After six years off the field, all five Tupaea sisters have reunited to represent Counties Manukau at the Bunnings National Masters Touch Championship in Wellington this week, their last set of matches happening today.
Atawhai Tupaea, a former rugby league player known for her time in the Warriors and Kiwi Ferns, is captaining the team. She says she’s stoked to play alongside her sisters in the 35s Masters grade to continue their late father’s legacy.
“My goal is to take my dad with me when we’re in Wellington on the field and represent him. I think it’s going to be an emotional ride, and I know that our team can get the right results because I’ve got my sisters next to me.” says Atawhai.
Atawhai says it’s unique to have five members of the same family play together. One of their sisters has even flown in from Australia to play.
“There’s no words. My sisters and I are so tight, it’s so beautiful, and when we’re out on the field, we will literally break our backs for each other”.
The sisters have each had their own sporting successes in touch rugby, which eldest sibling, Shannon Tupaea, says was the work of their late father, Mita Tupaea.
“My dad was a really good player...He was our first ever coach. He was very strict with what you eat, how you train. He brought us up to be amazing players, to be amazing people” says Shannon.
Mita trained and coached the sisters from a young age. Shannon recalls memories of when they would arrive home from school to have their dad then round them up in their training gear to run around the block in Papakura.
Mother, Debbie Tupaea, says the girls were embarrassed for a while.
“When they’d get home, they would say “mum that was so shameful”, and I’d say “why?” Because they were running the roads with their father and their school friends would be walking home from school." says Debbie.
“They got used to it, and from then till now they’ve achieved what they’ve actually trained for... He’d be absolutely so happy, tearfully, he’d be so proud”.
The whānau reflect on him as a “hard coach, but a good coach” and say he is the reason why they reunited to play.
Mita coached the sisters before he passed away in 2020, after a tournament that was lost. It wasn’t soon after that the five played for Counties Manukau and won gold in Christchurch in his honour that year.
Now, all are above the 35s age grade, with the oldest over 40 years old. Atawhai says it shows how determined the group are.
“What an awesome feeling to play alongside my elder sister, who could have said “no I don’t want to play in the 35s because it’s way too fast, I want to play in my own age grade” says Atawhai.
The five will play their last two of matches of the finals tomorrow with hopes to win gold and be considered to play for New Zealand for the World Cup this year.
