Tasman's sevens teams struggle to make inroads at nationals
Rotorua has been no sevens heaven for Tasman but at least the women's team get to take home some silverware.
The Turf Hotel Tasman men's and women's teams both failed to qualify for the cup playoffs - continuing the union's retched run at the Bayleys National Sevens, staged at Rotorua International Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. But the women's team were able to end the tournament with a memorable 12-10 win over Wairarapa Bush to secure the bowl and another scalp.
Though the bowl final was effectively the bottom two teams playing off to avoid last place, coach Shawn Begg said he was pleased to see his inexperienced side "make history" by winning their first ever game against Wairarapa Bush 19-12 on the first day before returning to beat them again in their final match thanks to two tries by Fern Hoskin.
Tasman's Andrew Knewstubb attempts to bring down Canterbury's Jesse Houston at the National Sevens in Rotorua International Stadium.
"It's good to get some silverware. We brought a young side up here and it's all about developing the young girls, giving them some exposure, seeing what the environment was like.
"There are some good teams up here so we knew we weren't going to be in the top four," Begg said.
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The Tasman women's team, competing at just their second ever national tournament, were unable to trouble any of the competition's top echelon on day one, going down 32-0 to Manawatu, 38-0 to a Canterbury side featuring former Tasman twins Sam and Taylor Curtis, before losing 42-5 against Auckland.
They then lost 19-12 to North Harbour in the plate semifinal on Sunday morning before ending up against Wairarapa Bush for the second time of the tournament.
"We nearly beat North Harbour which could have put us in the running for fifth and sixth, so we weren't too far away.
"We don't have the competition in sevens, and even in 10s and 15s. It's still very much a developing game in Tasman so if we can get some more games together and keep coming up here and mixing it with the best then I'm sure we can only get better."
While Hoskin's brace was crucial in the bowl final, other standout performers included captain Jess Drummond, Jessica Foster and teenage winger Amelia Hammett.
Meanwhile, the men from Makos territory have highlighted once again that impressive results in the traditional 15-a-side game won't necessarily translate into success in the shorter format, struggling to make any inroads on day one of the National Sevens before stuttering their way out of the minor playoffs.
Tasman's men's team, led by standout Jesse Pitman, lost all three of its Pool D matches, starting day one on the back foot after a 38-10 defeat to Manawatu, before losing 17-14 to Waikato in a close encounter and then dropping the third game 29-12 against Canterbury later in the afternoon.
They started day two with a commanding 31-7 win over Heartland Championship outfit Mid Canterbury before losing their bowl semifinal fixture 24-17 to Hawke's Bay.
Assistant coach Gary Stevens said losing in the bowl semifinals for the second year in a row was disappointing and cited a lack of competition in the lead-up to the National Sevens as a contributing factor to the poor finishes from each of the South Island teams who all failed to make the top eight.
"It's the same ranking as last year, 11th or 12th, which is disappointing because we had some clear opportunities to win games, but sevens is a cruel game and simple errors usually cost you and that's what happened," he said.
In order to enhance their preparations for next year, the Tasman Rugby Union is looking to expand the mini-tournament it staged in Picton in December.
AT A GLANCE
Men's results: Manawatu 38 - Tasman 10, Waikato 17 - Tasman 14, Canterbury 29 - Tasman 12, Tasman 31 - Mid Canterbury 7, Hawke's Bay 24 - Tasman 17
Women's results: Manawatu 32 - Tasman 0, Tasman 19 - Wairarapa Bush 12, Canterbury 38 - Tasman 0, Auckland 42 - Tasman 5, North Harbour 19 - Tasman 12, Tasman 12 - Wairarapa Bush 10
