
The 2023 Hurricanes U16 tournament starts tomorrow with the opening round of ‘pre-tournament’ matches, while the Hurricanes U18s series continues with a couple of highly anticipated match-ups.
The U16s tournament is spit into A and B Divisions, with last year’s winners Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay A and both Wellington teams compete for the A division for the Don Broughton Shield and the B Division split into two pools for the Saracens Cup.
Opening round Division A matches tomorrow see Manawatu open their defence against Hawke’s Bay at Ongley Park, Palmerston North, and the Wellington Black and Wellington Gold meeting at Lyndhust Park at 2.30pm.
The first set of Division B encounters see Horowhenua-Kapiti and Whanganui meet at Spriggins Park at 11.30am and Hawke’s Bay Development and Wairarapa-Bush meet at Dannevirke.
The tournament proper is being played the week after next in Napier.
The third weekend of U18s matches see the Wellington Samoa U18s and the Hawke’s Bay U18s contest a feature fixture at neutral Lincoln Park, Ashurst.
There is no official competition this year owing to the severe weather disruptions earlier this year on the east coast, but this is a replay of last year’s final, won by the Wellington Samoans. The Hawke’s Bay side have won both their matches, against the Wellington Centurions (37-7) and Whanganui (83-0). The Samoans had their first game against the Wellington Maori deferred (until this coming Tuesday) and beat the Centurions 31-24.
A second U18s match to follow tomorrow is between the Wellington Centurions U18s and the Wairarapa-Bush U18s. This the early game at Lyndhurst Park at 1.00pm.
The Wellington Maori U18s play the Old Boys University Colts at Te Whaea at midday.
In another representative match in Upper Hutt, the New Zealand Universities Women’s team plays the New Zealand Defence Force at Davis Field at 2.30pm.
The NZU team is coming off a 17-10 loss to the Wellington invitational team this past Tuesday, after leading 10-0 early and then trailing 10-12 at halftime.
This is being livestreamed by Huddy Sports at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrRCR9lA964
In Heartland Championship matches involving lower North Island teams, Whanganui play Ngāti Porou East Coast in a Hurricanes derby, Poverty Bay host North Otago, and Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wairarapa-Bush are both away. H-K is up the line playing King Country in Te Kuiti and Wai-Bush are down south meeting Buller.
In the NPC, Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay meet tonight for the Kel Tremain Trophy in Napier and the Wellington Lions face the Bay of Plenty Steamers in Rotorua on Sunday.
Elsewhere, it is the final of the National Knockout Cup competition. Takapuna, who took down the OBU Scallywags in last Saturday’s semi-final, host Christchurch’s High School Old Boys tomorrow at North Harbour Stadium at 2.05pm.
Teamlists (as received below):
Centurions U18s
- Braedyn Goli (Oriental Rongotai RFC)
- George White (Hutt International Boys’ School)
- Samuela Moli (Scots College)
- Jackson Mendoza (St Pat’s Silverstream)
- Finn O’Sullivan (Wellington College)
- Anthony Hunt (Tawa College)
- Tom Devery (Hutt International Boys’ School)
- Jack Riley (Wellington College)
- Ollie Cuff) St Pat’s Silverstream)
- Jayde Burns (St Pat’s Wellington)
- Alex McAslan (Scots College)
- Meta Afamasaga (Tawa RFC_
- Jacob Kennedy (Wellington College)
- Sean Carter (Hutt International Boys’ School)
- Manihera Gardiner (Scots College)
- Charlie Barton (Scots College)
- Adwin Ngu (Naenae College)
- Jarred Kuresa (Tawa RFC)
- Rakai Paea (Mana College)
- Seth Bailey (Mana College)
- Jake Lawson (Scots College)
- Jason Faleafaga (Mana College)
Hawke’s Bay U18s
- Tasman Soanai Oeti (C)
- Juan Ross
- Richie Magele
- George Prouting
- Ben Campbell
- Daniel Toala
- Taufa Kaufononga
- Perez Malo
- Mike Brown
- Izaiah Tuliau
- Kyan Lowe
- CJ Mienie
- Yuri Rowlands
- Charlie Nash
- Mokau Lambert
- Membrenz Tahu
- Viane Brown
- Kane Ngawhare
- Tori Randell
- Harry Kirkpatrick
- Thomas Baines
- Cramer Hannan