Southland Sport
Management of Touch Southland and Rugby Southland are in the process of formalising mutually beneficial opportunities for both codes.
Regional Manager Warren Bryant and Rugby Southland General Manager Andrew Moreton have met on numerous occasions over the last 3 months around key issues and opportunities and have identified where both Regional Sports Organisations can support each other on and off the field.
Both organisations face the same challenges around player, and referee retention and also acknowledge the similarities around the positive work being undertaken to develop both touch and rugby and the resources required to achieve their respective goals.
Many current players in the Southland high performance rugby system having come from a touch background.
Current New Zealand 7s rugby representative Alena Saili was a member of the Southland Under 21
Women’s touch side before being selected to the National Under 18 women’s rugby side. Other examples are Kendall Buckingham and her recent success of gaining a NZ 7’s development squad trial. 2016/2017 SIT Zero Fees Stags Liam Howley, Greg Dyer, Jahvis Wallace, Mike Molloy, Jaye Thompson and Scott Eade have all represented Southland at touch – just to name a few.
“With the commonality of skills across the two sports and the number of players who have represented us both we envision the partnership being very positive” Moreton said.
As Touch Southland look to improve on a successful 2016 season which saw them capture a 7th National title in addition to a record number of junior regional and national representatives; Warren Bryant believes “the new partnership and shared resources will serve to increase the amount of school children representing their respective schools in Southland Touch’s modules across the province with a strong emphasis on the amount of girls playing.’
Both RSOs also emphasise the benefit of this partnership being able to reinforce the foundation skills of passing, catching, vision and communication by both codes teaching the same skills and being able to apply them to both code situations.
“We’ve been in schools doing development but the way we see it with the increase in familiarity players receive from being involved in both codes we can only expect to see more Southland players both boys and girls playing both codes and possibly donning the Silver Fern in the future” Bryant said.
Increasing our focus on the women’s game has been noted as a priority.
An arrangement has been entered into with Touch Southland to have their Development Officer Scott Eade seconded to Rugby Southland for 4 months in the role of the Womens Development Officer.
Scott’s focus is to create links between females currently playing touch or not playing touch or rugby at all, coming across to variances of rugby through Rippa, Stag Tag, or tackle 7s, 10s, or 15s including a new indoor format to be introduced round parts of Southland.
Eade believes “there is huge potential for girls and women to play both rugby and touch from a young age. The key is for us to show them a clear pathway and give them as many opportunities as we can in becoming the next Alena Saili”