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Twelve-year-old Brayden Bayer of Arkles Bay has been selected for the NZ Tag 20 U14 team that will compete in the Oceania Heritage Cup in Australia next month.
Brayden has been playing Tag since the age of six with Hibiscus Coast Raiders and also plays rugby at Silverdale Rugby Club.
Currently he is preparing for the event with the NZ Tag 20 team, which is made up of players from all over Auckland. Fitness is key with a fast game like Tag and training has included running 18 laps of a rugby field, as well as sports conditioning.
The U14s have also played more senior teams in training and, according to Brayden’s father Paul, “run rings around them”.
Tag 20 Rugby is a non-contact/non-tackling version of Rugby Sevens. Rules are a mix derived from US Flag Football, Rugby and League.
The Oceania Heritage Cup, which takes place in Melbourne November 24–26, was won by NZ teams last year.
With Tag20 Rugby being an amateur sport, Brayden and his teammates need to each pay their own costs. Donations can be made at https://isport.org.nz/campaigns/nz-tag-20/ and there is also a Givealittle page for the NZ Tag20 Youth Teams.
