The Avonside First XV enjoyed their first home game this week, as they hosted Rangiora High School.

Clear blue skies and no wind meant the conditions were perfect for both players and spectators to enjoy a game of rugby. It was a noticeable difference for the team being able to warm up at school rather than travelling to Burnside Park to play like they usually do. The girls reflected this on the field early with Shanita Baldwin scoring two quick tries in the first 10 minutes.

The team displayed the skills they have been practising all year, with clean lineout ball, securing the ruck and aggressive defence from key players like Toreka Fidow, Rya Fonotia, Abby Power and Madisyn Dysart. Kyla Lynch-Brown benefited from clean ball from Ella Allpress and this allowed her to work her magic and unleash the talented back line. Sydelle Samuelu, who was our player of the day, broke the defence line at will and set up her outsides with slick footwork and passing. Nyrissa was dominant as usual in the centers and was able to deliver a nice pass to Melissa Nasio who scored in the corner. Kavanah Lene was vocal and showed her power and speed as she crashed through the defenders and ran the length of the field several times to score under the posts. Aaliyah Keery showed how much she has learnt this year with her best performance, even crossing the line for a much deserved try.

The week the team was blessed to have some real fire power on the reserve bench. Losa Nasio made an impact as soon as she entered the game creating two turnovers in her first two plays of the game. Jaydika Tafua also made her presence known when she joined the game with her solid defence and barnstorming runs. Kiwa Tipene was aggressive and busy on defence and showed why she should be playing every week. Olivia Yeoman played strongly from the bench also.

The team welcomed back a couple of players this week also. Jonelle Wiki Arapeta played her first game as she has been away on Outward Bound this term. Also returning was Tayla Rakena who has been out for the last couple of weeks. Both girls played strongly with both ball in hand beating defenders and putting in some solid tackles.

Finals:

On Wednesday 23 September, our Avonside 1st XV Rugby team played in the UC Cup Grand Final against CGHS. The team have had an outstanding season, having won 6 out of 7 games played. The team made history for Avonside Girls High School, this being their first time making the Grand Final, a massive achievement in itself.

The girls played hard, made strong tackles, worked together as a team, but most importantly they never gave up. They showed determination and cohesiveness, resulting in them getting over the line and scoring an awesome try. Unfortunately, the girls lost the final, but we are so proud of their efforts all season and coming second overall in the competition. We can’t wait to see what they can achieve in the future!