Mahu team has magic touch

Mahurangi College has secured back-to-back national titles, winning the mixed touch trophy at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Touch Championship in Rotorua for the second year running, which took place from December 11 to 14.

Heading into the tournament, the team had big shoes, or rather rugby boots, to fill.

Team manager Donna Wech said there was added pressure knowing people’s expectations because they won last year, but the players embraced that and “took it all in their stride”.

“Of the 16 players in the mixed team, there were five members from last year, with the rest of the players coming into the side from the boys’ or girls’ teams, which are the development teams.”

Co-captains Max Matthews and Sophie Callender led from the front while the new players stepped up, she said.

Having three NZ Touch Blacks taking part helped bolster the side with Max, his brother Luke Matthews and Maia Iversen having won gold with the under 18 mixed team at the Asia Pacific Youth Touch Cup back in May, beating Australia in the final.

In Rotorua, the semi-final against Manukura Mixed proved the toughest match of the tournament for Mahu, who won on a drop-off (an extra-time tiebreaker) to edge the game 9–8. Then they walloped Whanganui High School 7–2 in the final.

“The semi could have gone either way, but going into the final the team was really relaxed and pretty confident,” Wech said.

The players celebrated the win and later on the bus home watched themselves in both the semi and final “over and over again, analysing”.

Another challenge was the new four-day format of the event, up from three days to allow more teams to be included.

Tour manager Claire Winiana said the extra day meant a whole lot more cost in terms of accommodation, food and logistics, not to mention caring for the athletes.

“More teams and a longer schedule is harder on everyone, like the referees. We’ll be putting in feedback to suggest going back to three days.”

Winiana was grateful to Warkworth Oaks, Mahurangi RFC and Warkworth Toyota, who despite the extended competition each provided a van free-of-charge to help transport the boys’, girls’ and mixed touch teams.

Mahu also thanked its sponsors Warkworth Butchery and JG Wech Plumbers & Drainlayers.