The New Zealand Wasps Women’s 7s team have been confirmed as the latest team set to contest the 2016 UON Central Coast Sevens Kinesio Cup.
This will be the third tournament in a row for the NZ Wasps womens team.
David Mays NZ Wasps head of rugby said, “The NZ Wasps womens program was established to provide an opportunity for talented female athletes from across New Zealand to showcase their skills against some of the worlds best teams, the UON Central Coast Sevens provides a fantastic opportunity for them to do this. Seven (7) New Zealand Wasps athletes have gone on to be selected for the All Blacks womens 7s team and earned themselves full time contracts, something we are proud to develop as an amateur organization”.
The Wasps have enjoyed a strong showing over the three tournaments contested taking on some of the very best in the world including defending champion and now World and Olympic Champions the Aussie Pearls.
Central Coast Sevens Tournament Director Craig Morgan said “we welcome the return of the New Zealand Wasps, we know the management team and players rate the tournament very highly and they have continually featured a very strong outfit with a great attitude looking to challenge themselves and take the contest to all of the tournaments competitors, we anticipate another youthful and very powerful side that will be in trophy contention”.
Mays added “Former New Zealand Black Ferns captain Victoria Grant will coach the team this year, this will be a tremendous opportunity for “Tors” to develop her Bay of Plenty athletes in preparation for National qualification later in year.
Grant has been appointed Bay of Plenty coach in 2016 and has identified some young exciting talent, who will benefit enormously from this experience, as did the Bay of Plenty team who competed in 2013, winning the Plate that year.
“We really look forward to our continued association with the CC7s and the local Kiwi whanau who provide an awesome hospitality to our teams. The NZ Wasps women and girls NZ Wasps Under 17 teams cant wait to experience what always proves to be an awesome sevens rugby experience at the Central Coast Sevens”.
“We would like to personally thank Doug Marra (Club Captain) and Jim Rackham (Former President) for their continued support to the ladies development wearing the NZ Wasps banner”.
