It has been a great year for youth high performance in Auckland! In the past two weeks we have hosted the New Zealand U15 and U18 tournaments at Waitemata Rugby Club, with teams from Waikato and Wellington traveling to compete. This was the first year where Auckland and North Harbour girls played on the same teams, and we introduced Maroon as a team colour alongside blue and white.
The weekend 16-17 September was the U15 tournament, and we had three teams in the competition. Auckland Maroon came in second place against Waikato Yellow in the final; while Auckland Blue took out fourth place, and Auckland White sixth.
We congratulate the following Auckland players for receiving player of the match awards over the weekend: Jasmine Butler, Korenza Heath, Isobel Morley, Kayla Nuzum, and Jade Panoho. A further congratulations to Isobel Morley, Crystal Ruddell, Jade Panoho, and Kayla Nuzum for making tournament team selections! And to Sarah Butler, our Auckland U18 Blue head coach who was selected as umpire of the tournament.
We also entered three teams the following weekend at the U18 tournament. For the first time since 2012, we are the U18 national champions! Auckland Blue had a stunning 12-6 final victory over Waikato Yellow. Auckland Maroon came in fourth place and White in fifth.
Congratulations to the following players for receiving player of the match awards over the weekend: Rachel Adams, Nikki Fordyce (who won on two separate games), Hana Godfrey, Rebecca Godfrey, Wynona Moore, Sage Godfrey, and Victoria Kelly. A further congratulations to players Victoria Kelly, Lucy Hackett, Sophia Morcom, Harriette Overend, Nikki Fordyce, Kayla Nuzum, Ollie Archer and coaches Sarah Butler and Nigel Tan who were selected for tournament team honours!
And a final huge mihi to Nikki Fordyce, the inaugural winner of the Jess Evans Award for Most Valuable U18 Player from the whole tournament.
We would like to thank everyone who was involved in helping our girls to play this year. To all our parents and families, our coaching and management staff, and the NZWLA, thank you for your time and dedication in making this tournament a success for everyone involved.
