School rugby: Homegrown St Peter's march through to Auckland title

St Peter's College marched unbeaten through to the Auckland secondary schools 1A rugby final, and did not let up their pace against St Kentigern College, winning the big game 17-13 at Eden Park.

St Kentigern got the ball rolling early with a try to Tim Lempriere, but St Peter's, who have finished out of the top four in the past 10 years, replied with a penalty and a converted try to take the lead. A St Kentigern penalty narrowed the gap, but St Peter's had a 10-8 halftime lead.

St Peter's defence has dominated their opposition all season. Led by prop Soane Tonga'uiha, they shut down St Kentigern's attack on numerous occasions, although St Kentigern charged back in the second spell, Eugene Beneke dotting down to give his side a 13-10 lead.

But St Peter's No 8 Mace Poloie scored under the posts to hammer down the coffin lid on St Kentigern.

St Peter's coach Eric Kohlhase attributed the victory to a combination of fitness, the will to win and team spirit.

"We have tremendous team spirit," he said. "Nineteen of the squad of 22 have been at the school since form one."

Kohlhase has developed a depth in his team from homegrown talent which has taken its toll on the school's success, but his patience has paid off.

His reluctance to import senior players keeps the team spirit intact and has helped his side to scoop all the prizes, booking a place in the New Zealand secondary schools' championships.

"If all the schools played by the rules," he said, "everyone would have a turn at the title."