King's College fullback Calvin Harris-Tavita pictured in action against St Kentigern College. Photo / Bruce Holloway
King’s return to the top thanks to some Benji-style magic; Palmerston North set to host Super 8 final; Hamilton return to form; Central North Island semifinals decided; Silverstream hit a ton in Wellington; exciting semifinal draw in Canterbury; all the top action nationally ...
By Bruce Holloway and Adam Julian
An Auckland schoolboy already being touted in Aussie league circles as “the next Benji Marshall” has shown his match-winning chops in 1A First XV rugby.
King’s College have surged back to the top of the 1A table after a royal second-half showing inspired a 25-20 triumph against previously unbeaten St Kentigern College on Saturday, thanks largely to two spectacular late tries engineered by Year 12 fullback Calvin Harris-Tavita, younger brother of Warriors playmaker Chanel Harris-Tavita.
Photos on Harris-Tavita’s Instagram account revealed him training in Brisbane Broncos gear last month, while curious Aussie league media have more recently been talking up his NRL prospects by quoting comparisons with legendary Kiwi NRL Hall-of-Famer Marshall.
And twice late in the second spell, with King’s desperately chasing the game, the 17-year-old showed exactly why he was drawing such attention, with his slick sidestep and ability to carve up defences employed to devastating effect.
On the first occasion, he triggered a 70m move with a weaving run which ended with Marco Miln – playing this match at halfback rather than first five-eighths – dotting down in the left-hand corner to make it 20-20.
The second burst, three minutes from time, was even more special. Harris-Tavita scythed through and unfurled a 30m pass from left to right, under pressure and into the wind, after already covering 50m at full speed, with more turns than Shane van Gisbergen, while defenders approached from all angles.
It was simply a masterpiece as he unloaded for sub Spencer Capper to score in the right-hand corner, worthy of winning any match.
With just one round to play and bottom-placed Botany Downs Secondary College their final opponents, it is all but certain King’s will top the table for the semifinals, while St Kentigern will face third-placed Sacred Heart College in the other semi, with just the venue to be decided by the outcome of final-round matches – where the two colleges also clash.
But it will be a real last-round lottery to sort out who the fourth semifinalist will be, with Auckland Grammar School the favoured candidate after beating St Paul’s College 38-0, though Liston College, Kelston Boys’ High School and St Peter’s College are also all still in the frame, three points back – and with Kelston and Grammar due to face each other on Saturday.
Given St Kentigern have won 30 of their last 32 1A round-robin matches, King’s Harris-Tavita-inspired victory is highly significant. It should not go unnoticed that the last time King’s won the 1A title, back in 2019, they topped the table with a 9-2 record.
This contest drew a crowd that any NPC match will do well to match in ensuing weeks, while the King’s home-pitch setting was resplendent with stark contrasts.
On one side stood the St Kentigern hardcore, seemingly sci-fi cosplaying topless in blue body paint to look like the Na’vi, the sapient humanoid hunter-gatherers who inhabit the lush moon of Pandora in the Avatar movies.
And on the other side were perched the King’s students, looking even more alien, with the boys formally decked out in striped jackets and ties, as if they were extras from Tom Brown’s School Days.
“Down the crown,” said the main St Kentigern placard. “Protect the Kingdom,” the King’s sign thematically rebutted, its urgency somehow reinforced by the background starkness of the doom-inducing winter oak tree silhouette that fronts the college’s equivalent of Malfoy Manor.
Those colourful contrasts quickly extended to the on-field action. As is their practice, St Kentigern played with a calculated, muscular efficiency that usually stifles the opposition.
On the other hand, King’s, despite missing multiple goalkicks that could have added a dozen points, were eventually rewarded for their greater ambition and creativity, particularly while battling against a strong second-half wind.
The other King’s standout was openside flanker Johan Schaumkell, King’s answer to the Red Baron, who sports colourful headgear pulled low over his brow – which makes him somehow look like a brooding superhero searching for his next kill.
