The Mangonui champions got their pre-season build-up off to another good start by giving a good account of themselves at the national club rugby sevens championships in Wainuiomata recently.
Awanui eventually made the semifinals, where they were knocked out by Wellington club champions the Upper Hutt Rams. The side had earlier played and lost to the Rams in pool play, noted manager Glen Subritzky, as well as enjoying wins over Napier Pirate (Hawke's Bay champs), and Suburbs (Auckland champs) to earn the right to advance.
Subritzky said there were classy players on show at the two-day tournament, including a number of well known names from Sir Gordon Tietjens' All Blacks Sevens team such as the O'Donnell brothers and Murphy Taramai.
"Good competition. Anyone could have won it. Upper Hutt were too good for us, big and fit and fast. But we were not far off, our young boys played well."
Melville RFC from Waikato eventually claimed the overall title - the Middlesex County Wavell Wakefield Cup - by beating the Rams 34-24 in the final, and earning the right to host next year's tournament.
