Whanganui rugby: Collegiate settle for Plate prize in Central North Island competition held in Taupō

Collegiate's First XV will play Upper Hutt College on August 27. Stock school rugby photo from 2020. Photo / Bevan Conley

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It was not the Central North Island trophy that they wanted, but the Whanganui Collegiate First XV became the first team to engrave their name on the Plate prize in Taupō on Saturday.

Collegiate's three-year run of making the CNI championship semifinals, twice finalists, was ended after a tough campaign for the 2022 edition of the school side, finishing with a 4-5 record to sit 6th on the table.

After Covid-19 in the past two seasons created the scenario of holding CNI finals at the neutral but accessible ground of Taupō's Owen Delany Park, it was decided to have all 10 schools meet there in 2022 to confirm final placings.

Therefore, at the suggestion of Lindisfarne College, a Plate competition was added to the playoffs with the teams finishing 5th to 8th on the table meeting in their own semifinals.

Collegiate defeated Taranaki rival Francis Douglas Memorial College 26-22 at home on August 6, and then pulled away from St Peter's Cambridge in Taupō to win the Plate, 38-25.

"The boys maybe played the best rugby of their season," said coach Steve Simpson of the last game, where his team scored six tries after leading by one point at halftime.

"We were hoping to get the Top 4, but had two four-point losses away."

After a preseason that saw them play games in the likes of Oamaru, New Plymouth and Palmerston North, Collegiate had a rough start to their campaign with a 46-3 away loss to eventual finalists St John's Hamilton.

They recovered to rattle off four straight wins across the rest of May and early June, beating St Peter's (26-19), St John's Hastings (34-10), Francis Douglas (15-12) and Rathkeale College (38-8).

However, momentum stalled with two games in mid-June that just went against them, beaten by Lindisfarne (14-10) and semifinal-bound Wesley College (7-3) in results which were there for the taking.

Pausing their CNI campaign to host the 96th Annual Quadrangular, where they lost to Christ's College 47-33 but defeated Wellington College 15-13, Collegiate resumed in July with two tough home games to try to hang onto their semifinal spot.

They just could not pin down seven-time CNI champions St Paul's Collegiate, losing 20-10, before facing a red-hot Feilding High, who won 36-12 on their way to comfortably beating Wesley and St John's to claim the title.

Due to injury, Collegiate did not have the services of their influential front rower Konradd Newland until the Quadrangular.

Their standout forward was flanker and captain Harvey Meyer, while stepping into the pivotal No 10 jumper was Pita Manamanaivalu.

Midfielders William Johnston and Josh Brunger had strong campaigns.

Collegiate looked forward to Wednesday's derby clash with Whanganui High School First XV - a normally annual fixture that was missed last year due to Covid.

They won 89-3 in the feature game, while earlier, the Collegiate Under 15s defeated WHS U15 92-0.

The First XV will then play Upper Hutt College on August 27, and should they win, go into the final of the Hurricanes Co-ed Cup against Wairarapa College.