09 April 2023
The NZRL National District 9s continued at Bruce Pulman Park today, with the U18s grade kicking off their tournament weekend.
Otago v Waikato After a close first half, the Waikato side pulled away in the second half, coming out on top 20-4.
Northland v Auckland A dominant Auckland red side showed their strength, keeping Northland off the board to take the win 16-0.
Canterbury v Waikato The Cantabrians opened the scoring, but Waikato matched them for every point. Both teams came to a draw 14-14.
Manawatu v Auckland A close game going try-for-try, with Auckland narrowly taking the win 10-8 over the Manawatu side.
Otago v Auckland Both sides were evenly matched and kept each other from crossing the try line, leaving the score at 0-0 full-time.
Auckland v Auckland A very physical match-up between the two Auckland sides. Auckland White was tenacious to win 20-6 over Auckland Blue.
Wellington v Canterbury An intense game between two strong teams, with the Wellingtonians coming out on top 8-0 at full-time.
Northland v Wellington The Northlanders did well to get ahead by halftime, with Wellington only a try behind. The momentum shifted in favour of Wellington, with their strong left edge sealing an 18-12 win.
Hauraki v Otago Some early errors from Hauraki put Otago just ahead by a try at halftime. The Hauraki team did well to come back and stay in the contest, drawing the game up at 12-12 full-time.
Manawatu v Waikato The Waikato boys played a dominant 18 minutes, claiming a 26-8 victory over Manawatu.
Canterbury v Auckland Canterbury 18s Boys had a strong performance against the Auckland Rugby League 18s. Canterbury completely outplayed the Auckland side, beating them easily 24 – 4.
Auckland Blue v Wellington The two sides constantly battled for 18 minutes, with Auckland just winning by a conversion. Final score 6-4 to Auckland Blue.
Auckland White v Canterbury A strong Auckland White team dispatched the Canterbury 18s girls with a dominant performance against the South Island team. Auckland White took the win 24 – 4.
Northland v Waikato The two teams battled try-for-try, with the Waikato girls eventually emerging as the victors, 16-10.
Hauraki v Wellington A strong Wellington side controlled possession and the game, finishing victorious with 22 points to Hauraki’s 4.
Northland v Otago The Northland 18s boys came into their next match searching for their first win in the tournament against the Otago 18s boys. Tries came quickly and fast for both teams, but Northland ultimately ran away with the match 22 – 4.
Waikato v Auckland Red Waikato 18s girls and Auckland Red girls came into the third round needing a win. The match-up was close, with nothing between either of the teams 6 – 6 at halftime. In the second half, Auckland Red kicked into high gear and ran away with the match 20 – 6.
Otago v Northland Northland displayed their skill and speed to dominate this game, scoring 26 points for a 26-6 full-time score over Otago.
Canterbury v Manawatu Canterbury 18s Boys came into their last match of the day against Manawatu 18s with confidence after winning their first two matches. The first half of the match was close, with Canterbury leading into halftime 12 – 4. Canterbury battled and kept their lead through the second half to take the win 16 – 8.
Auckland v Waikato The Auckland side played a physical game to produce a 20-4 win over Waikato, who did well to get points on the board.
Auckland White v Wellington The Auckland White 18s took on the Wellington 18s in a close matchup. Ultimately, the Auckland side took the win 10 – 8.
Canterbury v Auckland Blue There was nothing between Canterbury and Auckland Blue. After 18 minutes, the match ended with a draw 8-8.
Northern Swords v Hauraki After a close first half, the Northern Swords extended their lead over Hauraki to win 20 – 10.
Otago v Wellington Wellington had by far the most dominant performance of the day, taking the game with ease 0 – 38.
GIRLS 18s standings
POOL A
Auckland Red WRFL: Waikato RLN: Northland Otago Rugby League: Otago
POOL B
Auckland White Auckland Blue Wellington Rugby League Canterbury Rugby League
BOYS 18s standings
Wellington Rugby League Northern Swords Hauraki District RL Otago Rugby League
Canterbury Rugby League Auckland Rugby League Waikato Manawatu Rugby Football League
9 April 2023
Wellington played Northland in the Girls’ 16s Final, where the girls from the capital put on a dominant performance.
Looking to avenge their finals loss last year, Wellington came out firing drawing first blood. Costly errors kept Northland under pressure in the first half as Wellington went into the sheds with a 10-0 lead.
