Selwyn Times: July 14, 2021

Selwyn Times Wednesday July 14 2021
28
SPORT
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Focus on building players’ confidence
• From page 27
“Rugby was one of our very
first initiatives to get up off the
ground (in 2012),” said Surie,
who was supported by school and
teammates.
“We wanted to make sure other
girls had the same opportunities
to feel the enjoyment we did.”
Results are clearly not the bottom
line as Surie reflects on the
impact of a former player Lucy
Cahill, a foundation ambassador.
“Lucy played for the foundation,
loved it so much and got the
Villa (Maria) team up and running.
That’s exactly what we want
to see,” she said.
There’s something else Surie is
rapt to witness as she explains: “We
have a girl who started with the
team in year 9, this is her last year.
“When she turned up at the first
game she was totally shy and not
so keen to go on the field, now she’s
one of the leaders in the team. To
see her grow over the years … to
see the confidence makes all those
volunteer hours worth it to see
something like that.
“She wants to stick around
with the foundation once she
leaves school to come back and
coach.”
Surie said the competition had
progressed since the foundation
debuted almost a decade ago.
“It’s certainly evolved in a
sense of being supported by the
community. It’s really cool to see
businesses come on board, and
sponsors. Canterbury Rugby has
put a lot of resources into the
competition as well.
Canterbury Rugby Football
Union’s female development
officer Liz Worthington said increased
sponsorship has enabled
the organisation to direct more
resources to the 10-team girls
competition.
The figures are commercially
sensitive though Mills said 20
per cent is directed to the 1st XV
competition and 65 per cent in
total to women’s rugby through
the FPC squad.
“Some of that money helps get
more people on the grass, there’s
a lot of schools and teams to get
around,” Worthington said.
The CRFU funds seven FPC
players to visit schools and run
sessions on building
culture or tactical and
technical expertise.
“The competition still
has a long way to go,”
Worthington admitted.
“Obviously there’s a
big difference between
schoolgirl and schoolboy
rugby, the level it’s currently
played at. It would
be nice to see the girls
improve and grow into a better
space.”
While leading boys’ teams have
had former All Blacks on their
coaching staff – Reuben Thorne
Jacqui
Restieaux
TACKLED:
Lincoln:
Rolleston
College
Combined
player Celine
Russell is
tackled during
the clash with
Marian College:
Wahine Toa.
PHOTO; GEOFF
SLOAN
led Christ’s College last year –
Villa Maria 1st XV’s coaching
set-up is very much old school:
parents Richard Arnott
and Pete Cahill do it very
much for the love of the
game.
Villa Maria used to
combine with Hornby
High School and Forward
Foundation but
Cahill’s daughter Lucy
helped form the college’s
own team.
“Over the last two years
we’ve been fortunate where we’ve
really grown the sport and we’re
able to field a full team,” said
team manager and Villa Maria’s
sports director, Jacqui Restieaux.
“The beauty of our team is the
majority of the girls have actually
never played before. They’d never
thrown a rugby ball before, they
turned up to the first training,
they’ve learnt the basic skills and
are now playing some really good
rugby.”
Villa Maria have a squad of
29 and the players not required
on game day instead bolster the
ranks of other teams in the competition,
a sporting, collaborative
approach.
“The other girls go and play for
Hornby or whoever else needs
extra players. That way at least
they’re still playing and getting a
game,” Restieaux said.
Arnott has had a long association
with Lincoln University and
he has also coached women’s
teams.
“He’s come in with the philosophy
of wanting to just teach the
basics. In the past we’ve found
girls don’t know how to tackle
and they don’t know how to fall
to the ground. They would train,
play their first game, they’d get a
knock and they wouldn’t want to
play anymore,” Restieaux said.
“We’ve focused on teaching
them those basic skills so when
they are on the field they’re feeling
confident.”
She said a key to the side’s
success and regeneration was it
spanned years 9 to 13.
• Turn to page 30
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