong favourite, Kelly said there was still a healthy dose of anxiety in the camp.
‘‘It is definitely more intense this week because it is a bigger game,’’ Kelly said.
‘‘Just the word final makes it more stressful, I guess, and the fact there will probably be more people watching.
‘‘But we’ve prepared the same and we’re trying to keep things as normal as possible.’’
Pirates is missing some key players in Black Ferns contracted player Kilistina Moata’ane and experienced midfielder Greer Muir.
Coach Daniel Johnson said the forwards would have to pick up the slack.
‘‘Our backs will be up with them. It is just Varsity are very fit and we will need to control their loose forwards,’’ he said.
‘‘If we can contain them then we can slow their game down.’’
Pirates will lean heavily on first fiveeighth Sheree Hume and veteran openside flanker Vanessa MacDonald for inspiration, while loose forward Biddy Sefton will shift out to the midfield to plug the gaps left by Muir and Moata’ane.