During the round robin, Rotorua Boys' beat Te Wharekura O Mauao 10-7, New Plymouth Boys' High School 38-10, Hamilton Boys' High School 12-7 and Manukura 12-7.
In the final they were up against Manukura again. Trailing 12-0 at halftime they faced an uphill battle in the second half, but showed great maturity to come back and win 14-12.
"We had two high scores, against New Plymouth and Tauranga, but all the rest were really close. The boys dug deep in that final, it was awesome in terms of the character they showed.
"In a pressure situation like that, when you're down and having beaten them previously, it can be hard for them to get their heads in the right place. They showed a lot of maturity to come back and get 14 points to win the game. Our kicker kicked a conversion from the sideline to get those two points that won the game and there were some defining moments throughout the second half, crucial turnovers and some big tackles that swung momentum our way.
"It was a good insight into what our future looked like and to have our first XV coaches involved with them was really valuable. We only have them at academy time and especially for me, being new, it was a good chance to get to know these boys and see what they're about."
Rotorua Boys' High School players Cassius Cowley, Bless Perese-Elliot, Tamakaimoana Whareorere and Ngakohu Walker were named in the team of the tournament.
Rotorua Boys' were also in fine form last week, winning a pre-season game against Dilworth School 45-0.
They travel to Fiji this week to play a Fijian secondary school academy team and a Fijian high school first XV.
"We want to get the culture of this team on point. At the end of the day you can have all the talent in the world, but it's the culture and the environment you create that wins championships."
The first XV start their Chiefs Cup campaign on April 28.
