North Harbour are underdogs for this weekend's national provincial sevens tournament in Rotorua, but will bring a proud history to the event.
Their eight titles, the first won in 1986, are second only to Auckland's, and they were cup finalists in 2013.
Four North Harbour players have won the Joe Tauiwi Memorial Trophy as the tournament's best - Rua Tipoki (2001), Rudi Wulf (2004), Luke Hamilton (2009, during the last victory) and David Raikuna (2013). "The players know all about the history and the guys who have worn the jersey. I'll be emphasising that over the next couple of days," said long-time coach Geoff Alley, a former New Zealand sevens rep who has won the title once as a player (1992) and three times as a coach.
North Harbour placed eighth at last weekend's Bay of Plenty provincial sevens and sixth at last month's northern region qualifiers, but they did hint at their potential in a 14-all draw with eventual winners Auckland last weekend.
"It's been tough, to be honest," said Alley. "It's the worst preparation (results-wise) and I've been coaching this team since 2001. We've had injuries and players unavailable for various reasons. Monday was the first training session we've had where everyone has been available."
