Western Heights sail through to semis

FINAL AIM: Western Heights High School 1st XV are through to semifinals of the Bethlehem coachlines Secondary School competition. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Western Heights High School 1st XV are aiming to win silverware after they battled through to the semifinals of the Bethlehem Coachlines Secondary School competition.

They beat a tough Trident High School side 19-12 away on Saturday to make it through to the 1st XV Division 1 final thanks to three tries and two conversions.

It was Western Heights' seventh straight win in the second round of the competition leaving them top in the standings.

The winning result also meant Western Heights retained the Te Kani Shield for the year - with the trophy not up for grabs in the final two games.

Prop Casey Simpkins, first-five Rueben Griffiths and fullback Brodie Woods all slid over for Western Heights with two conversions from Liam Preston.

Western Heights coach Steve Smith said the game was won up front but "silly errors" led to the close score line.

"I'm happy with the result and I think we played very well in bad conditions," he said.

"The forwards were able to put us on the front foot and we built on from there.

"In the first half we were making little mistakes which gave Trident a chance.

"But we picked ourselves up and really focused. It was about securing the ball safely and not throwing it around too much."

Smith picked out Griffiths' touch down as the stand out try of the game.

"It was a great team effort," he said.

"The forwards bust up the middle and Rueben was able to run through the gap. He kept his composure and it was impressive to watch."

Western Heights High School 1st XV player Steven Bell (pictured with the ball) are through to semifinals of the Bethlehem coachlines Secondary School competition. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Western Heights are joined in the final four by Bethlehem College, Te Whare Kura o Mauao and Trident with this weekend's semifinal draw being confirmed tomorrow.

Whoever they play, Western Heights will have home advantage after finishing first over over the seven rounds.

Smith said the team was "more than capable" of winning the trophy but insisted players must not be complacent.

"We have beaten everyone this season so of course we are very confident," he said.

"But it's a one-off game with a lot of pressure. Every player just needs to stay focused and get in the right mind set.

"We don't want to let ourselves down and we want to win the competition but there are tough challenges ahead but we are ready for this."

The semifinal is on Saturday at Western Heights High School, field 1 at 12pm.