From Murchison to South Auckland, young league and rugby players Ezekiel Taualofa and Nukumaanu Conmee-Ahoafi are enjoying the best of both codes.
After helping their Nelson Bays U16 rugby side swamp Buller, they faced a much tougher assignment at their first NZRL U16s Youth Tournament in Takanini.
“It was an amazing experience. I have never been to a tournament with atmosphere like that before,” says Nuku, who played on the wing.
The Tasman duo was part of the South Island Scorpions which upset Canterbury 10-8 in the opening match.
The Scorpions again cut it fine, beating Hawke’s Bay 22-20 and then throttled Taranaki 34-6 to make the final against the hosts the Counties Manukau Stingrays.
They were soon down 10-0, before Nuku beat two tacklers, close to the line, to launch the fightback.
He struck again in the second spell, while Stoke prop Ezekiel featured too, with several charging runs.
“Every time we got in their half, we made things happen. League is more straight forward than rugby,” says the rangy outside back.
The Stingrays eventually won 32-18 but the Scorpions fought hard and finished strongly with two of the last three tries.
“I enjoyed the bonding with the team. There was heaps of support. The tournament was pretty exhausting but it was good to be a part of it,” declares Ezekiel.
Also right in the thick of it, running the water and offering encouragement, was Scorpions assistant coach Shayne Huhu.
“It was an amazing for this team to make the final for the first time without Canterbury players. I was really proud of everyone,” enthuses the former Waimea Combined Schools rugby coach.
“The sport is on a roll. We just need to promote and grow league in this region.”
Almost immediately, Ezekiel and Nuku reverted to their rugby roles.
They got on the bus with their Nelson Bays team on Saturday and headed to Christchurch for the U16 South Island Rugby Tournament, where they faced several of their league teammates who had also switched back to the 15-a-side code.
