It was a playoff too many for the Wanganui High School 1st XV after another comeback was thwarted by a Wairarapa College penalty kick with time up on the clock in their Hurricanes Co-ed final at Arena Park on Saturday, losing 16-13.
Having won the Manawatu Premier 1 title theweekend before by coming from behind against Palmerston North Boys' High School, WHS were again down at halftime 13-5, with 15-year-old Vilimoni Koroi having scored their try in the corner.
Sam Malcolm landed a long range penalty and then the suggested player of the day Jesse Taupau scored a try with 15 minutes to go to tie the scores 13-13.
However, after a stalemate, Wairarapa College got the penalty whistle within an easy kickable distance to claim the Hurricanes title.
They will now move onto the semifinals of the Super Rugby Franchise Co-ed competition in Rotorua against the winning schools from the Chiefs, Crusaders and Blues regions.
WHS coach Darryl Malcolm said playing consecutive Saturday finals, plus the 55-0 win on Tuesday against Central Hawke's Bay College in the Hurricanes Co-ed semifinal, may have caught up with them.
"Naturally the boys' heads were down but not for long, as jokingly a comment was made 'hey, heads up, the All Blacks lose sometimes'."
That concludes the season for the First XV, as the school will now concentrate on their sevens team going to New Plymouth to try and qualify for the Condor Sevens in Auckland.
Wanganui Collegiate First XV had a different opponent than scheduled but didn't step off the gas with a 54-0 win over Cullinane College on Saturday.
After City College defaulted the game, Cullinane stepped up at short notice and earned praise from Collegiate coach Guy Lennox for giving a brave effort.
"They've got some damn good boys for a young team."
Lennox said his team played a mixture of First XV regulars and Second XV players to give some new blood an opportunity.
Collegiate will play Paraparaumu College at home on Wednesday, with a 3.30pm kickoff. From there, it is the big one to wrap up the season as they face New Plymouth Boys' High School on Yarrow Stadium on Saturday, in the curtain raiser to the ITM Cup game between Taranaki and Auckland.
