Columba in touch at national and international levels

Columba College national touch representatives Maia Joseph, McKayler Moore, Claudia Carruthers, Meg Sycamore and coaches Dayna Turnbull and PJ Turnbull at the school's gymnasium last week. Photo: Gregor Richardson
Columba College national touch representatives Maia Joseph, McKayler Moore, Claudia Carruthers, Meg Sycamore and coaches Dayna Turnbull and PJ Turnbull at the school's gymnasium last week. Photo: Gregor Richardson
Columba College is making its mark on touch on both a national and an international level.

Four of its pupils are at present involved in the national set-up, as are its two coaches, as well as having 10 Otago representatives.

Meg Sycamore (16) and Maia Joseph (15) have just returned from Australia with the New Zealand under-16 development team.

There the team had won three of its six games against Australian state teams, with Sycamore being the side's captain and most valuable player.

Meanwhile, McKayler Moore (17) and Claudia Carruthers (17) will be heading off to attend a national development camp in the holidays, in preparation for the 2019 youth transtasman event.

Moore had played at this year's transtasman with the New Zealand under-18 team, while Sycamore and Carruthers had both played in under-15 mixed national teams as well.

It makes for an impressive CV for one school's team to have.

Indeed, it was crowned South Island champion last season and went down by just one point to Hamilton Girls' High School in the national final.

Coached by national representatives Dayna and PJ Turnbull, the team had benefited from having so many players coming back from a higher level.

''It's a very different level when you make it to the silver fern,'' Dayna said.

''So for the girls coming back in, even just the way they pass the ball, the way they run even, it's with such an intensity that the other girls see that and they lift the whole level of the team.

''Even after the Hamilton Girls' final last year the whole aura around the team was completely different.

''Now they believe in themselves, they know they're capable of doing it and now they just go out there and get it done.

''So having that experience with those four and even with the Otago representatives as well just lifts everyone.''

Playing in Australia brought its own challenges, with the heat and faster game style being two big differences.

''The first game was a real shock,'' Sycamore said of the most recent tournament.

''When they're just running at you, people don't play as fast here as they do over there.

''So you have to adapt and work harder on defence and fitness is like a big thing.

''They're all really fit, so you have to find ways if you're not as fit as them, find ways to beat them, so run moves and stuff.''

All four girls also played netball, basketball and sevens, although had big aspirations in touch.

They hoped to make it to the Touch Blacks and Dayna - a current Touch Black - said that goal was very much achievable.

''They definitely have the talent and the skill set, so if they keep working hard they'll definitely be wearing that black singlet one day, hopefully taking it off me.''

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