How long before league scouts are chasing him as well? Schaumkell mixes raw power with pace and accounted for his team’s opening try with a withering 20m burst.
Five minutes earlier, St Kentigern had opened the scoring with a close-range try out wide. It’s hard to know exactly who scored in a blur of bodies. St Kentigern are one of many schools who struggle to correctly employ the Rugby Xplorer competition management platform and didn’t load a team list on the day.
But at a guess, it was at least prop Riley Grant-Faiva who scored their second such forward-engineered try to level at 10-10 just before halftime.
With the wind behind them in the second spell, St Kentigern first five-eighths Jaydon Randall landed a penalty from right in front for a 13-10 lead, though King’s prop Keneti Fanuatanu soon replied with an unconverted try.
St Kentigern’s natural instinct is always to go up the middle and it at least paid off when hooker Luka Makata scored a nice converted try to cap an impressive game.
With a 20-15 lead, a strong wind and time running out, the match was St Kentigern’s to lose.
The turning point came when referee Adam Palmer changed his decision from a penalty for St Kentigern, for a player seemingly being tackled off the ground, into a penalty for King’s – and that laid the platform for Tavita-Harris to show his party pieces.
St Kentigern still had a chance to snatch victory with a late penalty, but with the aid of the wind, the touch-finder was kicked long, beyond the corner post.
King’s and St Kentigern are perhaps Auckland’s two most well-resourced 1A schools and could yet meet again in the grand final.
But if so, a King’s coronation would appear the more likely. If they are to overcome their seven-year 1A hoodoo, St Kentigern may need to take a few risks and introduce a teeny-weeny bit more expansive play.
Fullback Finn Norrie and openside Ngawai Amoamo bagged a brace each as Sacred Heart College sealed a playoff berth with a 48-7 away win over Botany Downs Secondary College.
The match was a contest of odd sequences, still scoreless after 25 minutes – but then blown out to 31-0 by halftime.
But another talked-about feature of the match was referee Antony Petrie getting hit on the nose by the ball. With no advantage to be gained, there was a short injury break.
And while Sacred managed eight tries, one of the day’s best came from rangy Botany left winger Rhys Bowden, who cleverly stepped the defence for an eye-catching second-half try.
King’s win over St Kentigern was bad news for Sacred because it means they can’t finish higher than third. And with St Kentigern destined to finish second, Sacred are now likely to end up playing them away on two consecutive Saturdays.
St Peter’s College struck their best form of the season to beat Liston College 30-15 and retain the Dallow Cup, after leading 12-0 at the break. First five Malakai Hafoka accounted for 15 of St Peter’s points, including a try.
Like Liston, St Peter’s are a good bet for a bonus-point win next week and a subsequent final tally of 36 points, so this head-to-head result could yet be critical.
Auckland Grammar School were always in control against St Paul’s College, leading 19-0 at halftime and chalking up five tries to secure a vital bonus point. There were two tries to winger Luke Thomson and one apiece to centre Bastion Armstrong, No 8 Lagi Sharma, hooker Santino Naufahu and sub Hamish Mather.
Kelston Boys’ High School beat Dilworth School 47-5 after leading 21-5 at the break, with impressive No 8 Satali Asolelei Fretton grabbing two tries and skipper-hooker Lui Stowers two as well. Meanwhile, Kelston second five Koupa Nomotu hit the notable milestone of 50 First XV appearances.
Mt Albert Grammar School secured their fourth win of the season, 24-17 over De La Salle College. Fullback Finn McDrury accounted for half of Grammar’s points and scored two tries.
Auckland 1A Points: King’s College 45, St Kentigern 44, Sacred Heart 44, Auckland Grammar 34, Kelston 31, Liston 31, St Peter’s 31, Mt Albert Grammar 20, St Paul’s 15, Dilworth 7, De La Salle 6, Botany Downs 3.
