By Bruce Holloway and Adam Julian
King’s College are looking a better bet in Auckland 1A First XV rugby this season than they have in years.
There was much to admire in the manner in which a sharp and well-balanced King’s unit overran Sacred Heart College 36-22 at home to reclaim the Fitzpatrick-Kirkpatrick Cup, contested between the schools since 2009.
King’s had coughed up a tally of more than 100 points in their past two cup encounters and never finished better than sixth in three previous 1A seasons, so this was quite a statement.
In fact, it was a big day all round for King’s, with a rugby luncheon beforehand and kickoff belatedly brought forward 30 minutes to allow the players time to get their hair done before the big college ball on Saturday night.
The ball theme was “An Evening in Monte Carlo” and the King’s College First XV, backed by a full house, were also happy to try their luck. They went all-in and hit the jackpot with a rugby display which has put them joint-top of the table with St Kentigern and St Peter’s – and a points differential of +64.
Sacred Heart were improved from their win a week earlier and were always a threat, leading a couple of times in the first half. But some iffy defence and some longshot gambles deep in their own half ultimately cost them, while King’s had several aces up their sleeve in the form of first five-eighths Marco Miln, fullback Calvin Harris-Tavita and flanker Johan Schaumkell.
King’s also had a knack for punishing mistakes.
Doing the most damage for King’s was Miln, who has over 40 caps in the bank. He ran adroitly and kicked with precision and it was his 50m burst down the left flank that allowed fullback Calvin Harris-Tavita – another key performer – to open the King’s account.
In one of the best plays of the day, from a ruck just inside the King’s half, Miln stepped a confused Sacred defence and, when tackled just short of the line, was able to flick the ball up to Harris-Tavita.
Schaumkell was one of King’s most consistent performers last season and appears to have lifted his openside game even more, with some piercing runs and strong cover defence. Up front, hooker Charlie Burn was on fire and prop Sione Manuopangai was a handful.
But Sacred Heart also had their moments. Fullback Max Morgan, who had opened with an early penalty, entered the backline and close to the line had his offload intercepted by a player in an offside position. The result was a penalty try and a yellow card.
A Miln penalty made it 10-10 and King’s soon regained the lead, with numerous phases from a knock-on resulting in a converted try under the posts to Zion Heiloa-Savaka. Another quickly followed as King’s ran a clearing kick back out wide.
Sacred Heart kept the ball in hand more in the second spell and a try from a quick tap penalty from flanker Eitikeni Helu brought them back into the game at 21-15.
But Miln used the wind well. His kicking kept Sacred pinned in their own territory and desperate to run the ball from everywhere. It soon led to King’s overpowering them at a lineout for halfback D’Angelo Tupou to score in the corner.
A real King’s highlight was a late try to replacement winger Ollie Anderson to make the game safe. Playing his second match of the day, the lanky speedster seized upon a misdirected pass, kicked down the right wing and regathered to go over in the corner. How they celebrated. And for good measure, Miln nailed a tricky conversion before also having the final say with a penalty.
Skipper Cruiz Simpson had a huge game at No 8 for Sacred Heart, with some barrelling runs, while Finn Norrie also had his moments on the wing, despite sporting more bandages than an Egyptian mummy.
But Sacred suffered from losing their vice-captain, Morgan, to a knee injury late in the first half and really need to fine-tune their defence.
Elsewhere, front-rowers did the damage for St Kentigern College as they battled to a 20-15 home win over plucky Liston College to stay top of the table on points differential.
There were tries to props D’Angelo Mikaele (2), Riley Grant-Faiva and replacement Sunia Vaka, though they did briefly trail 12-10 shortly after halftime.
For Liston, second five-eighths William Couper and centre Jonathan Simote scored tries, Max Stocker landed a conversion, and a penalty out in front to fullback Conrad Chaston narrowed the gap to five points.
Kelston Boys’ High School bounced back from a first-round loss with a 27-10 win over St Paul’s College, where the action included a nice try in the corner to winger Blake Bruce, two to No 8 Vunivalu Niupalau and two penalties and three conversions from Max Talbot.
Mt Albert Grammar secured a much-needed 24-12 away win over Dilworth School. Try-scorers included lock Rico Allen and first five-eighths Finn McDrury, while for Dilworth, there were tries to skipper Fuao Katoa and replacement Sepasetiano Mafi.
Auckland Grammar School, fresh from a 35-5 exchange win over New Plymouth Boys’ High School, beat De La Salle College 58-5 after leading 29-5 at the break.
