Masterton Rippas punt for gold

A select group of Douglas Park schoolkids are to have their 15 minutes of fame tonight when they run on to the rugby turf at Wellington's Westpac Stadium.
The unbeaten Rippa Rugby team, who this season won the Wairarapa Rippa Rugby World Cup, are to play rivals Otaki Primary in the curtain-raiser to the Hurricanes v Lions Super Rugby clash.
If they win, the side will qualify to travel to Auckland later in the year to contest the final of the national Rippa Rugby competition, being held in conjunction with the Rugby World Cup.
Rippa Rugby is played by seven players - three girls and four boys - for seven minutes each way, with one minute for the changeover.
A potential problem for Douglas Park will be the absence of star try scorer Jack Eschenbach, but coach Fergus McLean said he was confident the team had enough depth to overcome the loss of Jack and win anyway.