It was girl power in the Mount Beach 5s competition today, with female rugby players entering the beach rugby tournament for the first time.

Tauranga Sports verses Hawkes Bay at the final game of the Mount Beach 5s tournament. Photos: Tracy Hardy.

Two women's teams from Bay of Plenty and Opotiki joined eight men's teams in the beach rugby tournament played at Mount Main Beach today, returning to the beachside following a previous competition in November.

Beach Rugby committee member Chris Webb says teams have upped their game since the November tournament and, for the first time ever, women have entered the tournament.

'We had two ladies teams for an exhibition game, but we've committed now to building the second pitch in November [2016] and having the ladies tournament to run alongside the men's tournament.”

The eight men's teams were made up of rugby players from Tauranga Sports and Papamoa Rugby Club, and from as far as Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Competition finals were played this afternoon, with Tauranga Sports winning 7-3 against Hawkes Bay.

Beach rugby is played on a 31 metre sandy pitch including two three-metre goal areas. There are no scrums or line-outs and teams are made up of 12 players, with five on the pitch and seven rolling substitutes.

'This is why it's the fastest game of rugby in the world is because the ball's always live,” says Chris. 'So if you score the opposition can pick the ball up and run to the middle, tap and go. It's constant.

'Anyone who is fit can play, but it is full contact so if you know how to take a tackle and give a tackle you'll survive a little bit longer.”

A Tauranga Sports player performs a forward roll try.

Chris says the beach rugby competition is growing in popularity and interest, with a three-year plan of holding four tournaments throughout New Zealand. "

Next year the tournament will be played in Christchurch including a super championship tournament at Mount Maunganui in 2017. 'This is the home of beach rugby in New Zealand,” says Chris.

He's hoping the next competition at Mount Main Beach in November will be bigger than the first.

'We'll stick to the same format but as time goes by the standard will get better and better and hopefully we can have more tournaments around the country.”

Chris says beach rugby started in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, in 2001. 'It's now a European Championship which goes to Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium. In 2011 it was recognised as a true rugby game by World Rugby and re-built here in 2014.”

The organisers of the Mount Beach 5s competition met playing beach rugby in Italy while on their OE before coming to NZ and starting a beach rugby competition here.

'When we get a day like this we hope to really increase the crowds,” says Chris. 'In Lignano now they have 10000 people over the two days watching. It's a massive tournament.”

Brad Nickel from Tauranga Sports with the ball.