St Peter’s College chalked up 47 points for the second successive week in their 47-16 win over Botany Downs Secondary College. Their Mountain Rd derby with Auckland Grammar on Saturday should be a thriller.
Auckland 1A draw, Saturday (home team first, all games 2.30pm): St Paul’s v King’s College; Dilworth v Botany Downs; Mt Albert Grammar v Sacred Heart; Kelston v St Kentigern; Liston v De La Salle; St Peter’s v Auckland Grammar.
Points: St Kentigern 10, King’s College 10, St Peter’s 10, Auckland Grammar 9, Kelston 6, Liston 5, Sacred Heart 4, Mt Albert Grammar 4, St Paul’s 1, Botany Downs 0, De La Salle 0.
The Kyocera-sponsored North Harbour First XV championship is shaping up the way it normally does – with Westlake Boys High School and Rosmini College sitting at the top of the table with huge points differentials and the other teams essentially playing for the third and fourth spots in the playoffs.
Westlake had no problem beating Takapuna Grammar 60-8 – despite coach Rob Mildenhall handing out debuts to halfback Kody Isgrovee, winger Adam Watson, prop Seth Louw and Brody Kirkland – while 11-try Rosmini beat Mahurangi College 67-6.
Westlake’s rest-and-rotation approach was perhaps a pointer to a big traditional exchange match at home to Tauranga Boys’ College on Wednesday.
The standout player for Westlake was solidly built Irish exchange student Tom Bolger, who dominated at lock in the first half as his team eased to a 38-5 lead at the break.
Then in the second spell, he dropped into the Westlake backline, with fellow lock Harry Cornelius left to run things in the tight.
For all their dominance, Westlake were methodical but clunky, suffering from unfamiliar combinations. And unusually for Westlake, there was a lot of mauling.
Takapuna Grammar never gave up and played with spirit. They didn’t get into the Westlake 22 until the 34th minute, but when they did, at least No 8 Blake Sam Tripodi scored.
First five-eighths Joaquin Dechiara contributed a try, two penalties and two conversions as Rangitoto College overcame Massey High School 25-19. Massey’s tries all came from the front row, with sub Hawaiki Moore snaring two and prop Emanuel Taulapapa one.
North Harbour draw, Saturday (home team first, all games midday): Mahurangi v Whangārei; Takapuna v Rangitoto; Westlake v Ōrewa; Massey v Rosmini.
Points: Rosmini 10, Westlake 10, Whangārei 5, Rangitoto 5, Mahurangi 4, Massey 1, Ōrewa 0, Takapuna Grammar 0.
Tafai Ioasa is used to winning – and now the habit may finally be rubbing off on his Whanganui Collegiate first XV.
The former All Blacks Sevens captain was part of six New Zealand teams to win the World Sevens Series and in 2006 was a gold medallist at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Then the Hawke’s Bay loose forward transitioned successfully into coaching and in 2019 guided Hastings Boys’ High School to a National Top Four title and a 17-3 record.
But finding the winning formula with Whanganui Collegiate has proven more challenging. In 2024, Whanganui won just one of nine matches in the Central North Island Championship.
However on Saturday, Whanganui stunned the reigning Taine Randall Cup holders St John’s College (Hamilton) 22-20 and captured the Rick Francis Memorial Shield.
Ioasa has a new lease on life – and so do his players.
“I think I was too process-driven last year,” Ioasa said. ”I was too quick to give a solution rather than guide the boys to a solution.
“I’ve learned to teach skills through games and creativity rather than just drilling the same message over and over again.
“In New Zealand, we’ve always been able to improvise to find solutions. Sometimes we’re guilty of getting too bogged down in structure. You’ve got to generate a love for the game and I think our style of play this year will help that.”
A see-saw contest was settled by Oliver Toohey. The Australian capped a good day for the wingers with a late surge to the corner. Earlier, Jack Amon – who shifted from centre to wing to cover a concussion departure – had scored, as did Lachie Stark, a boarder from Hamilton on debut.
St John’s scrummaged powerfully and were quick to seize upon turnovers, twice claiming the lead after surrendering it.
“Our forwards were outstanding. You could throw a blanket over them. It was tit for tat – but when they had to deliver in those final minutes, they did,” Ioasa said.
“I really admire Tony Su’a and what they’ve done with the St John’s programme. They’re going through what we went through last year, with a high turnover of players. They’ll remain competitive because they’ve good talent and good systems.”
For Whanganui, being less systematic has been a focus. In an environment where players have more liberty, robust second five-eighths Jonathan Solomona was damaging and loose forward James Old toiled tirelessly and scored a try.
“Ideally, we might have had four or five games by now, but on the flipside, we feel fresh,” Ioasa said.
