School and club sevens action aplenty at Papamoa

Tauranga Boys’ College will be defending three titles in the Secondary Schools Sevens championship kicking off tomorrow at Papamoa’s Gordon Spratt Reserve. Photo: Chris James

A chance to rub shoulders with All Blacks Mens and Black Ferns Womens Sevens teams highlights the combined Bay of Plenty Secondary Schools and Baywide Club Sevens at Papamoa's Gordon Spratt Reserve kicking off tomorrow.

The national sevens stars will be checking out the action at the joint tournament from 2pm to 4.30 tomorrow afternoon, signing autographs, handing out prizes and getting involved with skills and drills, as the Secondary Schools championship kicks off.

Under 14 and under 15 boys' and girls' open and development grades will be fought out tomorrow, with under 19 boys' and under 19 girls' competing on Saturday. Both the under 19 grades will be looking to qualify for the Condor Sevens.

A new winner will be crowned in the under 19 girls' division with last year's winner Rotorua Girls' High School not competing, however their under 15s will return looking to claim the title again for 2018.

In the boys' grades, Tauranga Boys' College again return to defend their titles in the under 19, under 15 and under 14 divisions following an impressive finals day last year.

Alongside the Secondary Schools' senior grades the Baywide Club Sevens tournament will be decided at Gordon Spratt Reserve on Saturday.

Nine Bay of Plenty clubs will compete for the open men's Sir Gordon Tietjens Trophy. With 2017 winners Tauranga Sports unable to field a team due to injury, a new title holder will be crowned for 2018.

The Exia Edwards Trophy will provide spectators with a positive display of women's rugby with eight teams taking the field, including newly formed sides Opotiki, Judea and Mount Maunganui Sports. 2017 title holders Rangiuru will be challenged by their local rivals and last year's runners up Rangataua.

This year's Te Manawa Whenua Grade is expected to be an exciting contest across the two pools. Last year's title holder Rangiuru have moved into the open grade allowing for a new title holder between the Division One, Division Two and Senior Reserve Clubs.

Te Puke Sports will again return to defend their Tight Five title. In addition to Te Teko's entries in the Open and Te Manawa Whenua grades they will also field a team to compete in the Tight Five grade.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union Operations Manager Neil Alton says it's fantastic to see a record number of entries this year.

'The growth again in the women's grade with three new teams is great to see, and the support across the men's game with Te Teko fielding a team in each of the men's grades.”

The combined tournament at Gordon Spratt Reserve kicks off at 10am tomorrow with the under 14 boys' grade, and finishes at 3pm with under 15 girls' open grade matches.

Saturday's action begins at 9am with Tauranga Boys' College taking on Rotorua Boys' in the under 19 secondary schools competition, and wraps up at 4:40 with the men's Baywide club open final.

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