13 girls teams and six boys teams competed in Year 9 and 10 Rippa tournaments organised by Manawatū Rugby on 27 October.

The tournaments, held at Queen Elizabeth College, featured teams from QEC, Palmerston North Girls’ High School, St Peter’s College, Longburn Adventist College, and Feilding High School.

Feilding High School won the boys final, while the girls tournament ran as a round robin.

Manawatū Cyclones players Sam Taylor and Taufa Bason were among the referees for the tournaments. Feilding High School provided a number of students to referee.

Holding an all-girls Rippa tournament was a key goal for Manawatū Rugby this year and part of the union’s application to New Zealand Rugby’s Strategic Alignment Fund.

Manawatū Rugby Game Development and Operations Manager Shaun Eade says both tournaments were great successes and it was particularly encouraging to see so many girls teams take part.

“We were proud to see you many young women giving Rippa rugby a go. Some of them were experienced rugby players, others were touch specialists, and others were new to rugby. We hope this experience encourages them all to go further with rugby. We want to thank the schools for pulling so many teams together.”

Article added: Wednesday 01 November 2023