Unison and the Hawke's Bay Rugby Football Union gave the province's most promising secondary school players the opportunity to develop their skills at the inaugural 1st XV development camp in Hastings on Friday.
The camp is part of the Unison 1st XV Challenge which offers two tiers of competition for the region's secondary school teams: the Challenge Cup and the Challenge Shield.
Unison Group CEO Ken Sutherland said Unison was proud to extend their support of grassroots rugby in the Bay: "This is an exciting addition to our existing junior rugby sponsorship. Thousands of Hawke's Bay children have benefited over our four years of partnership with the Hawke's Bay union, and we're pleased to be able to offer that same support to the regions' secondary school competition."
Twenty-four players attended the Lindisfarne College-hosted camp. Hawke's Bay secondary schools participating in the competition were invited to nominate talented 1st XV players to attend the training camp run by Magpies coaches Craig Philpott and Danny Lee and the union's player development manager Joe Payton.
The camp aimed to equip players with new skills which will enable them to follow the paths of many of Hawke's Bay's top sports people.