Auckland 1A draw, Saturday (all 2.30pm, home team first): De La Salle v Dilworth; St Peter’s v Mt Albert Grammar; Liston v St Paul’s; Auckland Grammar v Kelston; St Kentigern v Sacred Heart; King’s College v Botany Downs.
Westlake Boys High School moved five points clear at the top of the Kyocera-sponsored North Harbour First XV championship – thanks largely to third-placed Whangārei Boys’ High School rolling Rosmini College 16-12.
While Rosmini scored two tries to one, the boot of Joshua McRae made the difference for Whangārei with three penalties and a conversion.
For Whangārei, there was a try to flanker Jordan Young while for Rosmini, there was a converted try to lock Danny Murphy and one to sub Charlie Ryder.
Meanwhile, it was a classic game of two halves as Westlake beat Massey High School 55-7. Westlake failed to impress in the first half, despite establishing a 21-0 lead by halftime.
It was largely dour stuff as a series of knock-ons and dropped passes dominated and the only thing to celebrate was Westlake lock Harry Cornelius finally scoring his first try after five years of secondary school rugby, and halfback Levi Leith picking up two.
For Cornelius’ effort, there were joyous celebrations, of which Westlake later broadcast a clip on Instagram, choosing to accompany it to the tune of Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On (the theme from the movie Titanic).
In the second spell, Westlake lifted their intensity and let the ball speak – and there was immediately a try to Boston Aukino, a second to winger Yisrael Tukania and two to Harper Wilson on the other flank.
The floodgates then opened with forwards’ tries to Daniel Paea and Tom Bolger and one to second five Luke Lemalu. Massey never gave up and were rewarded with a try to No 8 Lale Taeoalii.
Takapuna Grammar School squeaked home 11-10 away to Mahurangi College. There was a try apiece – to Mahurangi flanker Finn Nowakowski Craig in the first half and Takapuna sub Connor Brady in the second – but Takapuna first five Max Murray made the difference with two penalties.
For Mahurangi, the match marked 30 caps for hooker Lochie Reid and prop Jacob Chown-Mills.
Rangitoto College beat Ōrewa College 50-15, scoring eight tries.
North Harbour draw, Saturday (home team first, all 12 noon): Rangitoto v Whangārei; Massey v Mahurangi; Rosmini v Westlake; Takapuna v Ōrewa
North Harbour points: Westlake 53, Rosmini 49, Whangārei 47, Rangitoto 38, Massey 25, Mahurangi 17, Takapuna Grammar 10, Ōrewa 1.
Coldly clinical Hamilton Boys’ High School outfoxed enigmatic Hastings Boys’ High School 31-22 to conclude their disappointing Super 8 campaign with a third consecutive victory and a timely reminder not to write off the national champions.
While Hastings made repeat line breaks and launched a furious comeback from 26-3 down to create a slim chance of success near the end, it was Hamilton’s defence and precision inside opposition territory that were the most telling factors.
Hastings can be a real handful, with beefy forwards who are just as quick and skilled as their backs. However, there is a Jekyll-and-Hyde persona to Hastings, with exorbitant mistakes and penalties sometimes hampering prodigious talent.
Hamilton were ahead 19-3 at halftime, not because they’d enjoyed a plethora of possession; they just hadn’t blown it. Chiefs Under-18 representatives Max Kara (second five-eighths), Liam van der Heyden (prop) and Nathan Stephens (winger) all crossed from steady, accurate build-ups.
Meanwhile, Hastings were left to rue errant passing and a stream of isolated, one-on-one turnovers. All three Hamilton loose forwards, Alex Arnold, Caleb Grice and Corban Dunlop, as well as first five Jackson Botherway and fullback Hakopa Paringatai, proved to be successful pickpockets.
In the 43rd minute, vibrant wing Stephens scored his second to make it 26-3, at which point most on Peachgrove Rd would wave the white flag.
