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 earlier this month.
Awanui eventually made the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by the Upper Hutt Rams, the Wellington club champions. The side had earlier played and lost to the Rams in pool play, noted manager Glen Subritzky, as well as enjoying wins over Napier Pirates (Hawke's Bay champs), and Suburbs (Auckland champs) to earn the right to advance.
Subritzky noted there were some very 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."
The New Zealand Club Sevens tournament was held at William Jones Park in Wainuiomata from February 6-7.