Wellington continued their momentum into the second half scoring two back-to-back tries. A last-ditch effort from the Northlanders wasn’t enough, as the Wellington Orcas were crowned U16s Girls’ Champions with a 20-6 win over Northland.
Canterbury took on tournament dark horse Manawatu in the Boys’ 16s final.
The Southern 9s Champions opened the scoring with a clever dummy half run as Ill-discipline would cost Manawatu.
Brilliant individual skill gave Canterbury their second; however, Manawatu found their groove as quick play the balls scored them their first points of the game.
Errors from Canterbury in their own half cost them as Manawatu scooped up a loose ball levelling the score right before half-time.
The second half was an arm wrestle with both sides tight on defence. However, Canterbury took their chances with a lovely cut-out pass, putting their winger over to gain the lead.
Manawatu, in a last-ditch effort pulled off a slick draw & pass evening the score at full-time.
The final quickly turned into a golden point match.
A costly error in Canterbury’s play the ball gave Manawatu possession 20 metres out from the Southerners’ line.
Manawatu would use this to snatch the title running over to claim the U16s 9s Championship 18-14.
08 April 2023
The NZRL National District 9s kicked off at Bruce Pulman Park this Easter Saturday, with the U16s Girls’ grade beginning the tournament weekend.
Wellington earned their first tournament points with an 18-4 victory over Hawkes Bay. A North v South battle soon followed when Northland took on Otago, where an early kick-off error by Northland saw Otago open up the scoring. Northland promptly responded with three tries in the first half, claiming a 24-12 win over the Southerners.
The Otago Boys took on Coastline to kick off the U16s Boys’ tournament. A late comeback from Coastline wasn’t enough as the Southerners proved too strong, earning a 22-10 victory. Manawatu then showed a dominant 24 – 4 display over the Northlanders.
Girls’ U16s 2022 Champions Auckland took on Canterbury to kickstart their campaign. A close first half ended with Auckland narrowly leading at halftime. Reigning champions Canterbury came back with a show of dominance in the second half, scoring four unanswered tries to win the game 30-10.
A close encounter between Waikato and Manawatu girls soon followed, where a strong Manawatu right edge scored two early back-to-back tries. Waikato answered back, but a very close second half eventually saw Manawatu come out on top 12 points to 10.
A rematch of the 2022 Boys’ final saw reigning champions Canterbury take on runners-up Waikato. It was a tight affair, with nothing separating the teams at half-time; however, Canterbury picked up the pace in the second half, running away with it 12-4.
Wellington boys then took on Auckland boys in a tight encounter. The boys from the Captial had the upper hand keeping the 09 scoreless, 8-0. Wellington girls then kept the winning momentum for the black and yellow, with a dominant 24-4 display over Otago.
The Northland girls then showed up against Hawkes Bay, winning four tries to one; however, the Northland boys went down to Otago 12-4. The Manawatu men soon followed with an impressive 28-10 performance against Coastline.
After losing to Canterbury, the Auckland girls redeemed with a two-point victory over Waikato, while Manawatu upset reigning champs Canterbury with a 26-18 win.
Back to the boys’ grade, the Cantabrians got the win over Auckland three tries to one, while Wellington continued their dominance with a 22-4 victory over Waikato. In a tightly contested game, Wellington snatched victory over Northland girls 18-16, while Hawkes Bay ran away with a win over Otago 20-8.
Manawatu kept Otago scoreless in the Boy’s Pool with a 14-point victory before Northland ran away with a 34-24 win over Coastline.
Some great ball play by the Auckland girls saw them beat Manawatu 22-8 before Canterbury pipped Waikato at the post with a four-point victory in the final girls’ match of the day.
The boys continued Canterbury’s dominance beating Wellington 16-14 in what was a top-of-the-table clash before Auckland claimed a 22 to 8 victory over Waikato in what was the final match of Day 1.
Canterbury finished at the top of both Boys’ B and Girls’ B pools, with the Southerners stamping their mark on the U16s grade.
Manawatu had a strong showing in the Boys’ grade finishing top of Pool A, while Wellington took out Girl’s Pool B.
GIRLS 16s standings
Wellington
Northland
Hawkes Bay
Otago
Canterbury
Auckland
Waikato
Manawatu
BOYS 16s standings
Coastline
