Canterbury Rugby Football Union CEO Nathan Godfrey (left), Richard Sooaemalelagi from Waihora RFC, and Head of Trades at Ara Dennis Taylor at the scholarship ceremony recently. Photo supplied.Former Ashburton College First XV player Richard Sooaemalelagi has been awarded a scholarship at Ara Institute of Canterbury.

He was one of six Canterbury club rugby players to receive scholarships to study in the building and construction fields.

Sooaemelelagi now plays rugby for Waihora.

The six are studying electrical and carpentry apprenticeships, engineering and construction management thanks to a three-year agreement between the Canterbury Rugby Football Union and Ara.

A key part of the agreement are scholarships, up to a total value of $40,000, which are open to any player who is a registered member of an affiliated CRFU club.

It aims to engage players in tertiary education, as well as help develop the skills of rugby club office staff and offer access to the high performance training facility The Zone at Ara for the Canterbury U19, Women’s and Maori representative teams.

The other players awarded scholarships recently were Korbyn Gray from the Saracens club, Harrison Proctor from Ashley RFC, Tafesilafa’I Lalaoilo from New Brighton RFC, Adam Bignell from the Sydenham RFC and Ieuan McLeod from the CRFU.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 21 April 2018