Eketahuna girl picked for Oceania

Eketahuna midfield back Shakira Baker has been named in the 12-strong New Zealand team to play in next month's Oceania women's rugby sevens championship tournament in Fiji.

Baker, who made her debut for the Black Ferns 15-a-side team in England last year, is part of a side which includes two members of the Mystics transtasman league netball line-up, Portia Woodman and Kayla McAlister, as well as World Cup-winning Black Ferns Linda Itunu, Kendra Cocksedge and Huriana Manuel and a teammate of Baker in England last year, Hazel Tubic.

McAlister has an impressive sporting pedigree, being the sister of former All Black Luke McAlister.

The women's sevens team is the first to be selected on the back of the nationwide Go4Gold recruitment programme established to encourage women to play the shorter version of the sport, and also as a starting point towards New Zealand winning a gold medal when women's sevens is introduced to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

More than 1000 women and girls have already registered with the Go4Gold programme and many of them will have the chance to showcase their talents in regional tournaments in August, including a team from Wairarapa which will be coached by Manawatu NPC women's coach John Kendal and Black Fern Rebecca Mahoney.

That the powerful-running Baker will be a key component for New Zealand at the Oceania tourney was evidenced when she scored a hat-trick of tries for Eketahuna in their 29-14 win over Stokes Valley in a Wellington premier division match played at Eketahuna on Saturday.

Baker made several telling breaks through the course of a match which saw Eketahuna pull away in the second half after leading 14-7 at the interval.

Nothing impressed coach Sid Tatana more about the Eketahuna performance than the solid allround effort of the forwards, led by lively loosies Perri Tatana-Williams, Emma Aldworth and Heta Edwards.

"We turned over a lot of their ball, that was really the main difference between the two sides," Tatana said.

"It was quite physical up front and we coped well, we got the backs on the front foot and that was always the plan."

Meanwhile, the draw for semifinal matches in Wairarapa-Bush club rugby on Saturday is:

Tui Cup premier division Championship: Greytown v Gladstone, Greytown at 2.30pm; Martinborough v East Coast, Martinborough at 2.30pm. Plate: Pioneer v Bush Sports, Jeans St at 2.30pm; Carterton v Eketahuna, Eketahuna at 2.30pm.

Shannahan Cup senior B: Rams v Marist, Memorial Park at 2.30pm; Tuhirangi v Puketoi, Pirinoa at 2.30pm. No plate is being played in this grade.