But then, suddenly, Hastings clicked. Two tries to bulldozing No 8 Panapa Peia and a 67th wriggle-and-stretch from France Tevita, accompanied by a sideline conversion to Tana Faumuina, reduced the deficit to four.
If nothing else, Hastings are brazen. There was little thought of a patient construction of a match-winner. Instead, a wild pass was sprayed backwards inside the 22 – and Carson Hunter swooped.
Since 2016, Hamilton have won seven matches against Hastings, who have won six, including success at the 2016, 2017 and 2019 National Top Four tournaments.
Meanwhile, Tauranga Boys’ College snapped their three-game losing streak with a 50-15 hiding of Gisborne Boys’ High School. Fullback Tommy “Ethereal” McQuoid scored twice to complete the remarkable feat of scoring a try in every Super 8 game.
The Chiefs’ regional playoff for the top-four national deciders is shaping up to be extremely competitive. Rotorua and Tauranga will tussle again to determine the Bay of Plenty champions on August 9.
The Waikato layoff remains undecided, but the likely match-up is between Hamilton Boys’ and Central North Island frontrunners St Peter’s Cambridge, also on August 9.
The Counties champions are Wesley College, who blanked Pukekohe High School 50-0. Francis Douglas Memorial College earned their place as Taranaki’s representatives after their 10-8 upset of New Plymouth Boys’ High School in May.
When talismanic first five-eighths Jamie Viljoen ghosted into a yawning hole to touch down in the sixth minute of Wednesday’s Polson Banner fixture for Palmerston North Boys’ High School, on the way to a 30-7 win against Napier Boys’ High School, there already appeared to be a sense of inevitability about the outcome.
Seeking the right to host the Super 8 final for the first time, it was apt that the strongest of contenders for the New Zealand Schools No 10 jersey marked the big occasion by laying his blueprint early.
Motivated, cohesive and fast, Palmerston North blasted 19-0 ahead after 21 minutes with further tries to Hurricanes U18 forwards Viliami Rongokea-Tupou and Siokatame Langilangi.
The four-try bonus point needed to snuff out any chance of Rotorua hosting the decider would come easily, wouldn’t it?
Instead, Palmerston North overplayed their hand, while a less-than-vintage Sky Blues outfit provided stubborn resistance. No 8 Carter Pirie briefly invoked memories of a rampaging Colin Bourke from the same game two decades earlier with an intimidating solo burst; otherwise, it was a slog, where Rongokea-Tupou, Carlo Isaac and gritty Year 11 lock Ollie Read were forced into sustained periods of tackling.
Just when it seemed Palmerston North could be bound for Rotorua, fullback Hunter Kennedy flicked a switch. In the 68th minute, the Piopio Express, with the balance of Biles, tiptoed down the sideline and sprinted clear for the try that ensured the Square will stop next Saturday.
Palmerston North captured the Polson Banner for the 65th time, having not held the silk banner, with two sides depicting the colours and logo of each school, since 2021.
Meanwhile, Rotorua Boys’ High School comfortably retained the Moascar Cup with a 36-19 home win against New Plymouth Boys’ High School. In doing so, Raukura could win the Super 8 for the fourth time if they repeat their July 19 road success against Palmerston North.
Rotorua mauled strongly from lineouts and had more punch and panache in midfield in overcoming gritty New Plymouth. The visitors briefly enjoyed the ascendancy when tiger-hearted No 8 Luke Goodman charged over, but the locals always had greater ammunition.
Hooker Bronson Van der Heyden, lock Hunter Weaver, and loose forwards Jake Hutchings and Te Ariki Rogers forged ahead. Out wide, Chiefs U18 selections Hieke McGarvey, Isi Tuutafaiva and Tokoaitua Owen all scored tries, combining vision, speed, sparkling footwork and a bit of brawn. Tukotahi Richards-Te Whau continued his excellent goalkicking form with four conversions and a penalty.
New Plymouth’s season is done and dusted with just a solitary Super 8 victory. Lock Brody Leicester, alongside Goodman, was their only other Chiefs U18 selection.
