QCC rugby side off to strong start

A last-gasp try provided an exciting start to the Tasman under-18 girls rugby competition for the Queen Charlotte College Wāhine side.

They took on Motueka High School at Spring Creek’s Awarua Park on Wednesday evening and came out on top 24-22.

QCC left it late to clinch victory, scoring their fourth try and bouncing the conversion over off a post on the final whistle to prevail in a very evenly-matched encounter.

Leading the way for the QCC team, who are going it alone in the Tasman competition this season after being combined with MGC last year, was dynamic No 8 Tiara Lambert, who scored three tries, plus Letitia Calthorpe, who bagged the other touchdown and booted two conversions, which proved pivotal in the final countdown. Also prominent was halfback Livvy Giles, who tackled hard and distributed cleverly throughout.

However, it was very much a team effort that got the job done for the closely-knit Picton-based crew. Despite a limited build-up and with many of their players being relatively new to the game, QCC showed co-ordination at set piece time, attacking flair and some staunch defence in front of a vocal band of supporters. The QCC girls previously attended a 10s tournament in Nelson and had a pre-season game against a Nayland Stoke side, who, along with Motueka HS, Marlborough Girls’ College, Nelson College and Waimea College, make up the six-team weekly