Going up against Hamilton Boys' High School in the final of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Touch Championships may have produced some unwanted flashbacks for Rotorua Boys' High School players.
In 2016 Rotorua Boys' blew a three-point lead in the final against the same side and had to settle forsecond place. They were desperate for redemption this year.
And redemption is what they got, at the tournament played in Auckland, although it was far from a walk in the park. The scores were tied 3-all at halftime, with Rotorua scoring in the second spell to take out the title.
It is the third time the Rotorua side has won the title in the last four years.
They cruised through pool play, beating Sacred Heart College and Palmerston North Boys' High School by comfortable margins, which put them in Division 1 for the second phase of the tournament.
In the second round they continued the winning run, beating Christchurch Boys' High School, Trident High School, St Bernard's College and Auckland Grammar School to earn a semi-final against St Patrick's College Silverstream.
The Rotorua side were dominant in the semi-final, winning 10-5 to ensure they entered the final against Hamilton Boys' in hot form.
Rotorua Boys' High School's Jayden Sargent (back row, third from right) and Jordan Tuakana-Hudson (front centre) made the team of the tournament. Photo / Steven Neville/Auckland Sports Photography
Rotorua Boys' player Jayden Sargent was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player and he and teammate Jordan Tuakana-Hudson were named in the secondary schools tournament team.
Despite the dominance in pool play Sargent said the team started the tournament slowly.
"We built well through the tournament, we didn't peak in the first game, we peaked in the final, so that was pretty good. We just focused on playing better each game.
"We trusted each other. We probably didn't have the most skilful or outstanding team, but we worked as a team together and trusted each other, we had a good bond," he said.
Sargent, who plays halfback for the Rotorua Boys' first XV and also represented the school in rugby league, said the transition between the different codes was not too hard because the skills required were similar.
"You get most of your core skills from touch, the passing and communicating, and they flow through into league and rugby. Especially as halfback and being the main passer, when it comes to touch it's a pretty easy transition for me."
The win was extra important to Sargent, as it was the sixth and final time the Year 13 student was able to play.
Rotorua Boys' High School's Jayden Sargent dives for a try during the New Zealand Secondary Schools Touch Championships. Photo / Steven Neville/Auckland Sports Photography
"It was good to get the win, especially after last year and losing the way we did. It was my last time wearing the school colours so it was a pretty big deal for me. Getting the win was the key goal, to be MVP was a bonus," he said.
Rotorua Boys' head coach Maurice Stone said the team's yardage gain on attack stood out and their defence got better throughout the tournament.
"Defence was probably the area we needed to work on and we grew and developed that throughout the tournament. Leading up to the tournament we were a little bit disjointed, but I was hoping that in the tournament environment we'd grow as a team and that's pretty much what happened," Stone said.
At halftime in the final, with the scores locked at 3-all, Stone told the team to stick to their processes and said he was "extremely proud" to see them get the win.
"The message was to just keep doing what we'd been doing because it was paying dividends. We'd put them under pressure and we were right in the game, so not to go away from our processes, because if you do that you're not playing as a team."
