In October 2017, New Zealand become the first nation to qualify for the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup.
 
New Zealand won the Oceania Football Confederation Under-19 Women's Championship for a sixth time to earn their place in France in August, 2018.
 
The Oceania tournament featured six countries: New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Samoa and Tonga with the Kiwis winning all five matches and outscoring opponents 48 goals to one.
 
On Monday a provisional World Cup squad was selected and the following school girls have earned selection:
 
Hannah Blake - Saint Kentigern College
Georgia Candy - Hamilton Girls High School
Tahlia Herman-Watt - Rangiora High School
Tiana Hill - Otumoetai College
Maggie Jenkins - Epsom Girls Grammar
Anna Leat - Rangitoto College
Aneka Mittendorff - Westlake Girls High School
Rose Morton - Northcote College
Gabrielle Rennie - Rangiora High School
 
Standby Players
Kelli Brown - Hamilton Girls High School
Hannah Mackay-Wright - Rangitoto College
Dayna Stevens - Glenfield College
 
Hannah Blake with eight goals only trailed Emma Main (11) as the most prolific Kiwi goal scorer at the Oceania tourney.

There are 16 teams as the World Cup split into four pools of four. New Zealand is grouped with hosts France, African champions Ghana and the Netherlands.
 
The defending World Champions are North Korea while Germany and the USA have each won the bi-annual tournament which stretches back to 2002 three times.
 
New Zealand’s best result at the World Cup was in 2014 when they made the quarter finals.
 
New Zealand Under-20 World Cup Record
 
Played: 19
Won: 5
Drawn: 3
Lost: 11
Goals For: 24
Goals Against: 41

Christchurch Boys’ High School won their annual exchange against Wellington College 3-0 in the capital this afternoon. Christchurch won the First XI football 5-2 and hockey 2-1 and the rugby 17-5.
 
Hockey
 
The meeting between the 2017 Rankin Cup runners up, Christchurch Boys’ High School and Wellington champions, Wellington College ended in a 2-1 victory for Christchurch at the National Hockey Stadium.
 
Initially both teams struggled to adapt to the horrid conditions and fluid hockey was hard to come by. Wellington soon gained the upper hand and broke the stalemate with a goal midway through the first-half.
 
Christchurch rallied and equalised through Angus Keast. On the brink of halftime, Christchurch won a penalty corner and Keast struck again to make it 2-1 at the interval.
 
The second-half was scoreless, but Christchurch went closest to boosting their tally in an entertaining spectacle which suggests both are leading contenders in their respective competitions.
 
Devanand Bhika was the captain of Wellington College, Henry Shaw the skipper for Christchurch BHS.
 
Football
 
Two goals each by Ben Crowley and Darius Van Wyk was the highlight of Christchurch’s 5-2 victory.
 
Crowley illustrated his considerable threat in the first 10 minutes by opening the visitors account, blasting home a rebound off the Wellington keeper. Moments later Crowley delivered a pinpoint corner for captain Chris Bommer to finish.
 
Wellington halved the deficit when a Jarred Hodson shot took a wicked deflection and slid by the hopelessly prone keeper.
 
Christchurch scored first in the second-half to make it 3-1, but Alex Johnson continued his goal scoring spree to make it 3-2.
 
Ultimately Christchurch was more clinical and the double threat of Crowley and Van Wyk proved too hard to contain.
 
The Christchurch league features 13 teams and is headed by St Thomas of Canterbury College who haven't conceded a goal in six games.
 
On Saturday, Wellington opened the Trevor Rigby Cup with a disappointing 0-3 loss to Rongotai College.
 
Rugby
 
Christchurch Boys’ High School scored their 12th win against Wellington College since 1995, battling to a 17-5 victory.
 
Wellington wilted in similar conditions last Wednesday in a record loss to St Patrick’s College, Silverstream.
 
Today the hosts defence was far more committed and effective resulting in a genuinely competitive tussle.
 
