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Players from the Salmon Arm School rugby team travelled 12,000kms from Canada last month to play the girls and boys senior teams from Mahurangi College.
Both games were a near whitewash, with Mahurangi fielding a strong defence that the Yetis struggled to penetrate.
Ultimately the decision was made to stop keeping score and in both games the teams were mixed in the final quarter.
The Canadian Yetis are here for a tour that has been two years in the planning and sees them play against teams from Kaipara, Mahurangi, Rotorua, Tauranga, and Whitianga.
Yetis girls coach Daniel Beats says touring the rugby hub of the world had so far been challenging but a great learning experience, particularly as the game is not as popular in his home country.
“Rugby isn’t a televised sport in Canada and parents seem to think it’s more dangerous than it is, so it can be difficult to get the players,” he says.
“The other challenge today has been coming from -15C weather with snow up to our knees. New Zealand is very humid in comparison, which makes things tiring, and it’s difficult to stay hydrated,” he says.
But Salmon Arm players believe that no sport in the world fosters the level of camaraderie like rugby because of the high level of team work required.
Mahurangi College director of sport Karlie Stanbra said the school was pleased to take up the opportunity when approached by the Canadian team.
“These events are what the kids are going to remember. The Canadian players were billeted, so there will be lifelong friendships that come out of this,” she says.
“We had some new recruits in the girls team, simply because it was an exciting event they wanted to be a part of.”
Star player Tenaija Fletcher fends off a tackle.
The decision to stop keeping score came after Tenaija Fletcher on the Mahurangi girls side had scored so many tries that referees decided it would be better to just call it a friendly game.
“She is a very promising player knocking on the door of NZ rugby,” Stanbra says.
Tenaija was awarded a scholarship from the Tania Dalton Foundation last month, which will provide financial aid and mentoring over four years.
“It’s going to help a lot with all the costs involved in club fees, uniforms, gear, and physio,” Tenaija says.
As part of the third year of her contract with the foundation, she is required to organise a project that gives back to the community and Tenaija wants to set up a permanent senior girls rugby team.
“Girls rugby is really growing on a national level and to have it in our community would be huge. It’s about supporting that growth from a grassroots level,” she says.
She says the enthusiasm from girls to play against the Canadian Yetis showed there is an appetite for the game.
Tania Dalton Foundation spokesperson Duane Dalton says Tenaija is an excellent choice to be a recipient of the scholarship because she is a passionate player who has just scratched the surface of her potential.