Rotorua are not obligated to take the Moascar Cup to Palmerston North, but it’s not against the rules either.
Super 8 points: Palmerston North 30, Rotorua 29, Hamilton 23, Tauranga 23, Hastings 21, Napier 12, New Plymouth 5, Gisborne 4.
Super 8 final, Saturday: Palmerston North v Rotorua, TBA.
The only Palmerston North team to win the Super 8 was in 2005. That season, Palmerston North finished third in New Zealand, losing a National Top Four semifinal to the eventual champions, Christchurch Boys’ High School, 16-9.
Palmerston North played 22 games, achieving 19 wins and copping three defeats. They scored 813 points, 123 tries and conceded only 282 points. Head coach Rhys Archibald later ironically coached at Christchurch Boys’, while the captain was prop Jason Douglas.
Future Rugby World Cup winner Aaron Cruden scored 82 points, but the earnest Palmerstonian suggested he work on his kicking game. Future Welsh second five-eighths Hadleigh Parkes scored tries in six out of seven Super 8 fixtures, while chipper All Blacks Sevens showman Kurt Barker scored 16 tries.
But the most enchanting individual that season was future Māori All Black Andre Taylor, who scored 27 tries, including two or more tries in eight games and seven tries in a single match against hapless Australian opposition, Kinross Wolaroi School.
In the Super 8 this year, Palmerston North have defeated Gisborne 30-15, Tauranga 38-15, Hastings 32-15, Hamilton 17-10, New Plymouth 45-5, and Napier 29-20. Their only loss came against Rotorua, when they were narrowly defeated 22-21.
2014: Hamilton 21 Palmerston North 3
2015: Hamilton 33 Rotorua 14
2016: Hastings 30 Hamilton 8
2017: Hamilton 12 Hastings 12
2018: Hamilton 23 Napier 22
2019: Hamilton 13 Hastings 5
2020: Hamilton 26 Rotorua 13
2021: Hamilton 12 Hastings 10
2022: Rotorua 20 Hamilton 19
2023: Hamilton 56 Napier 22
2024: Tauranga 37 Hamilton 0
Round-robin winners St Peter’s Cambridge will host Wesley College in one Central North Island semifinal on Saturday, while in the other, Feilding High School will be at home to Lindisfarne College after showing their all-round ability by hammering Whanganui Collegiate 64-7.
St Peter’s romped to an expected 67-17 home win over St John’s College (Hastings), after leading 36-5 at the break, to complete a perfect round-robin season.
Meanwhile, Wesley were the big beneficiaries of St John’s College (Hamilton) pipping city rivals St Paul’s Collegiate School 20-19, while Wesley won 31-14 away to Francis Douglas Memorial College.
Left winger Kailan Ellmers was the pick of the bunch as Feilding registered their seventh win of the season, chasing hard on kicks, making tackles and eating up huge yards with the ball in hand.
Feilding first five-eighths Tyrese Tane opened the scoring with a nice double-round after 10 minutes and that was soon followed by two tries to fullback Peni Havea and one apiece to centre James Tuituba and No 8 Rupeni Raviyawa.
But Whanganui’s Jonathan Solomona replied with a try from a charge-down and a 40m run.
In the second half, Feilding ran in tries to Manihera-Dankwa, another two to Raviyawa, Lucas Goodman (playing his 30th match) and Ellmers.
Hooker and skipper Alani Fakava didn’t get on the scoresheet but he did register his 70th match for Feilding.
Central North Island final points: St Peter’s 39, Feilding 37, Lindisfarne 31, Wesley 23, St Paul’s 20, St John’s Hamilton 15, Whanganui 12, Francis Douglas 11, St John’s Hastings 0.
Central North Island semifinals, Saturday: St Peter’s v Wesley; Feilding v Lindisfarne.
Subsidiary: St Paul’s v Francis Douglas; St John’s v Whanganui.
