Cullinane College; no soft touch

Several members of the Cullinane College touch rugby team have been trying for four or five years to qualify the school for the national secondary schools finals.
This year, by a slightly circuitous route, they have achieved that.
The finals will be held at Fraser Park in Lower Hutt from December 10-12.
Co-coach Walter Rurawhe says there is just the one touch rugby team at Cullinane, most of the players coming out of the school's first XV or lower grade rugby teams.
"It's quite a prestigious thing to qualify your school for a national tournament, and some of the seventh formers like Caleb (Maraku), Ruamai (Erueti), Kyle (Whanarere-Mathews) and Mana (Peina) have been trying since they were third formers.
"Over the years they have always seen City College represent this area, because City College has been really strong in touch. But this year, in their last year of school, they've finally managed it ? and they're really excited about it," Rurawhe said.
City College will be there as well ? and as a three-time former winner cannot be written off.
But City College has only made it because of the late withdrawal of Auckland's Mt Albert Grammar, receiving an invitation from Touch New Zealand to fill the gap.
City College won the local area playoffs, with Cullinane second, and both schools progressed to the Central playoffs in Palmerston North.
There the winner was Feilding's Haoto Paoro College, with Palmerston North Boys' High School second and Cullinane third after earlier having been beaten by Lower Hutt's St Bernard's College in the playoff for the last national tournament spot.
"But St Bernard's was subsequently found to have players from other Hutt Valley schools, and was disqualified," Rurawhe said.
"I believe we deserve to be there," Rurawhe said.
Certainly Cullinane will have to be on its mettle at the tournament, judging on the names of the schools in its pool.
They are Wanganui City College, Kelston Boys High (Auckland), Rotorua Boys High School, Wesley College, Aranui College (Christchurch), Mt Hutt College, and Palmerston North Boys High School.
Cullinane squad: Ruamaitera Erueti (capt), Luke Whanarere-Mathews, Kyle Whanarere-Mathews, John Ririnui, Te Awe Peina, Mana Peina, Peter Peeti, Andrew Kopic, Bernard Mathews, Ari Tapa, Ashley Mason, Caleb Maraku, Wayne Roori. Coaches: Walter Rurawhe, Renata Waitai. Managers: Karen Erueti, Teresia Peina.