Internationals turn out for Eketahuna

Two of the Eketahuna team which will line up against Northern United in the grand final of the Wellington premier division women's rugby competition at Porirua on Saturday have represented their country on the international stage ... but in other codes.
Midfield back Maia Tua-Davidson made her debut as a loose forward in the New Zealand women's rugby league side which triumphed at their World Cup tournament on Australia's Sunshine Coast last season.
And wing Michele Clarke had 14 caps for the New Zealand women's football side - mostly
at striker - before retiring from the sport in 2007.
Eketahuna's good fortune is that Tua-Davidson, a physical education teacher at Karamu High School in Hawke's Bay, is able to turn out for them on a regular basis because the rugby league season in the Bay does not get under way until next month.
She made the national rugby league side in her only third season and has always played as a loose forward there but she prefers the backs in rugby because it better suits her style of play which, by her own admission, is all about running the ball at the opposition.
"I've always been more inclined to attack and worry about making mistakes after they have happened," she quipped.
Tua-Davidson has been "absolutely rapt" by the progress made by the Eketahuna side throughout what has been their debut season in the Wellington competition and is adamant they can upset unbeaten Norths in the competition decider.
"They (Norths) have some big forwards and will want to keep it tight.
"If we get enough ball to run them around I don't see any reason why we shouldn't win," she said.
Michele Clarke admits to basically knowing nothing about rugby when she joined up with Eketahuna last season after playing football from an early age.
"I was as green as heck and I think it showed.
"I could run and kick but technically I was pretty ordinary," she said.
This season, however, Clarke has been feeling a lot more at home in her new sport and her form has been good enough for her to be already selected in an extended Wellington NPC squad.
She has played for Eketahuna at both fullback and wing but has a preference for the wing because "you get a bit more time to think out there."
Interestingly enough Clarke sees Norths as possibly providing less of a challenge than did the Johnsonville team they beat 15-10 in the semi-final match at Eketahuna last weekend.
She accepts Norths will be bigger and more physical up front but not as skilful as Johnsonville in general play.
And therefore she agrees with Tua-Davidson that if Eketahuna are able to adopt tactics which provide regular movement of the ball they should run Norths off their feet.
"We've got more speed and fitness and that's what we've got utilise," Clarke said. "Do that and we can win, no doubt about that."