Top junior rugby talent is on show in Paengaroa today as the Bay of Plenty's top 24 Rippa Rugby school teams compete in the regional final across two divisions.

From the Western Bay of Plenty sub region, Mount Maunganui Primary School, Selwyn Ridge, Fairhaven and Papamoa Schools each have a team in the Year 3-4 finals today.

Green Park School's Ollie Valentine is caught with an opponent from Maungatapu Primary ripping a tag from his belt. Both these school teams are contesting the Baywide final today.

In the Year 5-6 division, Western Bay teams from Maungatapu Primary School, Green Park and Pillans Point Schools and from Tauranga Primary School are competing.

These teams were semi finalists in the Western Bay sub-region heats held on May 18 and on the day were won by Mount Maunganui Primary School and Maungatapu Primary School.

Today's final sees the top 12 teams from each of the Bay of Plenty's three sub regions; eastern, western and central, compete in Paengaroa for the Baywide title.

As extra incentive for the teams, as well as chasing Bay glory, they are playing for places in the National Rippa World Cup finals to be held at North Harbour Stadium on August 7-9.

There is just one place available from the Eastpack Bay of Plenty Rippa Rugby World Cup in the national competition, with it being awarded to the winner of the Year 5-6 final.

The winner from the Bay of Plenty region will have emerged from an initial 80 competing schools and more than 1600 child entrants.

Rippa Rugby is a junior form of rugby in which ‘tackles' are made by tearing Velcro straps from a players' belt.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union rugby development officer Kane Hames says the game is about training some of the sport's key skills to children at a young age.

'Rippa Rugby is outstanding in that it teaches the two fundamental skills of evasion and passing the ball,” says Kane.

Each team must have at least two girls playing at any given time.