Student trio hailed as heroes

Auckland Grammar's George Maka, Sam Jones and Omar Slaimankhel, who were praised by the police, watched from the sidelines. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Two of Auckland Grammar's disgraced rugby players were yesterday hailed as life-saving heroes even as their brawling Kelston Boys' High School opponents signalled an appeal over lengthy bans from playing sport.

Police and Auckland Grammar headmaster John Morris praised the actions of Omar Slaimankhel, 17, George Maka, 18, and Sam Jones, 17, for saving the life of a distressed woman trying to jump from a motorway bridge.

Slaimankhel and Maka were two of four Grammar players banned for up to six weeks after last weekend's on-field brawl.

The honour came as the Herald on Sunday learned the banned Kelston boys will appeal their sentences, which will keep some off the sports fields for 16 months.

Former All Black winger and Kelston old boy Inga Tuigamala said he was confident the players' parents would appeal "because of the unfairness".

The Herald on Sunday has learned from other sources the appeal will go ahead.

The three commended Grammar students were walking towards Newmarket when they spotted the woman, who had climbed over the Mountain Rd overbridge railing and was attempting to jump.

Slaimankhel ran to stop the woman, whose legs were dangling over the edge of the bridge by the time he grabbed her hands and jersey.

Jones used the phone of a passerby to call the police before helping Slaimankhel hold the woman. They were joined by George Maka, who grabbed the woman's legs as she struggled and told them to leave her alone.

Slaimankhel, whose parents fled Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion, admitted to being "frightened" at the time. "I just feel pretty glad that I saved her."

Sam Jones said he and his friends told the woman not to jump and assured her they would not let go.

The commendation from the police brought a lift to a dark week for the Grammar students after last weekend's highly-publicised brawl.

A "gutted" Slaimankhel, who has been offered a contract with the Junior Warriors, had to stand on the sideline at Eden Park yesterday and watch his team beaten 43-11 by Mt Albert Grammar at the Auckland Secondary Schools championship final.

"[I was] just gutted and really sad I wasn't playing."

George Maka said it was "hard" not being able to play with the 1st XV yesterday, "especially when you're sitting there and you know you can't do anything to help your boys."

Instead, four young Grammar players stood in for them.

As Grammar started to lose the game, Slaimankhel said he "couldn't really watch it".

He had played against Kelston Boys several times.

"They are good guys, the fight was [a] heat-of-the-moment thing."

Also standing on the sidelines at Eden Park was Grammar headmaster John Morris, who acknowledged the school had suffered a "pretty tough" week.

Morris, who is ironically a Kelston Boys' old boy and taught at the school for 10 years, said he was "obviously disappointed" that Grammar's best team was not playing against Mt Albert.