College sport: De La Salle puts Moascar Cup on line in season opener

By JENNI RUTHERFORD

Auckland Grammar and De La Salle will battle for the Moascar Cup in the first round of the Auckland 1A first XV rugby competition on Saturday.

The trophy has held pride of place at De La Salle for seven challenges and the best part of last season. The school is reluctant to lose the trophy, but has decided not to hoard it by scheduling easy defences.

"It's not the kind of cup that stays with you, you can't hide it, it's to be shared," said De La Salle co-coach Nigel Hurst.

Saturday's match, which is just one of the big games of the first round, is arguably the toughest challenge De La Salle have faced. This year they comfortably beat Sir Edmund Hillary College and Southern Cross Campus.

De La Salle have never beaten Auckland Grammar and that, combined with Grammar's superior talent pool, counts for everything, says Hurst.

"They have been there and done that," he said. "They have All Blacks all over their walls and a depth of talent we can't match."

De La Salle, who just missed out on the semifinals last year, have mostly young players with some "old heads who know what they are doing."

Auckland Grammar coach Grant Hansen says his side is missing the stars of past years, but is still expected to be a top-four contender.

Sacred Heart, who have yet to win the championship, are tipped as the competition's sleeping giants.

In other 1A matches this weekend, Onehunga High take on Kelston, King's play Sacred Heart, Mt Albert are up against Otahuhu High and St Paul's play St Peter's.

DIVING

Avondale College's Katy McMillan upset Australasian age-group champion Shayne Boddington (St Dominic's College) and other world-class talent at the Auckland secondary school championships to win the senior girls section.

Boddington has qualified for the Manchester Commonwealth Games, but the Zimbabwean faces a race against time to gain New Zealand residency to compete.

McMillan nailed her three difficult dives to beat Boddington by nearly three points.

Kaitlyn White (Epsom Girls Grammar), who will join Boddington in the New Zealand team for the world age group championships in Germany in August, was third.

Tony Donaldson completed the Avondale double by winning the senior boys section. Donaldson will also travel to Germany.

MULTISPORT

College teams from around the North Island got a sneak peek at what they may come up against in national tournaments when they turned out for the Western Heights High School annual multisport tournament last weekend.

Many of the secondary school teams used the popular meet to finalise squads and give players their final trial before settling on their top teams for their local competition.

The tournament was attended by 2500 students competing for 30 trophies.

Western Heights had a successful time, winning the junior girls netball, under-14 and 15 and girls rugby finals, senior boys teams mountain biking and the teams smallbore rifle shooting.

Many of those who travelled long distances to Rotorua were rewarded.

New Plymouth Girls High School won a close battle in the senior girls netball final against Western Heights, as well as clinching the soccer.

Northland's Kamo High School tied with Tauranga Girls College in the junior girls basketball, and West Auckland's Massey High School first XV were the team of the tournament.

The event's popularity is underlined by the fact that there is a significant waiting list of schools wanting to attend.

EQUESTRIAN

Strong competition is expected in this weekend's North Island secondary school one-day eventing championships in Hamilton.

Auckland's King's College, Pukekohe High School, defending champions Diocesan School (Auckland) and St Peter's School in Cambridge will be the teams to beat over the three disciplines - dressage, crosscountry and show jumping - on Friday and Saturday.

Other contenders are Massey High School, spearheaded by talented rider Courtney Wood.

ROUND THE LAKES RELAY

The popular Round the Lakes relay, raced around Lake Rotorua for several years, has become the Waikaraeo Estuary relay after steep Transit New Zealand costs forced a venue change.

A fee of $5000 imposed this year by the Government agency for users of the roads meant the traditional route was scrapped.

Instead, the race, which attracts 35 to 40 schools a year, will be raced at the Tauranga estuary circuit on May 3.

WATERPOLO

An Auckland-Wellington battle of the pool is expected at the New Zealand secondary school championships in Wellington.

Rongotai College are likely to be defending champions Westlake Boys High School's toughest competition after the Wellington side defeated them in the recent North Island secondary schools championships.

However, last year's runners-up, Wellington College, caused a stir when they beat Rongotai by two goals in the local competition. Auckland's Rangitoto College are also capable of sinking Westlake's proud record.

Sixteen schools from the North Island will compete for the national title at Wellington's Regional Aquatic Centre from tomorrow.

This week:

Today: Northland: Northland secondary schools rugby sevens tournament, soccer.

Tomorrow: New Zealand secondary schoolboys waterpolo championships, Wellington, until Sunday. Northland: nine-a-side rugby league.

Friday: North Island secondary schools equestrian one-day eventing, Hamilton.

Monday: Eastland: Eastland secondary schools golf tournament.