Rugby sending a positive message

 

Otamatea Hawks junior rugby players went on a Rugby For Life bus trip recently, held at the newly-named Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei prior to the Northland vs Hawkes Bay match. 

Ritchies provided free buses around the north. Kids got free boot bags and other freebies, and got to meet some of the Taniwha team before going to the stadium. The Silver Ferns put on a barbecue lunch. 

Straight after the curtain-raiser kids from rugby clubs all over the north went on to the field in their uniforms and performed the Taniwha chant. Teams were voted for Best Dressed, won by Eastern (Kaiwaka) with the Best Mascot award taken out by the Otamatea Hawks. Each club received a $500 prize.

After the match, travellers boarded buses home with a dinner sponsored by McDonald's.
Over 400 children attended along with about 250 parents and guardians representing 13 rugby clubs as far afield as Wellsford in the south and Panguru in the north.

Rugby for Life was started by the Northland Rugby Union in 2018 and is a community rugby partnership program aimed at using the power and excitement of rugby to help improve the lives of all Northlanders and their communities and show rugby in a positive light. 

Organiser Sharon Gibson said she hoped the next generation of Northland rugby players would be inspired by experiencing the thrill and excitement of a home game at the Stadium. 

“The kaupapa around this is to wrap some support around the youth and give them aspirations to stay in the game longer, the opportunity to get up close to or meet their local heroes, and to dream big,” said Gibson. “And thanks to sponsors we were able to provide the opportunity for families and kids who may not have otherwise been able to attend – a really positive and unforgettable experience."

It was a lively, high scoring game, but Hawke's Bay continued their unbeaten start to the Mitre 10 Cup, with a 43-28 victory over the Taniwha.

Otamatea Hawks junior rugby players get into the spirit of the game on their recent Rugby For Life bus trip. PHOTO/SUPPLIED