CONNECTED: New Zealand Schools and NZ Schools Barbarians players with Wanganui connections (from left) Jona Nareki (Barbarians), Liam Giltrap (NZ Schools), Tom Stewart (Barbarians) and Stephen Perofeta (Barbarians) clashed in Palmerston North at the weekend.PHOTO/LUCY STEWART IMG-0568
Former Wanganui lad Tom Stewart scored six of the New Zealand Schools Barbarians' 18 points during its narrow loss to NZ Schools in Palmerston North on Saturday.
The Barbarians went down 20-18 thanks to a late try by NZ Schools only minutes from the final whistle.
Stewart, from Mangamahu and
in his last year at Feilding High, kicked a conversion and a penalty in a game looking to swing the Barbarian's way with the scoreline sitting at 18-13 before the five pointer under the posts. It was converted to get NZ Schools out of jail.
Stewart was named in the Barbarian squad along with Wanganui Collegiate and Heartland player Stephen Perofeta and Wanganui City College student Jona Nareki, while former Marist junior Liam Giltrap made the NZ Schools team.
Stewart, Nareki and Perofeta were named in the Hurricanes Under-18 squad earlier this year, but missed the cut for the NZ Schools side that was preparing for its tour to Brisbane this week to take on Samoa Schools, Australian Schools Barbarians and Australia Schools. The teams were chosen from 53 players who trialled in a development camp over the previous weekend and although Perofeta may have been disappointed to miss the Australian tour, Wanganui Heartland coach Jason Caskey was happy to have him back.
