After just a season together, Central Otago’s girls’ rugby team has come out on top.
They were jointly crowned winners of the New Zealand Junior Girls Rugby Festival.
Manager Karla Wilson said the Central Otago Hinds, established this year, provided an opportunity for girls to play with, and against, other girls.
"[They have been] battling it out with the boys for a while — it’s the physicality but it’s also the social aspect.
"A lot of the clubs they play for don’t have the numbers to achieve [a girls’ team] on their own."
The Hinds played for their local mixed teams during the junior club season and the team trained in Alexandra and Cromwell weekly in preparation for the tournament.
An "awesome group" of 19 girls from Alexandra, Matakanui, Cromwell, Upper Clutha and Wakatipu travelled to Auckland late last month to compete in the year 7/8 tackle grade at the festival.
About 900 girls took part in the tournament.
"It’s the points you score on the field but it’s also the points you score off [the field]," Wilson said.
"They’ve really bonded so well as a team ... they were really tight."
The girls were shocked when they were announced as joint overall winners.
"There was absolute silence — crickets."
The "tight" team enjoyed their time together in Auckland, which included participating in the world record haka at Eden Park and speaking to former All Black Ian Jones.
Attention now turns to the future of the team as the coaches and managers were eager to keep the momentum flowing.
"I’m pretty passionate about making sure we carry it on.
"The community’s just been amazing — they’ve got right behind us," Wilson said.
