WelCom October 2023
John Holden
The Marist St Pat’s Rugby Football Club Premier Women’s team have cleaned up at the famous club’s annual prize-giving. Along with Team of the Year honours, Monica Tagoai, a St Mary’s College Old Girl, became the first woman player to win Marist St Pat’s Paul Donoghue Cup for Sportsperson of the Year. The Vice-Captain of the all-conquering Marist St Pat’s side was also the Vice-Captain for the Wellington Pride and a feature of the Hurricanes Poua side.
Premier Women’s team coaches Ryan Setefano, St Patrick’s College Old Boy, and Norm Broughton, Hato Pāora Old Boy, were awarded the Ah Kuoi Pacifica Family Cup and the Poutawera Whanau Cups, respectively.
On the non-playing awards, the WM O’Connor Cup, presented by family member Mons Gerard Burns for Marist St Pat’s most outstanding club member – the highest honour for a non-playing club member – was awarded to tireless club captain Lourdaiz Ah Chong, a Sacred Heart Auckland Old Boy.
For Marist St Pat’s RFC, the 2023 season followed the history-making 2022 season when the team first qualified for the Women’s Division 1 final. During 2023, the Women’s Premier team won every trophy available to them. The trailblazing Premier Women created history by winning the Division One Women’s Rugby final – the Tia Passi Memorial Cup but the team had already won the Rebecca Liuúana Cup and continued to hold the Challenge Cup throughout the 2023 season.
The Premier Women’s Final is played for the Tia Passi Trophy. Tia Passi, a former St Catherine’s College student, died in 2018 from illness aged 48 and her Requiem Mass was held at St Patrick’s Church, Kilbirnie. Tia was a loose-head prop and represented the Wellington Pride in over 50 appearances and represented her country as a Black Fern.
Marist St Pat’s expects to field two Women’s teams in the 2024 season. For more information check out the club’s website at msprugby.co.nz.
John Holden is president, Marist St Pat’s RFC.
