Protégés To Pros: 2degrees Womentorship Programme Winners Announced

Winning schools include Haeata Community Campus, Hauraki Plains College, Kaiapoi High School, Kaipara College, Rotorua Girls’ High School, Sacred Heart College (Lower Hutt), St Mary’s College, and Tamaki College

Eight secondary school teams of young female rugby protégés across New Zealand are thrilled to have just been crowned 2degrees Womentorship Programme winners.

From Northland down to Canterbury, winning schools get the chance to spend a day learning from some of the best Super Rugby Aupiki players in the country. They’ll come away with valuable advice for both on and off the field, as well as game insights and training techniques from their idols, all in the name of inspiring young wāhine to pave the way to sporting greatness.

Meriana Tamati, coach at Rotorua Girls’ High School is particularly excited about the training day, noting that the lack of opportunity for her girls is making it hard to keep up motivation to play.

“For our students at Rotorua Girls’ High, meeting a professional rugby player and talking with them may mean the difference between them aspiring to become a professional athlete, to do something with their lives or allowing their current situation to influence their future. My girls don't have access to many resources, experiences or opportunities so giving them this means the absolute world to all of us.

“This training day will give them an insight into what it takes to be at the top of your game. But also, applying strong discipline to sport can also have flow-on effects off the field too. Our girls will learn life skills like working as a team, goal setting, and hard work which will only enrich their sporting, school, and home lives going forward,” says Meriana.

The judging process was a particularly tough one given the number of young players across the country who entered such strong submissions.

“We received over 150 heart-tugging entries, each of them as worthy as the others, and wish we could have given each and every one a day with their sporting idols. We were blown away by the pride and determination our girls across the country give towards rugby, and we can’t wait to see how our Super Rugby Aupiki players are going to inspire our winners both on and off the field,” says Anna Gorman, Head of Sponsorships at 2degrees.

The full list of 2degrees Womentorship Programme winners are:

Waitomo Chiefs Manawa

• Hauraki Plains College

• Rotorua Girls' High School

Hurricanes Poua

• Sacred Heart College (Lower Hutt)

• St Mary's College

Matatū

· Haeata Community Campus

· Kaiapoi High School

nib Blues

• Kaipara College

• Tamaki College

© Scoop Media