Rugby: College teams on sideline

Whangarei Boys' High School's 1st XV captain Caleb Aekins and his teammates won't be playing in the traditional Saturday under-18 competition this year. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Decision to drop under-18 comp concern for school coaches

The traditional Saturday under-18 rugby competition will not be held this year, however, Northland Rugby Union (NRU) officials are adamant they can resurrect it in the future.

With several teams further North losing players, a late decision was made to dissolve the Saturday under-18 competition and reinstate a 1st XV mid-week competition to facilitate the development.

"The kids just aren't there," said NRU operations manager Kyal Collins.

"It's not ideal. From the Northland Rugby Union's perspective we're disappointed.

"We want under 18 kids playing [but] we only had two teams confirmed."

Whangarei Boy's High School's (WBHS) 1st XV were presented their 2015 playing jerseys yesterday.

Despite this, the prominent Northland schoolboy side's management are concerned the links between high school, senior and representative rugby could be severed.

"The school has been going for 127 years and this is the first time for a number of years that we haven't had a 1st XV playing on Saturday," Whangarei Boy's High School sport co-ordinator and teacher in charge of rugby, Mark Oldridge said.

As a last-minute alternative, the school even tried to enter the North Harbour and Auckland 1st XV competitions but it was too late.

"We were certainly ready to go, we wanted to be in it. [It's] very unfortunate."

WBHS 1st XV coach Mark Kapa shared these sentiments.

He said the boys who fall outside the high school age regulations for the new mid-week tournament are liable to fall through the cracks.

"It's really disappointing to all players under 18-19 in Northland really.

"We still want to play here in our own region. To be fair, at least we've been given a comp to play in."

Boys' High will resort to playing in a mid-week competition. Photo / John Stone

With league and senior grade rugby looking like a possible alternative for many of Boys' High's 1st XV players this year, Kapa said the mid-week competition will have to do.

"I'm pretty passionate about rugby [and] I definitely don't want them playing league."