The Wellington First XV Premiership featured a heavily lopsided round robin, where 25 out of 44 games were decided by a margin of 20 points or more, and ended with the largest defeat recorded and a predictable line-up for the semifinals.
League leaders St Patrick’s College Silverstream obliterated last-placed Tawa College 113-0 – a record victory for the Upper Hutt school, founded in 1931.
Silverstream will host fourth-placed Rathkeale College, who suffered an even more disturbing 71-12 hiding at the hands of second-placed Wellington College.
Third-placed St Patrick’s College (Town) steamrolled Hutt International Boys’ School (Hibs) 58-0. Town have the size and capability to challenge Wellington, although they will need to improve from their lacklustre performance against Silverstream on July 16.
The only discussion points from Silverstream’s landslide were the absence of serious injuries and the historically large stat line. Silverstream scored 17 tries and successfully converted 14 kicks, while leading 45-0 at halftime.
Remarkably, there were 11 different individual scorers, with prolific Year 11 first five-eighths Fletcher Cooper contributing 38 points.
Previously, Silverstream’s largest win occurred during the era of four-point tries, when they destroyed a Pōneke Under-19s team 108-14 in 1982. In that match, despite conceding three pushover tries from scrums, Jeff Karam, related to All Black Joe Karam, scored 10 tries, while Dennis Tocker, Silverstream’s first New Zealand Secondary Schools representative, accumulated 36 points.
Ten players shared Wellington College’s 11 tries in their Rathkeale romp. Winger Fraser Lindsay has struck a purple patch with successive braces, while sharpshooter Archie Sims was on target with seven conversions from eight attempts.
St Pat’s Town scored 10 tries but only converted four in their 58-0 blanking of Hibs. Patu Perenise and Remy Fitisemanu achieved doubles.
In 10 round-robin matches, Silverstream scored 601 points, while Wellington College and Town each scored 399, although Wellington played one less match due to Scots’ shocking second-round default.
In other matches, St Bernard’s College edged Scots College 27-22 and Wairarapa College quelled Rongotai College 24-10.
Wellington Tranzit Coachlines Cup points: Silverstream 44, Wellington 40, St Pat’s Town 36, Rathkeale 28, Hibs 26, Wairarapa 19, Scots 12, St Bernards 10, Rongotai 9, Tawa 7.
A replay of the 2024 title decider between Christchurch Boys’ High School and Nelson College, and a mouthwatering duel involving undefeated Marlborough Boys’ College and a resurgent Christ’s College will determine the finalists in the Miles Toyota Premiership.
In the quarter-finals, the fourth-placed defending champions Nelson powered past fifth-ranked St Andrew’s College 47-12, while few would have expected Christ’s, in sixth place, to convincingly dismiss St Thomas of Canterbury College 46-24 on their home field.
However, Christ’s assistant coach Sam Bromhall believes his team have been building greater cohesion and confidence with the return of key players Gavin Holder and Rico Lemalie. Remarkably, this duo scored half of the visitors’ eight tries, with Holder claiming a hat-trick.
“Rico broke his arm early on and has missed most of the season, while Gavin’s been in and out, along with a couple of other key players, including our captain, Alf Markham, for a game,” Bromhall explained. “That has meant we’ve had to shuffle things around and be patient as players adjust to new positions.”
Lemalie and Holder both started as young Year 11 wingers and last year played together at 10 and 12.
“We’ve been happy with Jackson Grace at 10, so we decided to move Gavin to fullback upon his return, and to be fair, that has been a good decision. He gets more time and space to use his vision, speed and footwork to beat players.”
With a narrow lead of 22-17 after withstanding a serious assault on their line, Holder shifted momentum in an instant with a stunning chip-and-chase try from halfway, leaving some retreating defenders resembling wobbly turnstiles.
Lemalie sealed the victory with a shoving, weaving surge late in the proceedings. Rather than individual brilliance, Bromhall was most satisfied with the application of basics and defiant tackling. Christ’s scored three tries directly from lineout drives, with hooker Adriaan Pieter Van Wyk managing to get lower than a snake’s belly on two occasions.
