Centre Max Ireland scored a hat-trick as St John's College of Hastings beat their Hamilton counterparts with the same name 29-17 to win the Matt Cooper Boot trophy for the first time in five years in Hastings today.
The hosts relished their first taste of a live televised match to claim the boot for the eighth time in 20 encounters. St John's Hamilton have won it on 11 occasion and one match was drawn.
The boot was donated by former All Black Matt Cooper, a former student of the Hastings school, who was among the Sky Television commentators at the venue. A former Magpie and Waikato player, Cooper, had a boot in both camps as his son Harrison attended St John's College in Hamilton from 2010 to 2014.
The hosts led 19-0 at halftime. Outstanding centre Ireland, one of six third-year 1st XV players in the Hastings team and a product of the Havelock North age group system, scored his first try in the third minute . Eleven minutes later left winger Emanuelu Lemuelu scored after good forward pressure was applied.
Dynamic halfback Mitchell McLeod, a son of former Magpies first five-eighth Ross McLeod, converted. Ireland had his second try seconds before the halftime whistle after McLeod sparked a counter attack. McLeod again converted.