Angry Sargent – Rotorua BHS Defend National Touch Title

Jayden Sargent is a middle man in the Rotorua Boys’ High School touch team. He explains his role is to create play and control his troops.

“My role is to talk a lot, get angry and try and motivate the boys. I have been in the team for four years. I am one of the seniors and I guess the players respect me,” he says.

Prior to the semi-finals of the National Championships in Auckland, Rotorua required a riot act reading.

The defending champions, after breezing through pool play, nearly tumbled out before the semi-finals. They got casual and they got humbled by Palmerston North Boys’ High School.

“We got through to the semis on a count back, us and Hastings, Palmy missed out. The Palmy loss was the best thing for us. It forced us to switch on,” Sargent admits.

In the semi-finals Rotorua demolished Westlake Boys’ High School 12-3. Sargent has been a member of Rotorua’s premier side for four years and he believes it’s the best performance he has been a part of.
“It was amazing, everything went right, it was like playing the perfect game of touch. Westlake was a really good side,” he acclaims.

Hamilton Boys’ High School are a really good side. The perennial contenders were Rotorua’s opposition in the final, as they were in 2014. The decider was a typically tight tussle.

“It was a mean game. It was real hard to get points. Hamilton are a sharp side,” Sargent says.

Rotorua scored the opening two tries and was never headed, eventually prevailing 4-2.

Ngarohi McGarvey-Black, Joshua Taylor and Sargent all made the tournament team, the former was named player of the tournament.

“It was an awesome weekend. I was speechless to win a second national title and then make the tournament team,” Sargent says.

Sargent singles out McGarvey-Black for particular praise.

“Ngarohi is a big time player for us. He is in the Touch Blacks. He got a bit of stick about his age because of the rugby thing, but he is too good.”
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Sargent has played rep touch for the Bay of Plenty senior team. Additionally he is a standoff in league and halfback in Union. He hopes to travel to Japan with the Rotorua First XV in 2016.


Rotorua BHS: National Touch Champions Results
Round Robin: St Pats Silverstream, 11-2
Round Robin: Whangarei BHS, 6-4
Round Robin: Trident High School, 10-1
Round Robin Crossover: Palmerston North BHS, 4-6
Round Robin Crossover: Hastings BHS, 6-3
Semi-Final: Westlake BHS, 12-3
Final: Hamilton BHS, 4-2

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