“We had a hit-out against local high schools and got a hiding from Palmerston North. We were pretty disappointed with our effort against Palmy. We’re not going to get too far ahead of ourselves, but there’s no shortage of motivation after last season.”
Meanwhile, Feilding High School started their Central North Island First XV campaign with a long Friday detour and delay in heavy rain due to a crash on SH3. Eventually, they got the job done with a 26-19 away win over Francis Douglas Memorial College.
A sharp dart by Peni Havea freed up Kingston Manihera-Dankwa to open the scoring and soon after, a big break from Nixon Foreman allowed Tuharakia Wallace-McLeod to dive over.
Francis Douglas replied before halftime through a lineout variation that saw Blake Davis surge through to score and make it 12-5.
A high tackle saw Rory Gilmour collect an early penalty and bring the home crowd noise to the game. A win against the throw saw Francis Douglas go on the attack and, after a couple of rucks, Gilmour stepped through to score.
Feilding trailed 19-12 after a Rory Gilmour try and three penalties, but Wallace-McLeod and Tyrese Tane found a couple of mismatches and scored close to the posts and Foreman converted.
The best player for Feilding was hard-charging hooker Alani Fakava. His efforts in the final 15 minutes were critical in securing the win.
Lindisfarne College beat St Paul’s Collegiate 19-10 through tries to Reid Palmer, Noah Rogers and Fletcher Mackay, while Rogers had two conversions in a match where both teams showed defensive brilliance. St Peter’s School (Cambridge) beat Wesley College 31-7 away.
A single defeat in May doesn’t define a season, but Hastings Boys’ High School have a lot to learn after their 18-17 defeat by Wellington College.
The visitors were the warmest of favourites to prevail in the capital. So far in 2025, Hastings have conquered the 2024 Auckland, Central North Island and Wellington champions.
By contrast, Wellington were beaten by Tauranga and Napier Boys’ High School, and had been outscored 87-7 by Hastings in their previous two meetings.
Yet it was Wellington who took the game to their much-vaunted rivals, who appeared unaccustomed to such heat.
For Hastings, yellow cards in each half were bad enough, but slapping the ball out of a rival halfback’s hands before he’d fed the scrum with five minutes remaining is downright petulant. Wellington were compressed on defence 30m shy of their posts.
Despite faltering discipline, Hastings nearly won because of their uncanny capacity to hurt their opposition from turnovers or intuitive attacks. When Hastings put everything together, they are one of the best teams in the country.
Wellington started with an aggressive cohesion that largely endured. The whole pack was industrious with prop Hyrum Betham, lock Laifone Kamoto, and No 8 Z’Kdeus Schwalger soaring. Wellington’s initial punch paved the way for lock Taniela Tuangalu to wriggle over from close range.
Hastings centre Triumph Voice was enterprising. In the 23rd minute, his searing outside break restored parity. It was Hastings’ first trip inside Wellington’s 22.
Narvin Campbell applied ingenuity rather than flair in Wellington’s reply. The centre trailed a blistering break by winger Shea Boscher, collecting an in-pass that required him to hit the ground and bounce upwards like Noah Lyles in the starting blocks.
The Wellington 22 was a rare destination for Hastings. When Hastings ventured inside, danger loomed for those in black and gold. A try for openside Vincent Kite was alarmingly simple.
Upon the resumption, Wellington couldn’t breach Hastings’ defence. After several minutes of earnest attack, the boot of Archie Sims was employed to chip over a penalty.
Such adaptability made sense because, despite a cracking try from behemoth tighthead Mone Halaufia romping on the wing, Hastings’ relationship with referee Ethan Loveridge continued to sour.
Hastings were cut down to size by the arborist when Sims pocketed his second penalty goal from directly in front, 30m out – a success that proved to be a winner on his birthday.
Hastings have the chance to atone for their unusually tempestuous display when they clash with St Patrick’s College, Town at Evans Bay Park on Wednesday.
St Patrick’s College, Silverstream overpowered Napier Boys’ High School 33-7 in Palmerston North. Co-captain Will Davis and first five-eighths Fletcher Cooper returned for St Pats and made a palpable difference.
Silverstream dictated the scrums and a 20m drive for a try from a lineout underscored the Wellington champions’ superiority.
Cooper and Davis each scored tries and kicked four conversions between them. Vaitupu Vaitupu, Axel Daken and Jahvan Hunt were other try-scorers for Silverstream.
Striking the right balance between a mental tune-up and tactical adjustments can be a precarious business for a coach of adolescents.
