Nelson Bays youth mixed teams have finished their seasons on a high, claiming gold and silver at the Bunnings Youth National Championships in Christchurch.
The under-18 mixed team went back to back, defending their 2025 title with a commanding 10-4 win over Waikato in the final. The 12-team competition featured plenty of experience, with players across the grades having risen through national tournament pathways. The team opened with confident wins over King Country and Horowhenua Kapiti on day one, before falling 7-3 to Whanganui.
Day two told a different story. Speed and precision saw them score 12 tries against Manawatu and 13 against Counties Manukau, before overcoming a strong Taranaki side 7-4 in the semi-final.
Nelson Touch manager Jemma Taikato says the side are over the moon with the result.
“The team weren’t themselves on day one but did what was needed to make the playoffs. They were brilliant in the semi-final against Taranaki and then backed that up in the final against Waikato.”
In the under-16 grade, Nelson Bays claimed silver after a high-scoring 10-8 final against Wellington. They had earlier edged Auckland 5-4 in a tense semi-final.
Under-16 coach Weesang Paaka says, while the team were disappointed with their final performance, they remain immensely proud of their overall campaign.
“We’re stoked with what we achieved. We had 11 debutants in the team, so to make the final and have chances to win the game was great.”
With so many first-time players, Weesang admits predicting the team’s ceiling was difficult, though he always knew the talent was there.
“It’s hard to know with such a new team how they’ll gel together, but I knew they had plenty of talent. I thought before we left that I’d be disappointed if we didn’t make the playoffs, so we’ve got to be happy with going all the way to the final.”
The Auckland semi-final had taken a heavy toll, Weesang says.
“It was one of those sporting cliches in that we may have played our final in the semi-final. It was such a big effort to get up over Auckland that it took a fair bit for the team to get back up for the final. We did have chances to win as well but just couldn’t convert often enough when we were on their line.”
Both teams acknowledged the tireless work of managers Tracy Marfell and Annemarie Koevoet.
Players from both sides now prepare to represent their colleges at the South Island Secondary Schools Tournament in March.
