Te Awamutu Sports' Latrell Smiler-Ah Kiong in the 2022 pre-season rugby match against Auckland's College Rifles. Photo / Justin Miezenbeek
Te Awamutu Sports' Latrell Smiler-Ah Kiong in the 2022 pre-season rugby match against Auckland's College Rifles. Photo / Justin Miezenbeek
Reflecting on the 2022 Waikato Draught Premiership club rugby season, Te Awamutu Sports head coach Travis Church is pleased that they're moving in the right direction.
Backed by his coaching staff of former Samoan Sevens player Sam Gibbens, former Waikato captain Jackson Willison and ex-Te Awamutu Sports stalwart Franky Bourke, their premier side made it to the quarterfinals.
"We've been building every year for the past three years from seventh in 2020 to fifth in 2021, just missing out on semis by one win, to making the elimination finals this year is pleasing that we are improving. To finish the round-robin knowing that we gave ourselves the opportunity to play against four or five Super Rugby players in a club side, that really excited the boys," says Church.
"Although we've got a young group, they were really excited about challenging themselves and it was a huge challenge alright. Hautapu were very good on the day.
"I think from that game, we take that experience into next year, with all these under 19-year-old players all sitting around 10 caps now, it puts us into a stronger position heading into pre-season."
He says making the quarterfinal was a brilliant success, but it's made everyone hungrier to play more finals footy.
"It was an exciting week and the boys were really pumped. We went out to Cambridge and in all honesty, the boys were gutted because we really backed our ability to do the job but it wasn't to be. We took a lot of learnings out of it."
Te Awamutu Sports and New Zealand Under 20 winger Cody Nordstrom. Photo / allblacks.com
Around 13 of their squad members were high school leavers going straight into premier rugby but that didn't hold them back, as plenty of them have made representative sides so far in 2022.
Winger Cody Nordstrom was called into the New Zealand Under 20 squad and represented the Chiefs Under 20 alongside Austin Anderson, Taha Kemara and loose forward Malachi Wrampling-Alec while Sean Ralph and Westyn Cobb were in the Barbarians Under-21 side.
There are hopes of more reps to come in the 2022 Bunnings Warehouse NPC squad after Anderson, Kemara, Nordstrom, Ralph and Latrell Smiler-Ah Kiong played in the NPC pre-season match against the Hawke's Bay Magpies in Tokoroa on July 15.
There's also the possibility of several Sports players touring South Africa later in the year with the New Zealand Under 19 team - a tour that Coach Church was part of in 2004.
Another opportunity for the club is the Chiefs Country - Centurion Cup, which is coming to Te Awamutu Sports on July 23 seeing the four Chiefs region provincial unions playing in one-day tournament.
There will no doubt be a Te Awamutu representation in the Waikato side.
Te Awamutu Sports' Sean Ralph (left), Cody Nordstrom, Austin Anderson, Latrell Smiler Ah-Kiong and Taha Kemara played for Waikato in the NPC pre-season match against Hawke's Bay. Photo / Jesse Wood
"It's a really good buzz in the community at the moment. We didn't finish where we wanted to finish but we took two steps in the right direction this year," says Church.
"Hosting the Centurion Cup is a little bit of reward for what we're doing; it's not just about the rugby but trying to promote the game. If we all do our bit, we can make club rugby great again. That's my goal."
Building towards the first World Amateur Rugby Festival taking place in France in 2023, Te Awamutu Sports are on track to field a well-rounded side.
The festival will bring together 20 amateur clubs from 20 of the world's greatest rugby nations at seven different host cities from September 22-30.
"We're going to get a new lot of school leavers but the guys that have been with us for a year can actually help them through that process and show them some leadership around what they need to expect in prem rugby. It's exciting times for sure," says Church.
"The support we received this year was huge. I haven't seen the sidelines full like that for years. Bear with us and keep showing up. The support is really noticed by our boys on the field.
"Especially their vocalness, even when we travelled to Cambridge for the quarterfinal, we had support everywhere. We really appreciate everyone getting behind us, please continue to come out and support us because we love it."
