North Island Schools Sevens action in Rotorua

The best young schools' sevens talent will be chasing titles in Rotorua this weekend. Photo / File

Rotorua will be treated to an abundance of sevens rugby at the North Island Secondary Schools Sevens to be held Friday and Saturday at the International Stadium.

Bay of Plenty Rugby is excited to again host this tournament showcasing the future stars of New Zealand Sevens and potential Olympians.

This weekend there are 12 under-15 boys' teams with five making up the under-15 boys' open grade and seven forming the under-15 co-ed grade. There are also 11 under-15 girls' teams, fourteen under-19 girls' teams with five teams competing in the under-19 development grade and nine in the under-19 open grade.

An added incentive will be the presence of the NZ Sevens talent identification team on finals day.

New champions will be crowned for the under-15 boys' and under-15 girls' grades with title holders Rotorua Boys' High School not competing.

Tauranga Girls' College are back to defend their under-19 girls' title in a tough grade with former champions Hamilton Girls' and Feilding also in the hunt to retake their former title.

The addition of an under-19 girls' development grade to the tournament for the first time is a reflection of the growth in girls' rugby nationally.

Tournament director Ian Parata said the tournament was a great one and would be the start of an Olympic journey for some players.

"I am again looking forward to running this tournament," he said. "The talent that we will have on display will be fantastic to watch and to see the growth in these young athletes skill set will provide plenty of excitement for spectators. We are confident this tournament will continue to be a high quality experience for all involved.

"We look forward to sharing this experience with the players and parents at the International Stadium. Having finals on a Saturday makes this a real whanau event with our future talent doing their best to take home the medals."

The sevens action is from 10am to 5pm on Friday and Saturday.