Hamilton Boys' High celebrate winning Super 8.
A full wrap of the First XV high school rugby action across the country.
In Auckland 1A first XV rugby, De La Salle College clinched the one remaining top-four berth with a gritty 27-12 win over near-neighbours King’s College.
“Making the top four two years in a row is seen as quite an achievement within our De La Salle community,” said one supporter, who did not want to be named because of links to the college, where principal Myles Hogarty is a true believer in the 1A first XV media ban.
For De La Salle, centre Frank Vaenuku scored two tries, and flanker Juan Falaniko, reserve winger Augustino Filipo and skipper Shaun Faali also crossed the line, while Alistair Seulala made one conversion.
King’s had enjoyed an early lead when vice-captain Oliver Hatch forced his way over from a lineout drive, while winger James Ford also scored to have the teams level at 12-12 at the break.
Meanwhile, Sacred Heart will face Auckland Grammar in Saturday’s other semi - having beaten the same team 22-18 in their final round robin match to earn the home advantage.
Sacred Heart first five Rico Simpson displayed his stepping skills to claim an early try, and fullback Cohen Norrie showed fine pace to eke out a 14-3 lead, but overall this was a close, tense contest.
Grammar were awarded a host of penalties and made that weight of possession count, though Sacred Heart still led 19-13 at halftime.
In the second spell Sacred Heart were able to convert just their second penalty of the match, but Grammar bossed possession eventually forced their way over for an unconverted try.
Sacred Heart looked to have sealed the match with a backline burst which cut Grammar open, but it was called back for a forward pass.
While Grammar may have lost, they gave a very disciplined showing which will give them great belief ahead of the rematch - even if Sacred Heart have slightly more X-factor in their backline.
Sacred Heart’s second placing in the round robin is a worthy improvement of one position and eight points on last year. By contrast Grammar’s rise to third is a world removed from their disappointing ninth of 2022.
In other 1A matches, leaders St Kentigern beat Mt Albert Grammar 22-7, and Kelston edged out St Peter’s 13-12. Liston College beat Dilworth 24-12 to finish a respectable eighth, while St Paul’s beat Tangaroa College 36-7 to claim their second win of the season.
In the Hamilton Boys’ High School First XV changing room there’s an empty picture frame hanging adjacent to the photos of their numerous previous Super 8-winning rugby teams.
It serves as a reminder to the team of the day of the enduring challenge of following in the footsteps of past champions and earning their own pictorial legacy.
Any day now that empty frame will be filled with a photo of Hamilton Boys’ High’s 15th title-winning team (one shared title) in 18 seasons of Super 8 following an imposing 56-22 Super 8 grand final win at home over Napier Boys’ High School on Saturday.
And in due course a further empty frame will be nailed up next to it for the next generation from Hamilton Boys High’s seemingly endless production line of rugby talent to similarly contemplate.
But even at a school with plenty of silverware, this Super 8 victory was extra sweet for Hamilton, given that last year they lost the final to Rotorua Boys’ High in the very last play of the game (though did later bounce back to win the Moascar Cup and the national title, which is not a bad seasonal return).
“I’d never seen a team more disappointed than after last year’s final,” recalled long-serving Hamilton Boys’ coach Nigel Hotham.
“But this time around you could just feel the team was up for it.”
Indeed, after years of close finals, this win was one of Hamilton’s most comprehensive and they looked confident and well-drilled from the start. In perfect conditions Hamilton led 25-5 at the break and 32-5 early in the second spell on their way to an eight tries to four victory, where they even got to show off a few of their party pieces.
Skipper and flanker Oli Mathis was inspirational for Hamilton with a try in each half as well as setting up winger Ollie Guerin for another in what was perhaps the best move of the day, with an exquisitely timed and lengthy out-the-back pass following a rangy run of his own out wide.
“These are things you don’t often see at schoolboy level but it really suits our expansive style,” Hotham said.
