Annual Under 15 Boys' Tournament

As part of Winter Tournament Week, the annual Under 15 Tournament comprises sixteen teams from secondary schools (on an invitational basis) who compete in a Cup and Plate section for the Rex Kerr Trophy.

Annual Under 16 Boys' Tournament

Every year in the third term school holidays, the Council holds New Zealand's premier tournament for Under 16 players, comprising teams from all member Provincial Unions, competing in two divisions for the Don Broughton Shield, the Saracens Cup and the Manaaki Tangata Trophy.

Annual Under 18 Boys' Competition

Every year in September, the Council holds a competition for Under 18 teams from member Provincial Unions, competing for the TrustBank Central Secondary Schools Shield first competed for in the 1990's.

Annual Under 19 Tournament

This competition comprises teams from Wellington, Hawkes Bay and Manawatu, and a Hurricanes Heartland Team (comprising players from the Council's member Heartland Provincial Unions), competing for the Central Region Shield on a home and away basis.

Annual Under 20 Heartland Development Series

Comprising teams from the regions Heartland Provincial Unions, the Heartland Development Series is held annually over two weeks, with teams competing for the Hurricanes Under 20 Cup.

Girls' Rugby Development Programmes

Every year, with the support of New Zealand Rugby, the Council provides Development Days, an Under 15 Tournament and an Under 18 Development Camp for young women within the Hurricanes Region.

Annual Hurricanes Sevens Tournament

The best secondary school Sevens players in the region (in Boys and Girls divisions) compete for the Hurricanes Secondary Schools Sevens Cup, hosted by Wairarapa-Bush.

Rugby Development Opportunity For Hurricanes Young Women

Surveys of participation in sport in many countries show that the number of women playing sport is increasing faster than men.

World Rugby reports that women’s rugby is one of the world’s fastest-growing team sports, with now over 1.75 million players globally. This trend is equally apparent in New Zealand, where female players show a high growth rate in player numbers, as a proportion of total players.

In May, the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council will be supporting three Development Days being organised by New Zealand Rugby and the local Provincial Unions, for secondary school age female players.

The Development Days, being held in Palmerston North (14 May), and Napier (21 May) and Wellington (28 May), will focus on developing core rugby skills and putting these into action on the field.

Anna Darling, Women’s Rugby Regional Development Manager for the Central Region is looking forward to the opportunity of working with the talented young women of the Hurricanes region.

“The Hurricanes region has a long history of creating success through its player development programmes and I hope that these Development Days will help to inspire our teenage women to maintain a long-term interest and participation in the game.”

Coinciding with the Manawatu event, there will be Black Ferns trials in Palmerston North, creating an opportunity for the young players to see some of their older peers aspiring for national honours, in action.

The Development Days are part of a comprehensive programme of events for teenage rugby players in the Hurricanes region, administered by the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council Inc.

(Published : 17/04/17)