 Auckland Blues are continuing their investment in the regions promising youth rugby players by selecting 55, under 17 players to attend their development camps later in the year.
Auckland Grammar has the most represented in the squad with 7, closely followed by Sacred Heart College and Mount Albert Grammar School with 6 each. The players selected are: Puru Aboagye – Kaitaia College Jaymie Hilton-Jones – Kaitaia College Oliver Hilton-Jones – Kaitaia College Marlon Harris – Kerikeri High School Simon Parker – Otamatea High School Kingi Herewini – Rodney College Matthew Harrison – Whangarei Boys High School Sam Samu – Massey High School Vili Sio – Massey High School Jed Melvin – Orewa College Josh Corrigan – Rangitoto College Caleb Leef – Rangitoto College Braeden Collins – Rosmini College Maine Kitson – Rosmini College Sekuini Tanimo – Rosmini College Lochlan McNair – Takapuna Grammar Jackson Ephraims – Westlake Boys High School Jordyn Evans – Westlake Boys High School Caleb McDonald – Westlake Boys High School Mose Senio – Aorere College Austin Atiga – Auckland Grammar School Corey Evans – Auckland Grammar School Jeff Ikani – Auckland Grammar School Simeon Latu – Auckland Grammar School Saula Mau – Auckland Grammar School Oliver Parkinson – Auckland Grammar School Thomas Strachan – Auckland Grammar School Cameron Finefeuiaki – Botany College Eric Ah-hing – De La Salle College Andrew Viane – De La Salle College Tevita Hala – Dilworth School Issako Enosa – Kings College Lucas Halls – Kings College Thorne Parkes – Kings College Noah Perelini – Kings College Emanuel Tuimavave-Gerrard – Marcellin College Tomislav Baker – Mt Albert Grammar John Latu – Mt Albert Grammar Kahurangi Morehu – Mt Albert Grammar Damian Naufahu – Mt Albert Grammar Terrell Peita – Mt Albert Grammar Soane Vikena – Mt Albert Grammar Macauley Casey – Sacred Heart College Christian Faavae – Sacred Heart College Crusader Faletagoai – Sacred Heart College Chay Fihaki – Sacred Heart College Taufa Funaki – Sacred Heart College Brian Lealifano – Sacred Heart College Rivez Reihana – St Kentigern College Rocky Momoisea – St Pauls College Zyon Holo – St Peters College Josh Loveday – St Peters College Junior Mafileo – Tamaki College Jet Li Vaha’akolo – Tangaroa College Lui Faaaoga – Waitakere College  In an action-packed Labour weekend of sevens a further seven boys and five girls teams have qualified for the Condor 7s at Sacred Heart College, Auckland in December.
The Auckland finals were held on Friday and the boys event was won by Aorere College who upset Sacred Heart College in the final. Joining those two schools at the tournament will be Mount Albert Grammar School, Kelston Boys' High School and Mount Roskill Grammar who rounded out the top five. Howick College won the girls final 21-17 over Southern Cross Campus with a try with about 20 seconds left to play. The beaten semi finalists were MAGS and Mt Roskill. These four teams qualify for Condors. Howick are looking to build on their U15 Condor winning team from last year with most of this team taking the step up this year. It's a very young team with only a single Year 13. Meanwhile College Sport Media was in Wellington for the Wellington Qualifier today. St. Pats Town have retained the Christian Cullen Cup Wellington Secondary Schools’ Sevens Championship, beating St Pat's Silverstream 19-7 in the final this afternoon at Naenae College. St Pat’s Town and St Pat's Silverstream will represent Wellington at the 30th National Condor 7s tournament being staged at Sacred Heart College in Auckland from December 2-4. St Mary’s College won the inaugural Kat Whata-Simpkins Trophy, beating Aotea College 42-5 in the final and will represent Wellington in the girls section in Auckland. The boys final was a dour Dooley arm wrestle won fairly comfortably by Town. Town was able to control possession for long periods with careful passing and deliberate build ups. Speedster Sosaia Paese gassed away for the first try and El Nino Peniamina hit a beautiful short ball to collect a second before the interval. Silverstream threatened to rally when they secured a tighthead and Albert Polu raced away to close the deficit to 12-7, but Town's conformational defense proved telling. The diminutive Cullen Dexter was trapped inside his own 22 by the feverish Xavier English. Town won a turnover and NZ Schools prop Xavier Numia barged over