Kieran Coll struck the jackpot with his halftime address for St Thomas of Canterbury College in their 38-34 win over Christ’s College in the Miles Toyota Premiership.
Trailing 27-10 at the break, St Thomas rallied with four second-half tries to overrun a side Coll predicts will “go far” in 2025.
“We came out like a deer in the headlights,” Coll said. ”Christ’s were very direct up the middle. They dominated the collisions and caught us on the edge a few times. When they had players in motion, they were a real handful.
“We talk about measuring ourselves in moments of adversity. At halftime, I challenged the boys’ mindset while making a couple of small tactical changes. I’m bloody stoked with the way they responded.”
Christ’s fumbled the second-half restart. With a more assertive attack, St Thomas struck immediately, blindside flanker Bishop Neal scoring his second try.
Refined discipline and a more physical “carry-clean” ensured St Thomas maintained the newfound momentum. Tries to lock Halaifonua Faulao and replacement loose forward Nikora Mata’afa further bridged the gap. Second five-eighths Isaiah Savea claimed the winner.
Neal is a talismanic personality and one of New Zealand’s hottest rugby league prospects. At the New Zealand Rugby League Grassroots Awards in 2024, he was named Male Junior Player of the Year.
Currently rising through the ranks as a member of the Warriors’ SG Ball team, the Hornby Panthers product won the Premiership MVP award when St Thomas’ successfully defended their national secondary schools title.
Meanwhile, Christ’s College take away two losing bonus points. Captain Alf Markham, loosehead prop Thomas Hazeldine and fullback Jackson Grace can hold their heads high.
Elsewhere, St Bede’s College edged St Andrew’s College 25-20 for the Wyllie-Earl Shield, named after legendary All Blacks and proud old boys Alex Wyllie (St Andrew’s College) and Andy Earl (St Bede’s College). The shield has been contested annually since 2005.
Interestingly, Wyllie’s grandson Finn McLeod helped Christchurch Boys’ High School win the 2023 Miles Toyota Premiership. McLeod’s alma mater opened their premiership campaign with a 31-15 victory over Shirley Boys’ High School.
Nelson College hit the ground running, successfully negotiating their first Trustbank Cup defence of 2025 with a 43-12 win over Selwyn Combined. Nelson outscored the visitors seven tries to two with fullback Liam Soper and hooker Jack Potter both celebrating a double. Nelson have won 21 consecutive round-robin matches.
Marlborough Boys’ College showed life for 2024 championship winners and newly promoted Rangiora High School could be difficult, inflicting a 48-3 defeat upon the newcomers.
In Dunedin, King’s High School were the biggest winners in a lopsided opening round of the Freeman Roofing Southern Schools Rugby Championship.
King’s slayed Dunstan High School 69-13, with winger Alex Smith bagging a quartet of tries. Highlanders No 8 Max Miller thrived with a double.
Otago Boys’ High School subdued Southland Boys’ High School Second XV 55-6. Jack Scott contributed 15 points. No 8 Hendrix Grant has represented his province in age-group union and league.
On Wednesday, Southland Boys’ stretched their competition winning streak to 11 consecutive matches by overwhelming John McGlashan College 67-19 in their traditional annual fixture. Luka Salesa, Zeke Siolo and Caleb Harvey ran rampant with two tries each. Jack Brock accumulated 17 points through a try and six conversions.
The championship is split into three divisions of six schools to ensure competitive matches. Each pool plays a full round-robin across five weeks. The winners of the lower-end Blue and Maroon pools will contest a playoff match on Saturday, June 14, with the winner automatically promoted to Division 1 and the sixth-ranked team from Division 1 being automatically relegated to Division 2.
Manurewa High School have returned to the Counties Manukau First XV competition after a number of years of playing in North Harbour.
On Saturday they lost to Wesley College‘s First XV Development team 29-26, while on Friday Pukekohe High School beat Rosehill College 29-3.
Meanwhile, Tipene St Stephen’s School are back in action after a break of more than 20 years, with just Year 9 and 10 students currently, but could again be a real force in a couple of years.
The original St Stephen’s was opened in 1846 and shut down in 2000, having developed a formidable reputation in rugby.
Between 1954 and 1994, the St Stephen’s First XV enjoyed a dozen unbeaten seasons, winning the National Top Four in 1985 and 1991. They also produced quality players like All Black Dallas Seymour and Māori All Black and Waikato Ranfurly Shield-winning captain Deon Muir.
# Readers are invited to send their first XV rugby updates, news snippets and hot takes to nzschoolboyrugby@gmail.com
FDMC ended a nine-year losing streak against New Plymouth Boys’.