Sunday saw the conclusion of the Bayleys Taranaki Under 16 girls competition.
On a beautiful fine day in Inglewood, we had the Coastal girls take on Hawera for 5th and 6th place. An athletic Hawera side proving too hard to handle for the girls from the Coast. Hawera taking 5th place.
In an entertaining 3rd and 4th playoff, that saw several end-to-end tries scored. Waitara prevailed on the back of some slick work by Kathleen Murray in a tight contest over a spirited Central side.
The final saw top qualifiers NPGHS, take on SHGC, in a hotly contested final. Both teams evenly matched as the pool play score of 27-26 would suggest.
With the outstanding young ref, Chloe Sampson in control of the match, SHGC came out of the blocks fast, running out to a 12-0 lead, led by Eva Martin in the backs and Maddi Davison upfront.
The bigger NPGHS pack then got stuck into their work, on the back of some great turnover ruck work by Phoenix Fraser. NPGHS backs strung some nice phases together, lead by Charley Lahmert and Veniana Vakadula. NPGHS led 15-12 at halftime.
The second half proved to be just as tight with Tiani Kensington, Louise Blyde and Michelle Hurley leading the way for SHGC, as they had done all season.
For NPGHS the Dhedadig sisters Janelle and Ruby, as well as the outstanding midfielder Isla Talau, were to the fore all game long, as they had been all season.
NPGHS edged SHGC in another tight contest, 25-17 to become the inaugural Taranaki U 16 girls champions for 2021.
Sides will now turn their attention to their Under 18 games in term 3, as they look to fight for the opportunity to represent Taranaki in the Chief's regional qualifiers.
We'd like to thank all the players, coaches, administration staff and schools for taking part in the inaugural competition and making it a huge success.
A special mention to our principal Secondary School rugby sponsor, Bayleys Taranaki for all your support.
Article added: Wednesday 07 July 2021