Young team keeps rugby spirit alive

BAND: The 2015 Featherston Under 6 rugby team players with assistant coach Casey Pearce (left), and coach Savana Bennett.

Featherston rugby mums are hoping the success of their Under 6 team will keep the rugby spirit alive in the town.

The Under 6 Featherston Rugby Rippas are the only remaining Featherston rugby team and played in the season finals on Saturday.

The club colours of black and blue were hard to miss on the field and even family pets were dyed blue with food colouring for the occasion.

Coach Savana Bennett said she would love to see more youth representing Featherston to keep the club alive next year.

"There basically isn't anyone in Featherston that's sort of keen to keep rugby alive with the younger ones," she said.

"Our club's over 100-years-old and used to be one of the best.

"This season's mums, we're just trying to reestablish what rugby used to be in Featherston.

"We're basically the underdogs that sort of came from nowhere and the kids have just been performing so well.

"The kids have all tried so hard this season. They've been so committed, you know our youngest player is four and she's just tiny and she's there every Saturday, and every training, rain, hail, or shine.

"They're giving it everything, and they've basically had no support from anyone except the rugby mums and family.

"We want to keep ourselves alive, and get our name out there and say that we are still here, and start recruiting players for next season.

"Most of the kids on my team are females as well. We've got so many girl players and they just go out there and kill it. They mean business."

Parents and friends supported the Rippas at the finals in which Featherston tied in both games 7-7 to Gladstone B, and 7-7 to Greytown.