Waikato secondary school rugby: Te Awamutu College First XV draw with Rototuna

Tyrone Bullock scores for Te Awamutu College First XV in the 38-all draw with Rototuna High School First XV. Photo / Jolene Emery

Te Awamutu College First XV drew 38-38 with Rototuna High School First XV in a friendly match at Te Awamutu on Saturday.

Official opponents for the third and fourth play-off, Morrinsville College First XV, defaulted, seeing Te Awamutu finish 2023 third in the second division.

Te Awamutu began strongly. Five minutes in, a brilliantly composed play and try unfolded, orchestrated by three of the senior boys.

Captain Ryan Baillie covered a strong quarter of the field, executing a smooth offload to lock Sleyd Edmonds who then popped it to co-captain Billy Ouston, successfully setting it down.

Rototuna put a halt to further progress. Over the next 25 minutes, Te Awamutu toiled tirelessly but their efforts proved insufficient to prevent the opponents from scoring four tries and converting two of them, amassing 24 points. Frustration set in.

Time was ripe for a course correction before the whistle. During a line-out, Baillie nonchalantly hung back while Ouston soared to secure the ball, purposefully delivering it into Baillie’s hands.

Seizing the opportunity, Baillie charged through the centre, scoring an unexpected try that caught Rototuna off guard.

Jaoquin Burke nailed the conversion from the sideline.

Six minutes later, Burke carried the ball over the line himself. Eager to close the points gap, Te Awamutu College concluded the first half at 17-24.

The second half demanded something extraordinary and like a replay of the first half, Te Awamutu struck first.

The lanky Tyrone Bullock dashed down the wing to secure points within the initial five minutes.

Centre Corbin Fleming’s skillful kick added two points to the board, leveling the game.

Rototuna, eager to regain the lead, mounted a try attempt, only to be thwarted by Te Awamutu’s cohesive teamwork, positioning Baillie adeptly to prevent the grounding.

Nine minutes later, they managed to breach the Te Awamutu defence, grabbing seven points and the lead once more.

Kiarn Collett Quinn took the spotlight next, sprinting down the centre of the field and triumphantly crossing the line for the College, raising a triumphant finger in the air.

This set up an ideal position for Fleming, who converted and the game was tied again.

Five minutes before the final whistle, Rototuna snatched the lead once more with another converted try, putting Te Awamutu in a precarious position.

With only one minute left, time was against Te Awamutu, but they were determined, eventually seeing Jack Kelly score near the corner.

The pressure was on Fleming, but he slotted the conversion, drawing the game level.

The final whistle blew with the score at 38-all.

MVP Points: Ryan Baillie - 3; Jack Kelly - 2; Michael Stuart - 1.