The Midwest Thunderbirds girls select side is on tour in New Zealand.
The Baby Birds, under the coaching of Garrett Fisher and John English, and are going through a tour of games, training sessions, and cultural experiences.
The tour was set up and is being run by Irish Rugby Tours>>, which actually runs tours in countries all over the world, not just Ireland.
The team arrived in Wellington where they attended the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa to learn more about the story of the the Polynesian people. They also attending a coaching session at Marist St. Pats Rugby Club.
They followed that up with a series of games against some high-level competition, including recent national girls HS champions Manukura, national semifinalists St. Mary's College, and Whanganui Girls as well.
All three games were competitive, with St. Mary's edging the Baby Birds 15-10, Manukura battling the Midwest to a 10-5 lead after the first 25-minute period, and winning the first 50 minutes 27-5 before the younger players came on and their lead expanded. The Baby Birds beat Whanganui HS 55-0.
"We got a great introduction to the physicality that the Maori and Polynesian players bring to the game," said Head Coach Garrett Fisher. "Manukura's speed of play was incredible. We hung with them and I was proud of the girls, but their skill level, speed to the breakdown, and speed of passing was very impressive. It was an eye-opening experience."
Those early losses set the Midwest team up nicely for the wing against Whanganui.
Fisher had much praise for Irish Rugby Tours, which is headed up by George Hook and prides itself on finding good competition for touring teams.
"I have got to give credit to George for understanding the landscape and funding the right games for us," Fisher said.
