A bunch of schoolboys have propelled themselves to local hero status in a region that boasts the hometowns of the All Blacks and All Black Sevens captains and the Prime Minister.
For the first time, the Galatea representative team won the prestigious Tai Mitchell Shield on Sunday, the symbol ofprimary school rugby supremacy in the Bay of Plenty, beating Rotorua Gold 13-10 in a tense grand final at the Western Heights High School grounds in Rotorua.
Eric Merriman, one of the team's coaches and selectors, has been involved with the team for 30 years and says he's still coming to terms with the win, the sub-union's first victory after more than 70 years of trying.
The winning Galatea Tai Mitchell team. Photo / Bay of Plenty Tai Mitchell FB
"We're getting all the high-fives and all that but the kids worked for it. And yeah, it's hard to put into words but it's always something you want to win."
Galatea had an early slip-up, losing to Whakatāne in the first game, but then went on to beat Rotorua Maroon, Tauranga North and Tauranga East to finish in the fourth spot, earning them a semi-final against Te Puke, and eventually a fourth final appearance in the tournament's 84 years.
"We never once come out of the sheds and say we are going to win finals, it's just going to be a progression.
"The kids didn't understand the pressure and just played. In the end, it was just a kick, a penalty in the last few minutes to win. But up until then, one of the management come along and said we can draw. If you draw you can share the trophy, we were quite content with that, but to have that penalty, well it certainly changed things," Merriman said.
In the girls' tournament Te Puke won 22-12 over Rotorua Gold in the final.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane and All Blacks Sevens captain Scott Curry both grew up in Reporoa, and represented Galatea at the Tai Mitchell tournament in their time, while Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern lived in Murupara as an infant.
"Sam gave the boys a bit of a spiel before the game, and we told him that all of these kids could be the Sam Canes of the future, so it's a pathway for them."
The Tai Mitchell tournament, named for Henry Taiporutu Mitchell, a Te Arawa leader, and influential sports administrator in the early 20th century, also doubles as a selection for Bay of Plenty's Roller Mills representative team.
Three Galatea players, Ben Cospey, Retia Winitana and Carter O'Reilly were selected in the tournament team following the final.
Though geographically large, the Galatea sub-union consists of rural towns Murupara, Reporoa, Galatea, Waiohau, Ruatāhuna and Minginui. Merriman and his fellow selectors had 28 players to choose from. In the end, 21 attended the week-long tournament in Rotorua last week, including three who had never played rugby before.
Te Puke won the girls Tai Mitchell final. Photo / Bay of Plenty Tai Mitchell FB
"They've only seven weeks of training. That's a big achievement. It's got to be big, I mean some of the kids probably aren't going to understand. I think that's what actually won the tournament, was the kids didn't understand pressure, they just went and played."
The "seven weeks of training" didn't exactly go to plan either for the team, with Covid-19 and the flu wreaking havoc with plans. Merriman says they may have had only four training sessions together as a full squad but in true Galatea fashion they never gave up.
"We've just got to keep moving. Our goal is to take a tournament and take a team that's always been our goal and pick up the spoils along the way.
"We've always been humble losers. Now we have to be humble winners."
