Taranaki’s own Tiana Davison and Iritana Hohaia’s rugby CV has just got bigger after being selected in the New Zealand Under 18 sevens team to play at the Youth Olympic Games in October.

Davison from Sacred Heart Girl’s College and Hohaia from Opunake High School are two of 12 players in the team who played key roles in the qualification process in Sydney earlier this year.

As a result, the side won the Oceania Under 18 Sevens Championship and are the first sevens team to attend the Youth Olympic Games.

However, the build up to the tournament has been a full-on process which featured a rigorous training schedule.

“From September last year there was a build up of a number of camps carried out across the region that underwent fitness testing and sevens trial games” Hohaia said.

All that hard work has paid off for both players who will enjoy the trip to Argentina for the third edition of the Games.

“I’m feeling a little bit nervous but really excited knowing that we are getting this awesome opportunity to give us a taste of the future” Davison said.

“But I’m most looking forward to wearing the silver fern again and doing so while working and playing with an awesome bunch of girls again”.

Both players are also looking forward to seeing what the Olympic life will bring in another country.

Hohaia enjoys the fact another Taranaki player has been selected in the team.

“Not only does it push each other and work harder when undergoing fitness testing, but it also helps clarify things that we are unsure of when working on our performance plans if we are doing skills we can do it together and give each other tips and work ons” she said.

Davison echoes the same benefits and said having another familiar face in the team allows her to challenge herself and helps set and compare goals with one another.

“Both of us are able to understand things at the same level and have the best level of coaching available to us, which is awesome” she said.

In the lead up to the Games, both Davison and Hohaia are hoping to get involved in the Taranaki 15 a-side representative programme to ensure they get plenty of game time and to continue their training.

The side is coached by former Black Ferns captain Victoria Grant, who said the team worked incredibly hard in the lead up to the Oceania event which showed with the on-field performance.

However, she said that the wider squad of 20 players was very difficult to cut down.

The third edition of the summer Youth Olympic Games will take place in Buenos Aires on 6-18 October 2018 and a team of 70 athletes will represent New Zealand.

Article added: 13 June 2018