Cullinane duo join elite squad

Cullinane College students Sam Monaghan (left) and Brett Cameron will have just two training runs before taking to the field for the new national Catholic school combination in Wellington on Saturday. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO 301013WCSMRUGBY1

Two Wanganui Cullinane College rugby stars will experience a baptism of fire when they take the field for an inaugural national Catholic school 1st XV in Wellington on Saturday.

Cullinane midfield back Sam Monaghan and first five-eighth Brett Cameron were picked for the inaugural 23-man squad selected from 49 Catholic secondary schools throughout the country and the team will play a one-off match against a Wellington Centurion club XV in the capital on Saturday.

While gaining selection to the national squad was a huge achievement, the pair will go into Saturday's match with just two training runs under their belts.

"We go to a training camp tomorrow and Friday under the coach of St Pat's Town College in Wellington, so it's going to be tough getting any set moves going before Saturday," Monaghan said yesterday.

"Saturday's match is a one-off and neither of us know anything about others named in our squad and we're not even sure if we will be in the starting line-up."

The pair do have some knowledge of the Wellington Centurion side, however.

"We played them this season in a rep game and we got a bit of a hiding," Cameron said.

Both, however, are confident it will be a different ball game with players of national quality at their side on Saturday.

The majority of the 23-man squad should get a run this weekend and Cameron and Monaghan are race fit after helping Cullinane win the Wanganui secondary school competition after an emphatic 39-3 victory over Wanganui City College in the final.

"The problem will be that the Centurions have played together as a unit all season and will be well drilled," they said.

Year 13 student Monaghan, 18, plans to play club rugby next season - probably for Marist - after leaving school, while 17-year-old Year 12 pupil Cameron will have one more season in the Cullinane 1st XV before deciding his future.

Cameron will still be eligible for re-selection into the national Catholic squad next season, leaving Monaghan just this Saturday's game to impress other national or franchise selectors ahead of the 2014 rugby season.

Cullinane principal Kevin Shore said he was proud of the pair and said their selection was a huge achievement.

The formation of the Catholic team was driven by Marist New Zealand.