Sports in Brief

Junior Rugby
Junior rugby kicked off at the weekend with a festival of rugby. Junior teams from across the region descended on Stoke’s Greenmeadows, Upper Moutere Domain and Sport Park Motueka/Motueka High School on Saturday.

Pictured is Stoke U10 player Liam McCorkindale fending off a Riwaka player while Leo King provides support.

Football
Nelson Suburbs has slumped to its second goalless defeat, on the road, losing 3-0 to Coastal Spirit in the Southern League. With their captain Lennon Whewell unavailable, goals were always going to be a push against the second-placed Canterbury side in a match transferred to English Park in Christchurch.

The home side’s star striker Riku Ichimura scored the first of his two goals in the third minute. He leads the league with nine goals. Suburbs will now host FC Nelson in the Chatham Cup on Sunday, desperate to avoid a repeat of last year’s 2-0 loss.

“We put out some young players last year. We won’t be doing that again,” warns coach “Skippy” Stewart.

Ups and downs for young Stoke rugby stars
Frustration for wing Maloni Kunawave and hooker Eli Oudenryn as the New Zealand U20 rugby side drew its opening match 29-all with Australia at the Rugby Championship in South Africa.

A loose tap from Maloni fell in to Aussie hands for a 17-10 half-time lead.
But he quickly atoned in the second half, with two tries in three minutes after the opposition was reduced to 14 players.

Out wide, the Tasman Mako player stepped inside his marker to score, and then he came off his wing to burst over for the second. With the “Baby Blacks” leading 22-17, Eli subbed on and thought he had a try from a rolling maul.

Instead a penalty try was awarded. The Mako hooker than saved two on his own line but was sin binned for his second desperate attempt in the 82nd minute.
Australia then scored a converted try to snatch the draw.

Mako centre Cooper Roberts completed the local complement, and his tackle bust and offload set up the second of his side’s five tries.

South Africa and Argentina are also playing in the quadrangular tournament in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth.

Women's Football
Abi Platt featured for Nelson Suburbs against NW United at Saxton Fields on Sunday. Two late goals denied Nelson Suburbs its first win of the season in the women’s South Island Football League.

Suburbs conceded an early goal to NW United at Saxton Field on Sunday, but strikes from Sola Tsuruta and Abi Platt (pictured), in the 78th minute, had the home side on track to get off the bottom of the table. But goals in the 80th and 90th minutes took the Canterbury side to a 3-2 victory.

It doesn’t get any easier with Suburbs’ next match, in a fortnight, away to the Dunedin City Royals which leads the women’s league.

Sevens
Risaleaana Pouri-Lane had little time to celebrate helping her Black Ferns side wrap up the season in style in Los Angeles on Monday, the 24-year-old Motueka star scored a try as the Black Ferns beat Australia for the third successive tournament in the World Rugby Sevens series.

The Kiwis had already clinched the title, with the final leg to spare, but didn’t let up as they overwhelmed the Aussies 31-7 in the LA final.  Risi immediately switched into 15’s mode, flying to Newcastle to join the Black Ferns ahead of the opening match of the Pacific Four series against Australia. She’s uncapped in the rugby’s longer version and will be vying with established test halfbacks Iritana Hohaia and Maia Joseph for game time.

Meanwhile, Kahurangi’s Jack Gray subbed off the bench for the All Black Sevens as they upset Argentina 38-17 in the men’s third place play-off. It was the first and only time they made the podium in an underwhelming campaign. Argentina had already won the series before playing the Kiwis.