Bay of Plenty rugby talent will be on show next month after three local players were named in New Zealand Rugby’s Under-18 girls’ pathways squads.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said this morning that it had selected 50 players for its national U18 girls’ camp in Hamilton from July 5-10, with players split into North and South squads ahead of a North v South clash in Cambridge.

Representing the Bay of Plenty in the North squad are Ngongotahā Rugby Club halfback Danika Irihei, Te Puke High School first five Taylor Kingi, and Rotorua Girls’ High School midfielder Kaiarihi Puku.

The trio will join players from across the upper North Island, including Auckland, Northland and Waikato, for a six-day high-performance campaign designed to develop both on-field skills and off-field growth.

The camp will culminate in the second edition of the North v South U18 fixture, to be played at St Peter’s School in Cambridge on July 9 and livestreamed from midday.

NZR women’s high-performance pathways manager Kendra Cocksedge said the programme continued to strengthen the pathway for young female players nationally.

“The pathways opportunities for women and girls continue to increase and evolve.

“We’ve seen six players from last year’s squads go on to earn professional contracts in Super Rugby Aupiki, which is an amazing result.”

Among those players were athletes now contracted to Chiefs Manawa, the Blues and Matatū sides, highlighting the growing connection between age-grade rugby and the professional women’s game.

Cocksedge said the camp was about more than rugby.

“The camp is about growing the girls as people and players. We want to give them the skills they need to progress their careers and an understanding of what it takes to go to the next level on and off the field.

“The match itself is their opportunity to put what they’ve learned into play and also gives us a chance to see the players in a competitive match-day environment.”

The North squad is drawn from players based in unions north of the Bay of Plenty and surrounding regions, while the South squad includes athletes from Hawke’s Bay southwards, including the South Island.

For Bay of Plenty rugby, the selection of three players across key positions reflects the region’s continued contribution to the national women’s pathway, with talent emerging from school and club systems across Tauranga and Rotorua.