The Rarotonga-based players in the Cook Islands 7s (union) and 9s (league) women’s teams will enter this weekend’s Raro 7s tournament in a bid to build game fitness ahead of the regional games in the Solomon Islands next month.

The five national squad members will combine with other Rarotonga-based players in the Kewahs team. The team name “Kewahs” is a tribute to coaches Kevin Iro and Ed Exham incorporated with the Warriors chant “Up the Wahs”.

Team manager Natalia Short said four Rarotonga-based 9s players will be part of the Kewahs team: Jamie Gotty, Kiana Sword-Tua, June Willie, and Stepanie Nooroa.

They will be joined by Vaine Lisa Aroita, one of the two Rarotonga-based players in the national 7s squad for the upcoming Oceania 7s and the Pacific Games. The other player, Rima Browne, is away overseas and will miss this weekend’s Raro 7s tournament.

Short said the 9s players have been preparing for the past three months. Iro and Exham have been running the training programme in Rarotonga under the guidance of head coach Rusty Matua.

“This is just for some game time and to practice what we have been training,” Short said.

“The Raro 7s tournament will help players acclimatise to the weather, especially considering it’s going to be 34-35 degrees in the Solomons. The players are looking forward to the hit-out session this weekend and gelling as a team on and off the field.”

The four local players will join five from New Zealand and the remainder from Australia in the 15-member team to the Pacific Games.

Short said they had more Rarotonga players in the initial squad, but others pulled out to represent the country in other codes.

Cook Islands women’s 7s manager Harriet Tuara said the two local players will be joined by players from New Zealand and Australia.

Tuara said the Raro 7s will give the coach and management “a better gauge on where Vaine-Lisa’s game fitness levels are at this point in time”.

“It will also be beneficial for her to have game time in the lead-up to the Pacific Games, being her first time representing at national level in this sporting code.

“We are very excited to observe how she performs this weekend having trained really hard over the last year of preparations.”