"Lost" and "disillusioned" is how the northern-most secondary school connected to Wanganui feels about having a schoolboy rugby team without a competition as the fallout from the end of the local Under-15 grade last week continues.
The final remaining schools in the independent competition - City College and Cullinane along with a Counties club U15 team - joined the exodus over to the Manawatu union's secondary school grades in April and May respectively, citing a lack of depth remaining to play locally.
New Ruapehu College deputy principal Jason White had organised an Under 15-16 team this year with an eye to rebuilding a 1st XV for the school within two seasons.
They entered the WRFU's 10-a-side tournament for Under 15s early this year, using a squad of Year 9 through to "not too big" Year 12 players, as well as the Under 19 sevens tournament.
The end of a Wanganui 15-a-side grade for U15s "left them in the lurch", because the travel from Ohakune to the Manawatu, not to mention away games in Horowhenua and Wairarapa, would be too much, White said.
Nor do enough of the Ruapehu team fit the criteria to play in the WRFU's new Under 14, 65kg weight limit grade on Wednesdays.
"We're lost, we've got nothing," White said.
"I've tried to organise [games] with a whole lot of schools, but with not a lot of success.
"The schools at Taupo and Taumarunui are all locked into their competitions and have nothing until September.
"A few of the Wanganui schools that go to Palmy may be able to play on some bye weekends," White said.
"Upon arriving in Ohakune I heard all about how poorly the union is being run, and how neglected rugby is in this area."
WRFU chief executive Dale Cobb again expressed his sympathy for Ruapehu College, who "would travel on the smell of an oily rag if it meant their kids got ten minutes of sport".
However, there was no solution short of the various Wanganui secondary school's sporting heads of department deciding to return and make a local grade, which needed parent and public pressure on them.
"It's tough, again, we can't pull players out of thin air," said Cobb.
"If we were in a position to assist, we would be the first people to jump on it.
"The [only] solution to it is if schools came back to Wanganui. City College, might consider a competition to come back.
"They were absolutely loyal, but it was so hard to give them what they wanted."
City College's head of rugby Aaron Chadwick said they had no choice but to go to Manawatu and were "100 per cent behind the WRFU".
Contrary to previous reports, the City College U15 team is still active and moved to the top tier of that Manawatu grade, while the school also has an U14 Academy squad in the Wednesday competition.
All their students must play for the school, Chadwick said.
"We didn't make that [move] lightly and that came after a meeting on April 14 where there [only] two schools there, one being us.
"From this hui, based on the uncertainty surrounding other schools, we made a decision to go to Manawatu.
"We genuinely want a competition here."
Chadwick's suggestion was a format where the Wanganui schools played each other in the first half of the regular season, then the top schools could play their Manawatu counterparts later on, similar to a 'Super Bowl'.
"If we can get the rest of the schools back to Wanganui, we'll be there with bells on."
Cullinane pulled their team out of the new six-team Wednesday competition last week, however Cobb said the WRFU rugby development officer was able to fill the breech by visiting Wanganui High School and recruiting schoolboys not currently playing in the Saturday competition in Manawatu.
"Jordan [Farrington] actually got their names last week, phoned the parents, and they turned up on Wednesday - 12 to 13 boys - we had some clothing for them to wear."