for the winner. The girls final was closer than the score suggests, St Mary's pulling clear of Aotea late in the first half with their second runaway try of the half to take a 21-5 lead into the turnaround. Aotea College put pressure on St Mary's try-line early in the second half, but a turnover on their own chalk and a 100-metre breakout try to Lyric Faleafaga effectively sealed the match. Lyric scored a hat-trick in the final which ended with a 42-5 score. Silverstream beat Scots College in extra time 10-5 in the first boys Cup semi-final. In a torrid and error ridden affair, Silverstream led 5-0 at the interval following a Scott Svenson try. Mitchell Bull-Elvines went close as well when he surged 50-meters down the touchline, three times being tackled, placing the ball and driving again. The second-half lagged until Scots Tai Neli scorched 45-meters to tie the scores with a minute left. Malo Manuao narrowly missed the conversion attempt from touch, but ripped the ball from the last scrum in regulation time presenting Scots with one last chance to win the game. Neli broke again and linked with Connor Garden-Bachop who was ankle-tapped into touch by the diminutive Cullen Dexter agonisingly short. Dexter would prove to be a hero for Stream. In extra time he jolted the ball free from Manuao's grasp when the former nearly slipped into hole. From the scrum pint-sized Lucas Dutton scurried free and was tackled 10-meters short of the line. Dutton kept the ball alive for Kienan Higgins who juggled and deflected onto to Dexter to touchdown. In the second Cup semi-final, St Pat's Town made sure of their 26-0 victory over Bishop Viard College by applying a heap of early pressure and converting that into two converted tries and a 14-0 halftime advantage. Playmaker Billy Proctor was sin-binned late in the first half, but he returned in the second spell to set up their third and match-winning try that was scored by Sam Baylis. Grayson Whitman made a blindside break from a scrum to seal St Pat's Town's semi-final victory. Upper Hutt College won a thrilling Plate final, scoring the winning try with the last play of the game to take a 22-19 victory over St Pat's Town B. Earlier in boys pool play there were several one-sided matches with predictable outcomes. Silverstream and Town cantered into the final four, but there was an upset when Rongotai lost controversially to Bishop Viard 14-12. Rongotai had a conversion on fulltime to tie the game and would have advanced had it had gone over. The kicked missed, but Rongotai claimed it was successful. On Field two the goal posts where considerably shorter than those on field one. However Rongotai had four yellow cards in two games so discipline wasn't a strong suite. Meanwhile the Scots v Wellington match was a knockout affair. St. Pats Town B and Heretaunga College, with a selection of HIBS and St. Bernard's boys, were classified as composite teams meaning they were illegible to qualify for the finals of the main draw. Wellington edged ahead 19-14 after Connor Garden-Bachop was sin-binned and Tom Hoskin and Tom Branley scored eye-catching tries. When Garden-Bachop returned the NZ Barbarian showed his quality when he scored his second try and converted to give Scots a narrow 21-19 win. Some of the players to really excel throughout the boys tourney were Josh Morgan-Ranui (Wellington College), Paese, English and Procter from Town, Garden-Bachop and Manuao from Scots. Dexter, Polu and Fritz Rayasi from Silverstream. Brothers Roy and Tom Maiava from Bishop Viard, Brayden Knight from Heretaunga, Jason Tuitama from Rongotai College and Gregory Te Kura from Upper Hutt College who bagged two tries in the Plate final. The girls tourney was reduced to a disappointing six teams following several late withdrawals. St. Mary's the National First XV runners up were an obvious standout conceding just two tries in five games. Pool winners: Boys Pool A: St Pat's Town Pool B: St Pat's Silverstream Pool C: Scots College Pool D: Bishop Viard College Girls Pool A: St Mary's College Pool B: Aotea College
23/10/2016
Trask Seeking More Success Kaleb Trask - Rotorua Boys High (Photo Supplied) During his time at Rotorua Boys’ High School Kaleb Trask has won four National titles – two in touch, the 2014 Condor Sevens and the 2015 National Top Four Rugby crown. The New Zealand Barbarians selection is hungry for more.
