For tournaments, QEII Park in a league of its own
Aranui High School’s Mananui Te Heu (left), Setima Pua’avase, and Lewis Fanene were part of the school’s 1st XIII rugby league team which went down 18-10 to Auckland’s St Paul’s College at the National Secondary Schools’ Rugby League Tournament at QEII Park last month. For the Aranui community though, the four-day event gave their boys a rare chance to play in front of scouts from some of Australia’s National Rugby League clubs the Brisbane Broncos, Wests Tigers, Parramata Eels, and Penrith Panthers.
"The whole point of the event was to save Rugby League as a sport in school nationally, and to give these boys an opportunity to be seen by professional clubs," says Rachael Fonotia of the Aranui Community Trust.
"I think the event was hugely successful in doing this, and it was made even more amazing by us being able to use one of Christchurch’s premier venues — QEII Park," Ms Fonotia says.
She says staff at the City Council facility did wonders to make the tournament teams from New Zealand’s best rugby league schools feel welcome and the Australian scouts applauded how smoothly the event had run and the venue.
"The Aranui Academy boys already treat QEII Park as their home ground, but for the community of Aranui to be able to come along, sit in the sunshine and watch their children play, it was great," Ms Fonotia says.
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