Tauranga's best young rugby players braved the cold and wet today for the first round of the Tai Mitchell tournament.

The tournament has been running for almost 80 years, and for many it is the highlight of the local junior rugby calendar.

SunLive photographer Tracy Hardy captured the action at this afternoon's game between Tauranga North and Tauranga East at Blake Park.

Tournament organiser Darren Harvey says so far, the tournament is going really well.

'We've got a new format this year, going from a six-day tournament to a four-day tournament. During the term we had two pre-qualifying days to determine the draw. So the top six are playing for the Tai Mitchell Shield, and the bottom four are playing for the Bill Murray Trophy.”

He says despite the bad weather, the teams are still playing ‘good, quality' rugby, with a lot of passing.

Today and Friday are pool play, with semi-finals on Saturday and finals on Sunday. Locally, there are four teams from the Western Bay of Plenty playing for the Tai Mitchell Shield, with Opotiki and Whakatane representing the Eastern Bay.

In terms of picking a winner, Darren says it could be anyone's tournament.

'Tauranga West and the Rotorua teams are always strong, although this year Rotorua aren't actually playing for the shield. For example, Rotorua Maroon have gone from winners last year to the bottom four, so fortunes can change year-to-year.”


Tauranga North performing a haka before the game.

Tauranga East performing a haka before the game.











Rotorua Maroon playing against Rangitaiki in the Bill Murray Memorial.