The Wairarapa-based Barbarians will be aiming to reverse previous results when they meet Feilding Agricultural in the final of the Manawatu secondary schoolgirls rugby competition at Ongley Park, Palmerston North on Sunday. The two teams have met twice already this season with Feilding Agricultural winning comfortably on both occasions, 37-5 and31-8. But Barbarians showed past results can count for nothing when they edged their way into their first-ever Manawatu final by drawing 19-19 with Dannevirke in their semi-final match played in Masterton last weekend. Dannevirke, who have played Feilding Agricultural in the last five finals, were ousted from this year's competition decider on the second part of the countback system after walloping Barbarians 36-10 earlier in the season. The first countback was on total tries scored but with both teams having scored three of them the winner became the team which scored the first try and that was the Barbarians. Coached jointly by Sean Bennett and Shaun Bicknell, Barbarians comprises of players from four Masterton colleges and their ages range from 13yrs to 18yrs. From Wairarapa College come captain Sam Stewart, vice-captain Jessie Bennett, Shakira Baker, Jasa Watkins, Sophie Boyne, Sarah Warren, Grace Koskella, Aimee Bubb, Esther Crispin, Rebecca Prattley and Julie Malcolm. Makoura College have Shelby Walker, Amy Sutherland, Jan Snee, Nicky Lucas, Tayla Paku and Sam Parker and Chanel and St Matthew's College have one player apiece, Ruby Haeata and Nina McKenna respectively. Meanwhile, the Kuranui College first XV will play Heretaunga in a Wellington premier four secondary schoolboys semi-final match at Kuranui College tomorrow, kickoff at 1pm. An interesting feature of the game will be the fact it will be refereed by three of Kuranui's teachers. Gary Hall will be the man in the middle with Dean Hands and Catherine Rossiter as his assistants. Little wonder then that Kuranui are foremost amongst the colleges encouraging students to try their hand at refereeing with several of them officiating at recent prime school "rippa" tournaments. Hopes are they will graduate to refereeing at a higher level next year.
