Fight on for places in Bay squad
Expect healthy competition for berths in the Hawke’s Bay Sevens squad this summer.
That was the call from Maurice Trapp Group Hawke’s Bay coach Ellery Wilson after his team, which didn’t include any Magpies Mitre 10 Cup squad players, finished fourth at the eight-team Rongotai hosted tournament in Wellington on Saturday.
“I’ll be messaging Magpies players this week to see if they are available. But they have got to be keen . . . we all know how hard preparing for sevens tournaments is,” Wilson said.
“Regardless of how many Magpies I get, there will be tough competition before I finalise my squad of 12 for the Central Region tournament [in Levin on December 1] and the nationals [in Tauranga on December 15 and 16],” Wilson explained.
Former Magpies halfback Wilson pointed out while Napier Old Boys Marist speedster Saia Paese and the Havelock North pair of forward Jacob Stephenson and sweeper Trent Hape were the most impressive of his squad on Saturday, “quite a few players put their hands up”.
Stephenson’s athleticism, communication skills and smart reading of play particularly stood out.
Hawke’s Bay defeated Wellington Black 14-5 and Whanganui 31-12 before drawing 19-all with Manawatu Green in pool play.
Manawatu Green progressed to the final with an extra try-scoring bonus point and Hawke’s Bay took on Canterbury in the playoff for third.
Both sides scored two first half tries and Canterbury led 14-12 at halftime. Hawke’s Bay struck first after the interval to take a 19-14 lead but their next restart failed to go 10m and that was the opening Canterbury needed to work their way up field and score another seven-pointer to lead 21-19 with a minute to play. The red and blacks then sealed the 26-19 victory with a try on fulltime.
Wellington Gold pipped Manawatu Green 21-17 in the final.
Most of Wilson’s training squad will be playing for their clubs in the third annual Napier Old Boys Marist Sevens tournament at Park Island on Saturday. The host club will be aiming for a third consecutive title.
“This will be a good opportunity for me to have a another look at how contenders for our final 12 play,” Wilson added.