Netball and rugby are the main female and male sports in New Zealand. In fact, one of the substitutes I have been working with comments frequently about how these sports are a religion here. I would agree. From year one (kindergarten) all the way through university students can play netball and rugby. At the Nua's home (where I have been staying) all of the girls play or have played netball, so it is often the topic of discussion or on tvv. Netball is a sport similar to basketball but there is no backboard, you cannot dribble the ball, and if you have the ball you can only pivot. I have been lucky enough to get to watch professional and high school netball on tv, and watch year 7, year 8, and year 2 girls play for Point England School. Here are some videos and pictures from these games.
Rugby, as the substitute has said, is like the Super Bowl in America but every game is a celebration. Rugby is played by men professionally but is coed during school hours, and after school there are girl and boy teams. There are many ways students play rugby during school hours; touch, flag, three second hold, and many more. During league play students tackle each other to try and keep the other team from making a try. Here are some pictures and videos from the year four boys and girls league game that we watched today. |