Rugby: LA teens kick it in Rotorua

Inner city Los Angeles and rugby don't normally go together but a group of high school students from the city are hoping to change all that.

The 38 boys and girls from south Los Angeles are currently in New Zealand playing rugby, making friends and soaking up a bit of Kiwi culture on a 17-day tour.

They stopped off in Rotorua yesterday for a training session at the New Zealand Sports Academy before heading to Turangi to prepare for their matches today.

The 14- to 18-year-olds come from three schools within the ICEF Public Schools group, which runs a rugby programme in the city for over 4000 students.

ICEF director of rugby Stuart Krohn has played rugby all over the world, including a two-year stint on the North Shore 24 years ago.

He said rugby was one of the fastest-growing sports in America and was exploding among youth worldwide. However, he said people were still surprised to see his students on a rugby field.

"It's totally unexpected. It's one thing if it's a private school in America," he said. "When it's an inner-city programme you don't expect to see that."

Krohn said the teenagers would be billeted or stay on marae for most of their trip.

"It's culture to culture. The rugby's an excuse and it's a focus for the trip but the real thing is the connecting with people from another culture," he said. "This is liberating for them. It makes an enormous difference and it gives them a thirst for when they finish school, for university and to travel to become global citizens."

Academy director Darrel Shelford, brother Wayne and fellow director Jim Love ran a coaching clinic for the ICEF rugby programme when they passed through Los Angeles earlier this year. Yesterday Shelford again ran drills for the group that includes cheerleading captain turned rugby player Azjah Long and 18-year-old boys captain Asa Garrett who has been part of the programme since it began 10 years ago.

Garrett's team went down 22-20 to Hamilton's Melville High School in their first tour match this week but Krohn was pleased with their performance.

"It was an awesome game, the boys had a lot of fun," Krohn said.

From Turangi the group will enjoy a spot of white-water rafting before taking in the Hurricanes v Cheetahs match in Wellington on Saturday, accompanied by the American ambassador. The tour then continues to the South Island, culminating in participation in a national schools tournament over Easter weekend.