“It’s kind of wired going back to school after we have finished exams, but it’s good to play with the boys again. We have good teams for touch and sevens this year,” Trask enthuses. The Bay of Plenty Condor qualifier is held on October 29. Rotorua (semi-finalists in 2015) should reach the final, a prerequisite for Nationals entry. “I think it will be between us and Tauranga Boys.’ We are in a bit of a rebuilding year, but we still have some good players like Te Ra Whata, Hayze Perham, James Tofa and Jayden Sargent,” Trask believes. This group of five will also anchor Rotorua’s defence of their National touch title in December. A fierce rivalry with Hamilton BHS is expected to continue. “Every battle with Hamilton is intense. We have won the last two touch Nationals which puts a bit of a target on our backs,” Trask admits. Hamilton ended Rotorua’s First XV season a match prior to the National Top Four. “It was disappointing not to achieve our goal which was to make the Top Four. It was a really close game and a couple of mistakes cost us. I think we had a good season, but some young players and a bit of lost form mid-season wasn’t good,” Trask reflects. Trask’s rugby season didn’t end with Rotorua. He was selected for the New Zealand Barbarians who enjoyed two wins against Australia (28-17) and Fiji (46-20). Trask scored 20 points (two tries) in the later win. “The Barbarians was an awesome experience. The culture and coaching was really good. I was surprised to be playing fullback in the first game, but I enjoyed it. In the second game we did well to keep our discipline, the Fijians got a bit carried away,” Trask laughs. Fiji was reduced to 12 players at one stage. Trask hasn’t reduced his standards all year and this week was voted Bay of Plenty Rugby Union Sports Person of the year. Trask has recently secured a spot in the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union Steamers Academy for 2017 and 2018. “I was a bit surprised to win that, but it was great. I am really looking forward to 2017,” Trask concludes. Bay Of Plenty Rugby Award Winners
 Photo: Emily Wium main photo and inset Kayla Reed (top left) and Hattie Jones (bottom left). Credit: Planet Hockey, Rangitoto College and Kristin School. A trio of secondary school hockey players has been selected in the New Zealand U21 Women’s hockey team for the Junior World Cup in Chile from 24 November - 5 December. Congratulations to Emily Wium (St Margaret’s College, Christchurch) and North Harbour pair, Kayla Reed (Rangitoto College) and Hattie Jones (Kristin School) for their selections. The team is led by 20-year-old Auckland defender Maddison Dowe, who has played four tests for the Black Sticks. Along with Dowe, a further three players are members of the New Zealand Development Squad including Stephanie Dickins, Tessa Jopp and Phoebe Steele. New Zealand is looking to push deep into the tournament after battling Belgium, China and Spain in pool play. Head coach Sean Dancer said it’s a youthful group full of confidence to put in a strong performance. “It’s a brilliant opportunity for these girls to stand up on the world stage. They have had development opportunities around the Black Sticks environment so are well prepared,” he said. “We are targeting a top eight finish which will certainly be a challenge against the best in the world but one we are definitely up for. “There is plenty of spark in this side with the likes of Maddison who has played for the Black Sticks, so we hope to see that experience lift the performance of the entire team.” NEW ZEALAND UNDER 21 WOMEN JUNIOR WORLD CUP – SANTIAGO, CHILE  The third annual Hurricanes Youth Council Secondary Schools sevens was held at the Rugby Institute in Palmerston North on Saturday.
Hastings Boys’ High School successfully defended the boys title while New Plymouth Girls’ High School, invited from the Chiefs region, captured honours in the girls section. For the first time a tournament team and MVP was named. Boys Hastings Boys’ High School left the trophy at home, but it will reside safely in their cabinet for another year after they beat St. Pats Town 33-22 in an exciting final. A hat-trick from player of the tournament Kini Naholo won Hastings the match. In a close first-half each school scored two tries as Hastings led 14-12 at the interval. Naholo snaffled a loose ball and dashed 50-meters early in the second-half to extend Hastings lead to seven. New Zealand Schools representative and shock absentee from the tournament team Lincoln McClutchie then scored a 55-meter try of his own to put Hastings out of reach. Town finished with spirit and the outstanding Billy Proctor added a second try after scoring a beauty in the first-half supporting a Xavier English steal and break. Earlier Hastings didn’t concede a point en route to the decider. Hastings topped the round-robin avoiding a cross over fixture. They beat Palmerston North BHS (White) 43-0 and Rongotai College 37-0. In the semi-finals Feilding High School were dispatched four tries to nil. Naholo crossed the chalk six times and Danny Toala four times as Hastings scored 18 unanswered tries. Both Palmerston North BHS selections were unbeaten in Pool play with the superior White outfit eliminating their Blue counterparts in cross over play. St. Pats Town (Blue) were the other