Calling all cook island 7s players?

In a refreshing approach not seen in modern rugby, new Cook Island 7s coach Ramsey Tomokino is letting all people know if they think they are good enough please come to the trials and show me! It is a tactic he has been involved with in 4 consecutive NZ 7s title wins, 3 seasons were as co-pilot to legend Eric Rush and the final year was in charge of the Auckland team. Now his mind and intentions are firmly on the international stage with the Cooks.

In a typical struggling financial scene Tomokino got assistance from Air NZ for phase 1 and got himself up to the Cook Islands to see the local talent in action. Not mincing his words – ripping into the commitment and fitness of the local players. The straight talking coach of Mangaia descent held a two-day training session this week to assess the home-based sevens players and put them through grueling fitness. Adding in the positive twist Tomokino said “commitment and fitness are the two main attributes that sevens players need. Now the local boys know what is expected to compete in the international scene and we can keep our eyes on them and pick the players on merit when the time comes.”

Yesterday, Tomokino met with veteran sevens player and coach for the Pacific mini games squad Vaivase Samania to go over a training program to get the local players into shape. He says his training programmed does not require flash gym equipment. “All you need is a piece of grass,” says Tomokino. He says that there are enough natural resources on the island that players can make use of including our lagoons. He recommended that players make use of the sea as source of recovery after training and games. “They can stretch and warm-down in the sea,” says Tomokino.

He says that he will be scouting for Cook Islands players there and monitoring their training. Samania and sevens manager Anthony Turua are both expected to report back regularly to Tomokino on the progress of the local based players especially with the Wellington sevens just around the corner in February.

There was no lack of talent and Tomokino says it highlighted the players who are keen to get into the national sevens squad. He says he had watched footage of previous sevens games and has a good idea of the work that needs to be done to bring the local boys up to scratch.” I’ve watched the footage and seen things that I can fix,” says Tomokino.

The best Cook Islands sevens performance in recent years was in 2001 when the squad reached the semi finals & in Wellington this year they bowled England. Tomokino says that the aim for the upcoming Wellington tournament is to be placed in the top two of pool play and reach the semi finals. “After that, anything can happen. That’s the thing with the game of sevens – anything can happen on the day,” says Tomokino.

He is looking forward to his term as the country’s rugby sevens head coach and his advice to sevens players and indeed all athletes is to train smarter, harder and for longer.

The crusade and open door policy continues for this coach, as he will be hunting all Cook Island players in Wellington and Auckland and giving them a shot to the world stage with the Cooks. The coach said this is not a desperate plea to find players, but an exercise and opportunity to canvas as much Cook Island talent out there regardless if they are playing Rugby or Rugby League and to expose these players to the International arena for the 7's and possibly 15's version of the game.

Open door trials are near, so search back through your family tree, tell all the island bothers you know and let them know that their chance is there if they are good enough to take it. The coaches last words were "Wellington has rapidly become one of the IRB World Sevens series highlights, there is no better place on the planet to show the world what talent you have and this is a golden chance for the Cook Islands to make an impact and propel a rugby career."

Trial opportunities are as follows

Auckland & Surrounding Regions (i.e. Waikato to Northland)
Saturday 20th December - Register from 8:00am, trials commence 9:00am. Venue: Grammar Carlton Rugby Club, Puriri Drive, Epsom.
Contact: Ramsey Tomokino 021 222 4135
 
Wellington & Surrounding Regions
Sunday 21st December - Register from 11:00am, trials commence 12:00pm. Venue: Rongotai College, Rongotai
Contact: George Metuarau 021 114 0840