Christchurch possibly enjoyed three quarters of the territory, but didn’t breach the Wellington line until about the 20th minute when burly No.8 Corban Harding bustled over. The try happened after three reset scrums as both front rows struggled with their footing in the slush.
 
The Christchurch halves pairing of Louie Chapman and Ollie Lewis formed a sound partnership, frequently sending Wellington into retreat with some assured kicking.
 
Just prior to halftime, Christchurch scored their second try when prop Austin Hewitt rumbled over, punishing a Wellington fumble. The tighthead was excellent for Christchurch bossing his side of the scrum and carrying strongly.
 
Wellington’s best chance in the first-half was when centre Frank Coop kicked a spillage forward and only just missed placing the ball before the dead ball line.
 
Wellington would make Christchurch pay from a kick early in the second spell though. A knock on by Max Hughes was hacked ahead by opposite Liam Collett who outpaced all chasers.
 
The mud made most of the combatants indistinguishable and ball almost impossible to catch. The kick was the most potent attacking weapon and Hughes sealed Christchurch’s win, atoning for his earlier blemish, by kicking precisely for wing Yoji Yabe to slide in.
 
Wellington tighthead Geordie Bean and openside Ridge Studd were tireless and sometimes brushing on defense.
 
On Saturday, Wellington College meets St Bernard’s College while Christchurch Boys’ High School clash with St Bede’s College.

​The Tauranga Boys’ College First XI has battled to avoid relegation in the WaiBop Football league in recent seasons.
 
After six rounds in 2018 the schoolboys were on top of the standings. In the 12-team senior competition this is an almost unheard of precedent.
 
Tauranga Captain Lewis Reid emphasises an experienced roster is a key factor in the transformation of fortunes.
 
“We only lost three players this year as opposed to 11 the previous season. Experience helps with better decision making. The men's games are very physical. The men are out there to prove we are schoolboys so we have to play with a lot of speed and ticker,” Reid explains.
 
Eight of the teams are based in the Waikato and the furthest road trip is two hours south to Taupo.
 
In three weeks Tauranga will head north to Hamilton Boys’ High School for the annual Super 8 tourney where they are grouped with the hosts whom they also play in a Nationals qualifier on June 27. Hamilton is the reigning National champions and beat Tauranga twice last season.
 
“We lost 1-0 and 2-1. They were really close games we could have won. Hamilton is a good team, but with more experience I think we'll be better placed to take our chances,” Reid warns.
 
Was Reid surprised Hamilton kicked onto to win the Nationals when Tauranga only managed to finish 19th?
 
“I guess it's better than an Auckland school winning it all the time, but Hamilton are our rivals and we could have beaten them,” Reid moans
 
With two points against St Paul’ Collegiate next week or Hamilton on the 27th, Tauranga will confirm their place at Nationals. Tauranga have mostly breezed through their qualifying matches thus far, accounting for Bethlehem College (7-0), Hillcrest High School (6-0), St John’s, Hamilton (6-1) and St Peter’s, Cambridge (3-2).
 
St Peter’s are coached by former All Whites and Phoenix mentor Ricki Herbert. Goals from Riley Bidois and Scott Hawkins arrested a deficit before Reid made a telling impact off the bench.
 
“I played about 20 minutes. I've been struggling with a back injury I got in April. I wanted to come on and make a difference and I was lucky to pop the ball into the net,” Reid reflects.
 
Reid also scored three goals in the record 6-1 traditional win against Westlake Boys’ High School. The only interschool defeat Tauranga has suffered was a narrow 1-2 setback against Auckland Grammar School.
 
“It's going well for us. The Super 8 will be a real gauge to see where we're at. Napier Boys’ actually won last year which was a bit of surprise. Palmerston North and New Plymouth are always really strong too,” Reid observes.
 
Like every football fan on the planet, Reid will soon have his eyes firmly fixed on the World Cup and is picking either France or Belgium to win the tournament.