Julie Bartlett
Physio
Julie has spent most of her career supporting rugby teams including the North Harbour Womens team.
What does this program look like?
The program is for girls who wish to learn, play, and develop their rugby. This may be their first year, they may have a few years of rugby already, or they may be looking to return to the game.
Each month, we will come together in a group environment to:
Learn the game's skills and tactics. Balancing our lives and promoting the reason we play and enjoy the game in the first place.
Plan our fundraising and trip, and support each of us to get there.
Train as a team, developing our own game style and learning to work as small teams to achieve large
results.
Outside the group environment, we support players in their rugby development. When they want to improve a skill or are having trouble in an area, we will be there to guide them and keep them engaged.
“Train smarter, not harder”
Program Approach
Tour of 2025
The 2025 team was made up of players from across the region, from Mahurangi to Northcote to Waikato.
This was not a team of rep players, but rather a group of players who wanted to play and learn rugby. Visit their team profile.
By the end of the year, we had:
- 4 Harbour U18 players
- 2 Waikato U18 players
- 5 Harbour 7s U18 girls
- 6 Global Youth 7s participants
- 1 NZ Māori Girls Global Youth 7s player
- 1 NZ Barbarians Global Youth 7s player
- 1 North Harbour Farah Palamer Cup representative
The BIg Dance
In April 2027, we will travel to Portugal to play in the Rugby Youth Festival tournament.
This tournament attracts 120 teams, and it will be in its 19th year, where we will be entering the 15-a-side U18 Girls competition.
As a group of like-minded players, we tour and experience the unique environment of a travelling sports team.
The tour will begin, landing in France, where we will play a warm-up match. From there, we will travel to Lisbon and the tournament.
On our travels, we will meet a whole group of like-minded girls from another part of the world. We will look to train, share meals and make new friends.
Player Profile
What sort of players do we have?
We encourage girls to play other sports, but rugby remains their priority sport in 2026.
We are a team with a mix of experienced players and those new to contact rugby. Players need to help others grow and develop, and to embrace the challenge of stepping up to be better than they currently are.
Players have a desire not just to get better but also to become smarter at playing rugby, surrounded by other girls with the same intention, and that is the sort of players we have on our team.
Our Trainings
Throughout 2026, the girls play for their school team, and we hold 10 Sunday sessions from 9 am to midday.
These are not what they may be doing at their regular rugby practices. We learn the game and its concepts, run those out on the field and organise our trip. We organise guest coaches, special sessions, gear fit-outs, media promotions, as well as our practices.
We have kicked off our first training. Going over our development plan for the year, and did a photo shoot. Out on the field, we went over our 'Preparing for Contact' process. Started our rugby athlete development sessions and concluded with learning our Kickoff play.
Next sessions, it is agreed to move the DJ responsibility away from the coach and onto the players.
Meet the Team
Melaine Puckett
Player Mentor
Having advice and guidance from one of the best Blues players will be invaluable.
It's More Than Just The PLayers
The girls don't have a great experience just because of themselves.
All the people who give some of their time, expertise, and dedication to make it happen are the ones who make it work.
Get in contact if you would like to be involved in some capacity, perhaps providing some specialist coaching at a training session, offering fundraising opportunities, joining as a physio, or serving as our social media influencer.
Being a player surrounded by people who want to help you succeed is a wonderful environment.
Knowing you were part of someone's success is even better.
Inquiries & Questions
Have questions or want to get involved?