Te Puke won the Tai Mitchell boys' tournament at Blake Park. Photo / Supplied
Te Puke won the Tai Mitchell boys' tournament at Blake Park. Photo / Supplied
Junior rugby in Te Puke is booming after the annual Tai Mitchell rugby tournament. And the town is celebrating.
The Te Puke team are 2024 Tai Mitchell Shield champions in the boys’ competition after winning the final by more than 60 points against Tauranga West and going through seven tournament games in five days undefeated.
Praise for Te Puke came from all quarters.
“Phenomenal — an exceptional team,” Ray Atkins, coach of the Tauranga East team who were thumped by Te Puke earlier in the tournament, and one of the tournament organisers, said.
“There was Te Puke and then everyone else. Head and shoulders above, outstanding.”
“Their sportsmanship was superb, their attitude commendable. They demonstrated a lot of respect towards their opponents at the end of a game,” Atkins said.
“Even though many of those opponents were dispatched by big scores. It was a privilege to play against them.”
It is estimated more than 1000 people watched the final yesterday, with more than 10,000 spectators over the five days at Blake Park.
“Fantastic tournament, best ever,” Atkins said.
Tai Mitchell gives intermediate-age players their first taste of representative rugby.
Surprisingly, the biggest problem for the 19 boys’ and girls’ teams comprising more than 500 players was sunburn. The tournament was played in stunning weather, which assisted the big turnout.
“How many rugby tournaments are played where there’s an ongoing demand for sunscreen?” Atkins said.
Action from the Girls' final where Tauranga West beat Tauranga North. Photo / Supplied
The organisers of the first Tai Mitchell tournament in Tauranga for 10 years also received their share of the plaudits — a well-run tournament and excellent facilities at Blake Park.
“Some of the sub-unions in the wider Bay of Plenty aren’t blessed with the same level of facilities we enjoy at Mount Maunganui,” Atkins’ partner Nikki Hansen said.
“They enjoyed Blake Park, thought it was amazing. The grounds, everything, was superb.”
The tournament was also a family affair, with son Kai Atkins, a former Tai Mitchell tournament player, putting school aside for three days to assist with running the tournament.
“He was happy and proud to do it — loved being part of Tai Mitchell at a different level,” Hansen said.
Result of the boys’ competition: Te Puke 1, Tauranga West 2; Whakatane 3, Rotorua Maroon 4; Tauranga East 5, Tauranga North 6; Galatea 7, Ōpōtiki 8; Rotorua Gold 9, Rangitīkei 10.
Girls’ competition: Tauranga West 1, Tauranga North 2; Whakatāne 3, Te Puke 4; Rotorua Maroon 5, Rangitāiki 6; Tauranga East 7, Opotiki 8; Rotorua Gold 9.
