Whanganui Collegiate 1st XV play in this Saturday's final with perennial CNI champions St Paul's Collegiate in Taupo. Photo / Bevan Conley
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It's a conscious decision – do you want to be vaguely remembered for some big upset in a televised CNI game that one time, or do you want to be known as a schoolboys champion?
That is the question coach Steve Simpson and assistant Mark Godfrey will be asking their Whanganui Collegiate 1st XV charges as they get their feet back on the ground to prepare for this Saturday's final with perennial CNI champions St Paul's Collegiate in Taupo.
A large SKY audience had the chance to watch Whanganui Collegiate come from clear fourth to shock undefeated 2020 co-champions St Peter's Cambridge 19-17 on their own track last weekend, while at the same time, a composed St Paul's saw off their cross-town rivals St John's Hamilton 27-13.
"We needed to front, and there was just a little bit of belief," said Godfrey of the semifinal boil over.
"On Saturday, not too many mistakes, which kept us in the game. I haven't watched it back, but maybe four [errors].
"We just try and put a little pressure on – they'd never been under the pump. They were starting to push passes – we capitalised."
But Godfrey knows that winning the penultimate game only earns you the right to play another week, as this underdog team has the opportunity to advance beyond what even the well-rounded 2019 side accomplished, or the 2020 edition with their star players in the halves.
"We've been to the final before and haven't done it, so definitely its 'halfway there' [as the message].
"For me, it's definitely unfinished business – one more week.
"I'd like to think there's a Rugby God, and in the three years I've coached at Collegiate, there's been some tough losses.
"It's been a long time for Collegiate, and I would have thought at some stage, maybe 2019-20 [we'd win it].
"In 2019, we had to go up to St Paul's [for the final, lost 26-14] because we lost to Feilding [in round robin].
"Taupō, a neutral ground, a lot of the boys were in the team last year, so we know that Taupō set up.
"It will be a tough ask. The start's critical again. Josh [Brunger] scored after five minutes, and that was critical to get points on the board."
Since CNI started in 2014, St Paul's have won every season except 2017 (Wesley College), while they shared the title with St Peter's last year due to a 36-36 draw in Taupō.
This season, St Peter's was the only side to beat them in pool play, while they defeated Collegiate 30-12 in Hamilton on July 24 – although that was Whanganui's first CNI game in a month as the squad came back very sore from the Quadrangular tournament in Christchurch.
"It's still relatively raw – a little motivating factor. A little advantage playing St Paul's, [in July] we had Josefa [Namosimalua] at centre and Waqa [Waqaicece] wasn't there," said Godfrey.
"Now, we should be at full strength."
No8 Namosimalua has been playing through a shoulder injury, but if ever there was a game to lift above the pain barrier, it's this one.
For at least 11 members of the squad, this will be their last hurrah to win a championship before leaving school.
Flankers Thomas Pease and Te Ana Proffit were fresh-faced kids when they made the 2019 squad, as was captain Shaun O'Leary, who started as a winger and in a perfect world would be second-five, but has stepped up to the pivotal No10 jersey left to him by Harry Godfrey.
Kickoff will be 2.15pm on Saturday at Owen Delany Park.
MAORI VS PASIFIKA: Whanganui's two cultural representative teams will go head to head at Spriggens Park on Saturday. Whanganui Maori are coming off a tough loss to Manawatu Maori, while Whanganui Pasifika had an unscheduled break when Wairarapa Bush Maori defaulted their fixture last Saturday through lack of numbers. Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm.
UNDER 20: The Whanganui Under 20s finished their Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council tournament with a flourish, beating Poverty Bay U20 22-14 in Palmerston North on Sunday. Three of them – Kaierau's Ezra Malo, Dillon Adrole and Marist's Rangi Kui have made the Heartland Hurricanes squad to play the U19 teams of Hawke's Bay, Manawatu and Wellington. Adrole played for Steelform Whanganui seniors last season while Malo has played the preseason matches as an apprentice selection.
BROADHEAD: Whanganui Marist's Hamish Broadhead was part of a very successful four-match tour by the NZ Marist Colts squad. Playing four games in the space of a week, NZ Marist defeated West Coast 22-19 in Greymouth, Tasman Under 19s in Riwaka 39-26, then in two games at Hataitai Park, they beat Wellington Marist Colts before finishing with a 40-31 win over Centurions RFC.
DIVISION 1: Two different Under 13 club teams will contest the WRFU Division 1 final at Spriggens Park on Saturday. After winners Taihape and Kaierau played off for the championship in 2020, this year it is Ruapehu and the Marist Vikings who have won through to the big game. Kickoff is 10am.