Tongariro Junior Team shines at rugby tournament

The region was represented by the Tongariro Junior Team at the Junior Girls’ Rugby Tournament in Auckland on Labour Weekend.

With an impressive four wins from five games, the 20-strong squad of under 13s played to impress against teams from all over New Zealand.

The games were streamed online from Ponsonby Rugby Club, where the girls really gave it their all, says coach Quinn Matene.

With teams from Invercargill to Whangerei competing, there was stiff competition in the games, which were made up of two 15-minute halves.

It wasn’t all hard work, though. As part of the festival, the team also had opportunities to get inspired off the field. The girls were invited to an open day at Auckland team the Blues’ headquarters, where Quinn says they learned about the workings of a professional rugby club.

They were also provided with tickets to the Rugby World Cup matches. “We went to the England v South Africa game, so we got to experience that,” says Quinn, with the girls learning technical skills and sportsmanship along the way.

Some of the team were so inspired that they returned to Auckland to watch last weekend’s grand final, with one lucky Tongariro Junior player being gifted a Black Ferns jersey by none other than Ruby Tui after the game. Perhaps unsurprisingly, says Quinn, “they all want to be Black Ferns now”.