Others to impress for Hamilton were No 8 Inga Kokohu and second-five Hiraka Waitai- Haenga. Centre Caelys Putoko chimed in with two tries, while Kokohu, winger Dupre Marshall and fullback Kurtis Hana snared one apiece and Wyndham Patuawa kicked two penalties and five conversions.
Hotham celebrated in the traditional Waikato manner of mowing his lawns the day after - but did reflect on how every one of his champion Hamilton Boys’ teams has been distinct in its own right.
“Every year seems so special, with a different bunch of boys,” he said.
“It is not like a club - at school you have them for one year, two years, but seldom three, so each team is quite different.
“And each first XV has its characters and different characteristics, but the goal is always the same: to make the final, which then gives you a chance to win it.
“I gave up long ago trying to guess how each team would turn out. It comes down to how hard they will work, how they gel as a team and many other factors, but this is a good team.”
In May, Hamilton had beaten Napier 52-19 in the World Youth Tournament semifinal in Japan, but last month Napier then upset Hamilton 17-15 in a catch-up round-robin match.
Hamilton Boys’ will face St John’s College in a Chiefs region top-four playoff but it will need to be a mid-weeker because of the Central North Island competition schedule.
Meanwhile, Hamilton also won the Second XV Super 8 title, beating last year’s winners, Rotorua Boys’ High 52-7 in front of a large home crowd on Friday.
It was a rare outing for the seconds on the school’s No 1 pitch, and the win was embraced with such enthusiasm from a large crowd that Hotham felt the occasion even applied a degree of pressure to his First XV to make sure they also performed 24 hours later.
Christchurch Boys’ High School won the Myles Toyota Championship for the first time (outright) since 2017 with a gripping 30-26 victory over Nelson College in sunny Nelson, reports Adam Julian.
Four tries each and six lead changes were a tribute to the evenness of the contest.
Down 17-14 at halftime, the hosts took the lead when nippy halfback Oliver Gibbons quickly tapped from a penalty and scored beside the posts. Gibbons grinned exposing procrastinating forwards confused by a scrum penalty.
Nelson had the momentum, but it changed in the 47th minute when Christchurch produced an eerily clinical Crusaders-like play.
A 50-22 kick by first five Will Haig presented the visitors with rare territory. A simple lineout catch and cradle were followed by a ruthless maul which traversed 20 metres and saw dynamic hooker Manumaua Letiu crash over.
Six minutes later, Letiu repeated the dose as Christchurch stretched out to 27-21. Haig was on target with a 62nd-minute penalty as the reigning champions appeared to be crumbling.
The spark of Gibbons caught Christchurch out again, but any threat of a comeback was thwarted with a patient, robust attack by a disciplined blue-black pack.
Besides Letiu, openside James Moore (drily nicked named 007) and locks George Steel and Jack Frost were standouts for Christchurch. Geordie Hassall nailed two conversions and two penalties.
Gibbons joined Nelesoni Malaulau in 2022 as the only player to score a hat-trick in a Crusaders regional final. Flankers Dane Leppien and Saumaki Saumaki and first five Harrison Inch were other potential headline writers.
Christchurch officially won the title in 2018 but only after a draw against lower-ranked Christ’s College. Since the inception of the competition in 2001, Christchurch have been the winner 11 times and Nelson four times.
For the fifth time since 2014, Scots College and St Patrick’s College Silverstream will contest the Wellington Premiership final, following victories at home in their respective semis, reports Adam Julian.
Unbeaten Scots blanked Hutt International Boys’ School (HIBS) 43-0 in Strathmore while Silverstream scrapped their way to an ugly 17-7 win over Wellington College.
Silverstream scored all their points on a heavy field in the first half and would have been largely satisfied with a muscular forward effort. They did, however, blow several scoring chances by flocking to rucks like bees to a nest.
Wing Jeremiah Peleseuma scored the first try in the 13th minute when Silverstream showed rare expansion and finished a simple overlap.
Both lineouts lack continuity and a fumble by Wellington College allowed Silverstream No 8 Braydon Soi to pounce from close range.
