Women’s sevens squad trialling for Oceania

Twelve dedicated local based players have been hard at training and this week the ladies have been working their way through a series of fitness tests under national women’s rugby coach Vaivase Samania.

The team will prepare for the Oceania Women’s Sevens Championships to be hosted by Fiji on August 3 and 4.

The event, which is the Oceania regional qualifier for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 in Russia, will see nine of the top teams from the region compete in a showcase of women’s rugby in the back yard of one of the most famous rugby sevens countries in the world.

Australia and New Zealand have automatically qualified for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 on account of their performance in 2009.

The top team from the other seven competing nations at the Oceania Sevens will qualify for the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) Regional Qualifier in Pune, India in October.

The top three placed teams at this tournament will qualify directly for RWC Sevens 2013.

As well as being the regional qualifier for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013, the Oceania Women’s Sevens Championship will also be the regional qualifier for the Asia-Pacific Women’s Sevens Championship to be held in Borneo in August – the same event the Cook Islands made history at by sending their first ever national womens team who returned home with the plate.

The top three teams will join defending champions Papua New Guinea in Borneo.

Back on the local scene, the women’s rugby association and players will be holding a fat burner Zumba fundraiser on Friday July 6 at the Tupapa Centre starting at 7am.

For tickets contact Julz Westrupp on 55055.