Manukura School's girls sevens team has a unique sporting feat in its sights this month — three consecutive Condor 7's National titles.

It comes off the back of their success in this year's National First-XV competition where they also achieved their third straight crown.

"I'm confident in our girls, but we'll see what the other team's have to give," said skipper Maia Davis.

"It means a lot," said year 10 student Elley-May Taylor.

"I've only been here for two years but it would mean a lot to just do it for the older girls as well since they've been and gone, so being able to get a three-peat for them would be amazing."

That is not bad for a school that only started with girls rugby in 2015, when a modified 10 a-side competition was played with only 12 registered players.

Coach Kristina Sue said the success has taken some time and hasn't happened overnight.

"I didn't think we'd imagine coming for a three-peat but look, the calibre of players and schools out there, sevens is a game that could go either way."

Sue would know as she represented New Zealand in both formats and in rugby league too.

Helping her shape the next generation is the team's other coach and former Black Ferns Sevens player Rhiarna Ferris.

"We teach them the small tools, those micro skills, the little things that they can take away to better their game — mental skills, we do conditioning, we do everything that they need to do to be the best rugby player they can be," said Ferris.

"My main goal for these girls is to teach them the tools that they need to be the best person they can be."

The charter school, based at Massey University, was founded by netball coach Evette McClausland-Durie and Nathan Durie.

"The school's founders dared to be different within education and particularly for Māori, they had this vision of high performance or excellence that's normalised within Te ao Māori, high performance sport and academics," said Ferris.

"It's a great kaupapa to be a part of and now that we live and breathe it and I have done for the last eight years I can see evidence of it coming to fruition," said Sue.

The school is a nursery for professional athletes, many of them international female rugby players including Black Ferns Kaipo Olsen-Baker and Charmaine Smith, as well as Wallaroos playmaker Carys Dallinger.

Maia Davis is the latest. Last month, she was rewarded with a Black Ferns Sevens contract.

"At the start of the year, I went to Fiji with the Black Ferns development and then went to France as well with them and then just recently signed for 2025," the teenager said.

"I'd been dreaming of this since I was a little girl, so yeah, pretty special."

"Rhiarna and Kristina definitely helped prepare me for high performance level and showing even off field stuff," said Davis.

The two coaches are very much a sporting power couple, with Ferris expecting their second child.

"You asked about the secret to success, I honestly truly believe she's the secret," said Sue.

"She's our key conditioner, she's the forward person, the girls love her."

"I think we're a really good team," said Ferris.

"We balance each other out, we have serious moments, but we know what the girls need in terms of the fun and bringing different elements of the game."