The tenacious Drew Berg-McLean, this week selected for the Wellington Under-16s, has a bundle of energy and aggression. When the openside thrust ahead like a dagger to make it 17-0 after 27 minutes it looked like the floodgates might open.
Instead, Silverstream lapsed and committed a litany of mistakes. Wellington upped their physicality and outside backs Sam Braddock and Shea Bosher proved lively.
Unfortunately, gun winger Jacob Kennedy hardly saw the ball. Wellington’s only try was scored via a dozen-man rolling maul. With 25 minutes remaining, it was 17-7. It could have been interesting, but Wellington struggled with their handling too.
No 8 Jack Riley and lock Joe McGuinness were the pick of the Wellington forwards with typically honest industry. Locks Blaine Knapman and Alex Hewitt were tireless and disruptive for Silverstream.
A glance at the scoreboard at Scots College on fulltime would have suggested a comfortable win to the home side. Not so. Scots were made to work hard for long periods in their 43-0 win over HIBS.
HIBS were disruptive at the breakdown and positive and expansive with the ball in hand and forced Scots into a slew of early mistakes that would continue for much of the game.
HIBS were unlucky not to score in the first 25 minutes before conceding two quickfire tries in the 27th and 29th minutes, partly against the run of play, to see Scots ahead 12-0.
The second half followed a similar pattern, HIBS defiant and disruptive Scots more clinical where it counts, the scoreboard.
Scots’ tries were scored by Happy Valley Patu, Jake Lawson, Tobias Mene, Ieti Campbell, Pyrenees Boyle-Tiatia, Jamie Phillips, and Richard Jones. Boyle-Tiatia kicked four conversions.
In a repeat of 2022, St John’s College (Hamilton) will face Feilding High in the Central North Island first XV grand final in Taupo on Saturday, 12.45pm. In the semis St John’s beat Wesley College - who were 60-15 winners over St John’s Hastings midweek - 32-22 while Feilding beat Whanganui Collegiate 43-12.
Saturday’s Auckland 1A semifinals (Saturday 2.30pm, home team first): St Kentigern v De La Salle; Sacred Heart v Auckland Grammar.
1A Points: St Kentigern 52, Sacred Heart 47, Auckland Grammar 40, De La Salle 38, Kelston 35, St Peter’s 34, Mt Albert Grammar 23, Liston 22, King’s College 13, St Paul’s 11, Dilworth 6, Tangaroa 4.
North Harbour 1A, Round 13: Rosmini College 57 Rangitoto College 5; Westlake BHS 99 Ōrewa College 0; Massey 76 Manurewa 3; Takapuna Grammar 5 Whangārei BHS 36.
North Harbour points: Westlake 64; Massey 47, Rosmini 45; Takapuna Grammar 40; Whangārei 38; Rangitoto 15; Ōrewa 10; Manurewa 1.
Central North Island 1st-4th semifinals: St John’s College Hamilton 32 Wesley College 22; Whanganui Collegiate 12 - 43 Feilding 43. 5th-8th semi-finals (plate): St Peter’s Cambridge 52 Lindisfarne College 14; St Paul’s Collegiate 19 Francis Douglas 21.
Super 8: New Plymouth 24 Gisborne 28.
Wellington Premiership: Semi-finals: Scots College 43 Hutt International BS 0; St Pat’s Silverstream 17 Wellington College 7. 5-6th place play-off: St Pat’s Wellington 33 Wairarapa College 12. 7-8th place: Rongotai College 30 St Bernard’s College 14. 9-10th place: Tawa College v Mana College cancelled.
Miles Toyota Premiership Plate Final: St Andrews College 23 Marlborough Boys’ College 27.
Otago Schools Championship Semifinals: Southland 34 - 19 King’s High 19; John McGlashan College 21 Otago BHS 52.
Traditional: Hato Pāora College 15 Te Aute College 13.
# Readers are invited to send their first XV rugby updates, news snippets and hot takes to nzschoolboyrugby@gmail.com.
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