With the scores locked at 17-17, Christ’s were menacingly marching toward the paint when the ball mysteriously popped out for Henry Pratt to calmly collect and dot down. There was also some slick handling by Christ’s that allowed them to outmanoeuvre the vastly heavier opposition.
“The core of the team is the same as in 2024, and we saw a lot of potential then, so it’s great to be getting the best out of them now,” Bromhall enthused.
“We lost to St Andrew’s before the Matariki break. The game was played at 10.30 on a Friday morning, which is earlier than usual, and I reckon some of the boys had one foot still in bed, while others didn’t get out at all.
“The whole group now is actually playing for each other, which is evident in our willingness to dig in on defence. We only just beat Rangiora and lost to Selwyn. You must be at your best at all times in this competition.
“Our prop Tom Hazeldine attended the Māori Under-18 camp. He’s a tough player who gives it his all. Captain Alf Markham is super consistent and No 8 Lui Tupuola is playing the best we’ve seen from him.”
Bishop Neal, the St Thomas No 8, was again a human wrecking ball, scoring two tries and delivering bone-jarring hits.
As a player, Bromhall won the NPC with Canterbury in 2001 and 2005, as well as Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders in 2002 and 2005. Does the much-hyped Neal have the attributes of a champion?
“He can be pretty devastating all right,” Bromhall responded.
“You definitely have to shut down his time and space, and even then, he sometimes takes three players with him. His size is a significant advantage at this level. It’ll be interesting to see how he develops.”
Having earlier in the season squandered a 22-0 advantage against St Andrew’s College, Nelson College have undoubtedly become more ruthless, putting St Andrew’s away 47-12.
Winger Liam Soper zipped in twice and first five Wiremu Makea compiled 15 points. The hosts’ forwards display was efficacious, with hooker Jack Potter industrious and prop Tawhiao Whitham-TeKotua damaging, each rewarded with tries. Will Horncastle and Tom Perkins have ample playoffs experience and that will be essential for bouncing back from an almost unprecedented 58-31 hiding to Christchurch Boys’ on May 24.
# There was a strong Christ’s connection in Marist Albion’s breathtaking 27-25 victory over defending champions Linwood in the Canterbury Metro final at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch on Sunday.
The winning try was scored after the siren following 30 gut-busting phases by former student Shun Miyake, who has played in the NPC for both Tasman and Canterbury.
Head coach Ross Kennedy, who guided Christ’s to a share of the Premiership in 2018, was partnered by Sam Chamberlain, who also co-coaches Christ’s with Bromhall and former All Blacks captain Reuben Thorne. Marist Albion were 13-1 in 2025.
Miles Toyota Premiership Top 6 finals, Saturday (home team first): Marlborough v Christ’s College, 11am. Christchurch v Nelson, 11.45am. Plate final: St Thomas v St Andrew’s, 2.45pm.
The semifinal line-up for the Freeman Roofing Southern Schools Rugby Championship settled as expected. Reigning champions Southland Boys’ High School will host John McGlashan College while King’s High School joust with Otago Boys’ High School.
Southland dispatched St Kevin’s College 62-7, with front-rowers Presley McHugh and Luka Salesa both jostling over for two tries. Fullback Jack Brook accumulated 17 points.
Outside backs Henry Smale, Alex Smith, and Lafa Tofiga all scored tries for King’s in their 38-12 dismantling of John McGlashan College. King’s play very directly through their forwards, so signs of effective, expansive play are encouraging before the semis.
Otago Boys’ conquered the Southland Second XV 65-12. Loosies Charlie Ottrey and Filipe Vaka’uta flourished with two tries apiece.
Freeman Roofing Southern Schools Championship points: Southland 23, King’s 21, Otago 14, John McGlashan 10, Southland Second XV 6, St Kevin’s 0.
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