Dragons turn tables at 7s

Competitive rugby sevens games were played at the Avatiu swamp on Saturday from the under 13 grade right up to the senior A division in what was second round of the club sevens tournament.

One of the features of the weekends games was the influence of the Pacific communities on the island with most teams including Fijian flyers and storming Samoans to complement the local sevens flare.

The Ngatangiia-Matavera Dragons outfit played the most exciting sevens on the day with outstanding skills in keeping the ball alive and creating brilliant plays with little opportunity.

The Dragons elusive winger Sailosi Nagi had a hand in most of the teams tries which saw the side narrowly defeat last weekends Constitution Sevens tournament winners the Tupapa Panthers.

The Dragons then went on to win a one sided game against the Arorangi Cowboys 0-15.

The Avatiu Eels still have a big hill to climb ahead of next weekends grand finals with a first up loss to the tenacious Takuvaine Warriors who outmuscled the Eels 12-10.

The Eels did well to recover from their loss to the Reds to deal out a drubbing against the mostly Fijian Titikaveka Bulls side.

The Eels were in no mood for another defeat and went on to convincingly beat the Bulls 36-5.

The loss for the Bulls was the second for the team on Saturday after a 19-5 hammering by the Arorangi Cowboys.

The Cowboys were unable to carry that form through to their second game when they were outsmarted by the Dragons 15-0.

The Tupapa Panthers registered a win and a loss on Saturday. After a narrow 10-12 loss against the Arorangi Cowboys in their first game the Panthers went on to defeat the Takuvaine Reds 14.7.

The loss for the Reds was a huge disappointment after their surprise first up win against the Avatiu Bulls 12-10.

But all the action wasnt just in the senior A division with some exciting and entertaining games seen in the grassroots under 13, under 16 and under 19 divisions.

In the under 13 grade the Tupapa Panthers look to be the team to beat in this division in which the Arorangi Cowboys favourites to win in the under 16 grade were defeated 12-15 by a resident Takuvaine Reds outfit.

The Cowboys actually led at the half time break 12-0 but the Reds turned things around in the second spell to score three unconverted tries including a brilliant solo effort by Reds winger Jason Potoru.

The strong Avatiu Eels under 19 team, bolstered with sports academy students, look to be the team on the top of this grade but close on their heels are the Panthers and Cowboys.

The grand finals of the three-week tournament will be staged this Friday and Saturday at the Happy Valley in Takuvaine.