League: Determination not quite enough for Kamo

It was a day of VIPs for Kamo High School and the Whangarei Boys' High School teams at an action-packed second day of the national secondary schools league tournament in Auckland.

As well as league royalty such as Ruben Wiki, Jerry Seuseu and Duane Mann, Bruce Pulman Park in Papakura on Tuesday was swarming with NRL talent scouts and the Kamo team also received a surprise visit from a Government minister.

With the tournament in her electorate, ACC Minister Judith Collins made an appearance, eventually making her way to Kamo High School's match against Papakura High School.

Unfortunately, as has been the case in most of the matches so far, the Auckland side won convincingly, 28-6.

It was the second straight loss for the Kamo side but the team's coach, Peter Gray, said it wasn't unexpected.

"The Auckland sides are a lot bigger than any of my boys and although they're hanging in there and never give up, it's hard for them to beat these teams," he said.

The side has entered the developing team competition for the first time this year and Gray said they're learning how to cope with the bigger sides.

"They're learning quickly and we're aiming to win at least one of our crossover games against teams that will be a bit more like us," he said.

The team started with a 28-4 defeat by St John's College on Monday and yesterday went down to Howick College 24-6.

Kamo take on Central Southland College tomorrow and are expecting a close encounter. The team have coped well with the injuries they have sustained - especially after losing their captain, Chris Philips, in their first game.

Whangarei Boys' High, like Kamo, are finding it tough going in the premier schools competition. They started with a 30-4 defeat by St Paul's College and then went down 26-10 to Manurewa High School on Tuesday.

The tournament continues today with the final matches tomorrow.