Rugby: Sevens tournament 'fantastic' for Tauranga

Black Fern Portia Woodman dives in for a try. Photo / File

New Zealand's National Sevens Tournament will be a "fantastic" event for Tauranga, drawing visitors to the region, says Tourism Bay of Plenty.

Tauranga's Wharepai Domain will play host to all the on-field action kicking off in December 2018 to boost the number of top-level players available then, New Zealand Rugby announced yesterday.

Tauranga could easily accommodate the large number of athletes and supporters that the tournament would attract, said Bay of Plenty Tourism's head of marketing, Kath Low.

The tourism body undertook a feasibility study on the event with Bay of Plenty Rugby and sought feedback from accommodation suppliers.

"We worked with BOP Rugby on the premise of 28 teams of 15 squad members, equating to 420 beds for a three-night period. We couldn't estimate the number of people who would come to watch the games, however . . . we collectively feel confident that there will be space . . . with a range of accommodation options available."

It would be the latest in a raft of huge sporting events the city had played host to, said Low.

"This month we have a contingent of cricket followers arriving in town, and soon after we will enjoy welcoming jetsprint and hockey supporters. These events are fantastic for the region on so many levels and I hope the locals will get behind welcoming all these visitors to town."

Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless said hosting the national sevens was an outstanding opportunity for the city beyond the economic benefits.

"The passion and tradition of live rugby games is great for the fans and Tauranga gets a chance to show off everything that makes it such a great place to live."

Bay of Plenty chief executive Mike Rogers said the union was delighted the sevens would remain in the Bay.

"Having the event in December in Tauranga gives us the ability to continue to evolve and grow the event as well as engaging with a different part of our Bay of Plenty community that will no doubt get in behind this event as has already been demonstrated by the fantastic support shown by the Tauranga City Council," Rogers said.

The change would take effect after January's Bayleys National Sevens in Rotorua and would align the tournament with the high-performance programmes of both the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens.

New Zealand Rugby high-performance sevens manager Tony Philp said the move was a great opportunity to get the nation's top sevens players together at one event.

"Bringing the nationals sevens forward to December means that unions will be able to call on players from their Mitre 10 Cup, Mitre 10 Heartland Championship and Farah Palmer Cup campaigns to be involved which will improve the standard of competition.

"It also provides a platform for selection to the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens for the following World Series."

New Zealand Rugby acknowledged the efforts of Bay of Plenty and the Rotorua Lakes Council in hosting the National Sevens at Rotorua International Stadium for the past five years.

"It is exciting that the tournament will remain in the province and we look forward to our continued work with Bay of Plenty Rugby in delivering a fantastic event," Philp said.