Bay of Plenty sprint champion turned rugby player Mariah Ririnui shows what she can do when she finds space on the rugby field. Photo / Supplied
Bay of Plenty sprint champion turned rugby player Mariah Ririnui shows what she can do when she finds space on the rugby field. Photo / Supplied
Mariah Ririnui has speed to burn, this much we know, but since trying her hand at rugby for the first time this year, the former 100m sprint and long jump national champion is also proving to be a fast learner.
Earlier this year, former national sprint champion Mariah Ririnui tooka leap of faith and signed up for her first season of women's rugby.
She was no stranger to competition, having held the New Zealand women's 100m sprint and long jump titles, but faced a big challenge learning a game she had never played.
She picked things up quickly, playing the full 15-a-side season with Rangataua before moving on to sevens.
At the weekend she played a crucial role in helping the Bay of Plenty women finish third in the Northern Regional Sevens, booking their place at the TECT National Sevens in Tauranga.
"In sevens, there's obviously a lot more space which is more ideal for me because I get to run more," she said.
"But then again, it's also way harder because you need endurance - it's non-stop running. With athletics my training was all for power and speed, now I'm having to be a bit more well rounded and I definitely noticed that in the weekend."
Bay of Plenty's Tynealle Fitzgerald looks to evade a tackle. Photo / Supplied
The Bay of Plenty women won four out of five games at the regional tournament and while qualifying for nationals, being held on December 14-15, was the main objective, there were still things to work on. However, she was finding plenty of motivation in being part of a team.
"Even just in our Bay trainings, we have awesome coaches and just the way they structure trainings is super clear. They break everything down and simplify it, then we just work on doing that basic stuff really well.
"I've got heaps to learn but I am enjoying it. It's cool to be back in a team environment, I played netball in high school but I was doing athletics for about seven years competitively and most of those trainings are probably on your own which can be quite lonely.
"There are some awesome girls in this team and there's a really cool environment where everyone pushes each other but we still have fun."
Matthew Skipwith-Garland at his elusive best for Bay of Plenty. Photo / Supplied
Meanwhile, the Bay of Plenty men also secured their place at nationals with a third place finish, winning four of six games.
Men's head coach Lance Macdonald said his side was building well for nationals and one key to that progression was giving the players a voice.
"A lot of the work-ons are identified by them as well as the coaching staff so we're on the same page and they know what they need to work on. Once you've got that buy in from [the players], it gives training and the way you do things a bit more of a purpose.
"We got better and better as the day went on. They showed a lot of heart and a lot of ticker - we beat the teams we targeted and needed to beat and there were probably one or two others that could've gone our way.
"We're probably running at about 70 per cent capacity so we if add another 30 to our game, then those 50/50 games that are not going our way, hopefully we start turning some of those around."
Bay of Plenty's Rewita Biddle produces some fancy footwork. Photo / Supplied
A sure sign that the team is working well as a unit is, when asked to pick the standout players from the regional tournament, Macdonald said there were too many to choose from.
"They were pretty consistent across the board, it's hard to pinpoint one. We're certainly not reliant on any one person and in saying that there's an argument for four or five guys who played well in different games.
"If you're reliant on one or two people, they're only humans so they can't play well every single game. It's more about having a reliable system and processes."
The Bay of Plenty men and women will now switch their focus to preparing for the TECT National Sevens being held at the Tauranga Domain on December 14-15. To buy tickets go to: nationalsevens.co.nz/tickets/
Results
Bay of Plenty women (3rd place overall) Won 42-0 v Northland Won 14-12 v Auckland Won 28-7 v North Harbour Lost 38-7 v Waikato Won 22-7 v Counties Manukau
Bay of Plenty men (3rd place overall) Lost 19-5 Waikato Won 17-14 v Counties Manukau Lost 33-14 v Auckland Won 29-14 v Northland Won 31-22 v North Harbour Won 57-5 v Thames Valley
