Rugby: Aquinas cap season with impressive win

Otumoetai's Jack May makes a break during Saturday's game against Aquinas College. Photo / Andrew Warner

It didn't matter that it was by a single point, Aquinas College 1st XV coach Buck Taylor was delighted his team finished their season with a win.

In a thrilling game, Aquinas sneaked ahead of the Otumoetai College 1st XV 13-12 with just a minute to play thanks to hero James Wood's penalty after a tackle in the air in a lineout.

Just moments earlier he had missed a difficult touchline conversion that would have seen the sides level.

It was centre Wood who opened the scoring with a tackle-bursting run up the middle to go score.

Otumoetai replied after a fly hack by winger Ash Henstock gave them possession close to their opponents' line, allowing Hayden Ensor to pick up and dive over.

Henstock was in the action again as a bouncing ball fell nicely for him to score in the right corner. A successful conversion gave the visitors a 12-5 halftime lead.

There was stalemate for much of the second half as errors crept into the game, but with Aquinas looking increasingly likely to score, it was skipper and lock Callum Hoare who seized the initiative and bagged the try that gave Wood the chance to level the scores.

"You do not know how proud I am of this team," said Taylor. "We have worked so hard. I only came in here five weeks ago because they didn't have a coach.

"We've been so close to Western Heights, so close to other teams and just haven't finished it, but it's come together now ... [The players] have stepped up today and done some fantastic jobs. Andrew Norman, James Wood, they really stepped up today and the forwards. It was a fantastic team effort."

Otumoetai College 1st XV co-coaches Jamie Davis and Richard Brown both praised the Aquinas effort.

"The right team won because of their passion, dedication and application," said Brown.

With Otumoetai heading for next week's playoffs, Davis said he felt the loss could be helpful.

"We needed something to ground the team a little bit and this could be the catalyst for the team to say maybe we've got ahead of ourselves a little bit. This wasn't the performance we are capable of."

He said the main issues were poor execution and poor decision making.

In next weekend's semifinals, Otumoetai will travel to Opotiki College while Te Whare Kura o Mauao will play Western Heights High School in Rotorua.

Bethlehem Coachlines Secondary Schools results:

-Division 1: Trident High School 12 Whakatane High School 10; Te Wharekura O Mauao 10 Opotiki College 43; Aquinas College 13 Otumoetai College 12; Western Heights High School 41 Bethlehem College 17.

-Division 2: Te Puke High School 17 Mount Maunganui College 15.

-Division 3: Western Heights High School 23 Papamoa College 13; Reporoa College 26 Tauhara College 20.

Bayfair Baywide results Saturday: Division two final Papamoa 5 Waimana 3, Senior Reserve final Poroporo 16 Ngongotaha 13