Top 4 Report: Hamilton GHS

I am from Hamilton so you have thought I would have seen the Hamilton GHS team at least once this year but I really had no info on them or when they play so this was my intro to their program. I naturally wanted Hamilton GHS to win because I am from here but I really wasn’t sure how good they were, so when I saw them I thought “Man!! These chicks can really ball out”. So for me with that first game just seeing them in the first few runs I knew that they could really play.

Now at first site of the team I looked at them as a group and thought “Yeah they look like they have some talent, look like a few touch players in there”. I just watched them run out onto the field just getting a first look judgement on what I think they could be like and how they fit to a game plan. I looked at the two Props Ana Teokatai and Rianna Aspinal thinking “I wonder how long they could play for?” because they are some big girls, but man I was way off with what I thought they could do because they big, strong, very fit, had some passing skills cause they would be used as play makers as well. I was blown away with their skills and watching them hit the ball up I think it was Rianna she ran it up against Southland GHS went 15 meters with tacklers hanging off her she went to ground placed the ball, got up retained the ball and went another 7 meters. Ana was then out in first receiver setting up her team mates putting them into gaps. The work rate of Lena Mitchell the Hooker was cool to see because she did a lot of everything and really kept together her tight 5 making sure that they were going forward. Locks Mele Ahokava and Lataina Moekiola worked good with Lena running the ball because Lataina would take it up Lena blow out and clean the ball out and Mele would be right there getting the next hit up.

They had a few running plays in that opening first half where the forwards alone were making ground at will and Ana, Rianna and Lataina had a big part to play in that work. The Tight 5 were a group that worked together and results came. I watched the loose trio closely to see how they would handle their roles and what they would pick up on around the rucks and tackle areas things like that and they played it just like boys would. Nyesha Hamilton I liked a lot as an Open Side. Nyesha was very fast and played at speed with everything she did, she was getting over the tackled players and going right down over the ball and causing turnovers. She set the standard I think for the 7’s at the Tournament. Nyesha was backed by Blind Side Alsion Mills and very good defender and ball runner and featured a lot behind Lena as a supporter which was great to see. I really liked No.8 Lonita Ngalu who was all class and was so good as a ball runner running through players as well as some foot work play too.

This whole back line was fire and you could see how organized they were because they were playing with speed and pace and winning those battles. The midfield were not big girls who would run over the defenders and the 9 and 10 werent of any real size either but they played things real smart. Arorangi Tauranga looked like she was a touch player and she cleared the ball real fast and kept the pace of the game at a high level in both games as the Halfback. Kiriana Nolan at 1st 5/8 was such a good player with her reading of the defence and then making all the right choices of run, pass or kick 97% time to me got it right. Kiriana and Arorangi worked very well together and their connection with No.8 Lonita was on point and it showed. The midfield of Montessa Taikarena and Jazmin Hotham were so skillful and so smart because they played everything right. They were big girls and they weren’t going to over power anyone but they worked their foot work game and speed and got around players before they knew what to do. Jazmin and Taikarena were very unselfish and had Lela Ieremia and Paj Walker in the game carrying on the momentum. Angenes Solofa who was at fullback but wearing No.22 came up into the line a lot in both game and was very good at making miss matches in the defence and it paid off really well for them.

I really thought the two best teams made it into the finals and I think maybe both teams St Mary’s College and Hamilton GHS should make this a tradition to keep the teams strong and Girls rugby alive in NZ.