Class of 2015 champions

TOPS: The Masterton Intermediate 1st XV with their Super Sport banner. Back row: Tama Bartlett (left), Robert Rossiter-Stead, Gus Borren, Nathan Shepherd. Third row: Ben Molesi (assistant coach, left), Jake Jonas, Diamond Karaitiana, Moa Lefata, Toby Crosby, Mark Brown (head coach). Second row: George Eshenbach (left), Liam Searle, Malachi Te Huna, George Tanner, William Bysouth, Freedie Eshenbach. Front row: Dhylan Taua (left), Mata Roberts, Dru Molesi (coach), Jayden Calkin-Aporo, William Brown. Absent: Harry Haustein, Tarquin Karaitiana, Tua Levi.PHOTO/CATHERINE ROSSITER-STEAD

THE Masterton Intermediate School rugby 1st XV have enjoyed their most successful season ever, finishing the year with an impressive playing record of played 10, won 8, drawn 1 and lost 1, scoring 240 points and conceding just 91.

The team have been hard at work training for most of 2015, under the watchful eye of head coach Mark Brown (chairman of the board of trustees at MIS) and his assistant, Ben Molesi. A large squad of hopefuls was whittled down to about 22 after a series of trials early in the year.

Each year, MIS takes part in a sports exchange with Havelock North Intermediate School and this provided the first challenge for the team.

Last year's match was played at Masterton, with Havelock North winning by more than 100 points, so it was an anxious team that travelled to Hawke's Bay for the fixture.

Despite slipping behind in the first half, MIS showed tremendous spirit to pull things back, making last-ditch tackles on the sizeable Havelock ball runners, before their superior fitness paid dividends - final score 32-19 to MIS.

The next challenge was the Super Sport competition against intermediate schools from Wairarapa, Manawatu and Wanganui, played this year at Wairarapa College.

This was a stern test for MIS, who had never previously won this competition, but the class of 2015 proved what a special group of players they were with an outstanding series of performances. Victories over Wanganui (31-5) and PNINS (36-0) set up a semifinal against Feilding, who found themselves on the wrong side of a 42-5 drubbing.

The final against Monrad was a nail-biting affair, with number 8 and captain Dru Molesi driving over from a scrum after the full-time hooter to secure a 21-17 win and see the precious banner hoisted in Masterton for the first-time ever.

This success was followed by a 30-14 away win over Fergusson Intermediate, where once again the MIS team had to dig deep to recover from a first half deficit.

The finale was the Waterman's tournament at Trentham, where MIS secured the shield after defeating Maidstone 7-0 in the final. Earlier in the day, they had drawn with Hutt Intermediate, lost narrowly to Tawa Intermediate and earned a comprehensive 17-0 victory over Brandon Intermediate.