you are here:
NZ Touch National Provincial Championships
10 March 2009
For the fourth consecutive year the NZDF Men’s Over Thirties Touch team has attended the NZ Touch National Provincial Championships. This tournament is the premier Touch event in New Zealand for provincial representative sides, and the NZDF Men’s 30s side has previously won silver (2006) and finished third in 2007.
The 2009 NZDF side was made up of seven NZ Army, six RNZAF and one RNZN players. On day one against tough opposition and in atrocious weather conditions the NZDF disappointingly lost to Kapiti-Horowhenua Red (1-3), and were outclassed by Wellington (0-6) and Canterbury (3-8). Day two thankfully saw the rain subside, only to be replaced by howling Wellington winds. A convincing win against Kapiti-Horowhenua Blue (8-3) raised the players’ spirits but was followed by a loss to Bay of Plenty (4-9).
With results not going the NZDF way, missing out on the semifinals was a huge disappointment. In the playoff for 5th and 6th place the NZDF played the closest to their potential and dominated Kapiti-Horowhenua for the entire game running out winners 9-1.
A comparison has to be made with the provincial competition faced. Provincial representative touch teams are selected before Christmas each year and train regularly for several months in preparation for this annual tournament. A number of NZDF pers forego provincial honours each year in order to represent NZDF. Selected NZDF teams are fortunate to spend three days together prior to competing. The fact that NZDF is competitive at this level at all is testament to the loyalty of the players and the camaraderie that exists in the NZDF. This was evident throughout the tournament with pride and commitment that was clearly displayed on the touch field.
The NZDF Men’s 30s team would like to acknowledge the continued support of CDF and the NZDF Sports Chairperson and Secretary. The opportunity to play at the highest level in NZ is a privilege for many provincial players in any sport and Touch is no different. Without NZDF support many service personnel may never have this experience.
This page was last reviewed on 23 March 2009 and is current.