standouts. In Pool play Town (Blue) beat Freyberg High School 45-0 and Feilding High School 10-5 in a keenly fought tussle. In the semi-finals Town galloped away from Palmerston North BHS (White) to win 40-5. Procter scored four tries across the games. The Rongotai College v Lindisfarne College cross over match was a thriller with Lindisfarne prevailing 17-14. Two quick tries by impressive Fijian Loqo Waqanidrola in the first-half was sufficient to withstand a late Rongotai fightback. In the 5th v 6th playoff, Rongotai returned serve to win convincingly. William Heather and Sen Chut scored two tries each. Tournament Team Danny Toala (Hastings BHS) Trent Hape (Hastings BHS) Kini Naholo (Hastings BHS) Billy Procter (St. Pats Town) Zane Dallinger (Feilding HS) Sam Baylis (St. Pats Town) Pena Va’a (Rongotai College) The Competing Teams Were: Hastings BHS, St. Pats Town (Blue & White), Palmerston North BHS (White & Blue), Rongotai College, Lindisfarne College, Feilding High School, Freyberg High School. Girls Eventual finalists New Plymouth Girls HS and Manukura School provided early evidence of their excellence with an engaging clash in Pool Play. New Plymouth held onto to win 12-10. New Plymouth started strongly scoring the first two tries, but a brace by Hana Waniaho closed the gap to set up a frantic finish. In the decider New Plymouth made a similarly decisive start surging to a 19-0 lead at halftime. A feature of Manukura’s push to the final was their defense and despite some excellent scramble in the second-half, New Plymouth added a further score to win 26-0. MVP Brooke Neilson scored two tries and Kayla Henry and Atalya Fakavomoeanga crossed in an impressive display. New Plymouth scored 35 tries in five games and scored the biggest win of the tournament when they beat Wanganui Girls College 59-0. Henry collected a hat-trick in that clash. Feilding High School were in a prolific scoring mood racking up 144 points in three pool games. Feilding overpowered Palmerston North GHS (28-0), Cullinane College (59-0) and Freyberg (57-0). Feilding came unstuck to a tenacious Manukura in the semi-finals. The game had to be relocated to a different field while an injured Manukura player, who put her body on the line, was put in an ambulance. Waniaho scored the telling try in a 10-5 victory. Tournament Team Georgia Ponsonby (Feilding HS) Hana Waniohu (Manukura) Isabella Rawiri-Wharerau (Manukura) Brooke Neilson (New Plymouth GHS) Layla Sae (St. Peter’s College) Mikayla Callaghan (New Plymouth GHS) Meilini Meo (Wanganui Girls’ College) The Competing Teams Were: New Plymouth GHS, Manukura School, Feilding High School, St. Peter’s College, Palmerston North GHS, Wanganui Girls’ College, Freyberg High School. Elsewhere In Brief The North Harbour sevens were held at the Marist Club today. 400 players representing 17 schools spread across 33 teams braved the rain to contest 60 games. Westlake BHS won the boys championship thrashing Rangitoto College 28-0 in the final. Both schools make it to the Condor 7s. Rangitoto will also appear in the girls tourney despite losing to Kaipara College 45-0. Westlake captured double glory when they edged Rangitoto College 29-21 in the U15 final. In other Wellington tournaments there were wins for St. Pats Silverstream (12-10) over Scots College in the Hutt Cup sevens and Bishop Viard upset Wellington College (10-5) in the Derek Wootton Memorial Trust sevens.
14/10/2016
Sizzling Summer Of Sevens Ahead For the first time since 2011 the Condor 7s will change venues. After four successful years at Kelston Boys’ High School, Sacred Heart College in Auckland will host the 31st annual tourney.
In the boy section the competition has expanded from 24 teams to 32 teams while numbers in the girls section have increased from 16 teams to 20 teams. Last year Waikato took the spoils in both sections with Hamilton BHS winning for the third time since 2006 and Hamilton GHS capturing back to back glory. This year’s competition will be keenly fought, but Hastings BHS and Southland GHS might have emerged as the early favourites. Hastings captured National attention by making the National Top Four final and played a speedy, accurate and eye-catching style of rugby in the process. Hastings were runners-up at Condor’s last year and the likes of Lincoln McClutchie Trent Hape, Folou Fakatava and Danny Toala should convert effectively to the abbreviated format. Southland Girls won the National Top Four and have been finalists the last two years at the Condors. Alena Saili scored three tries in the Top Four final and was named in the Condor Tournament team last year. Here is a breakdown of how many teams qualify from each region. – Northland (2 boys, 1 girls) – Auckland (5 boys, 4 girls) – North Harbour (2 boys, 2 girls) – Counties (2 boys, 1 girls) – Waikato (3 boys, 2 girls) – Thames Valley (1 boys) – Bay of Plenty (2 boys, 2 girls) – Poverty Bay (1 boys) – Hawke’s Bay (2 boys, 1 girls) – Taranaki (2 boys, 1 girls) – Wanganui (1 boys) – Manawatu (2 boys, 1 girls) – Wellington (2 boys, 1 girls) – Tasman (1 boys, 1 girls) – Canterbury (2 boys, 1 girls) – Otago (1 boys, 1 girls) – Southland (1 boys, 1 girls) Events To Come October 15 – North Harbour October 19 – Waikato//Poverty Bay/Wanganui October 21 – Auckland October 24 – Wellington October 26 – Tasman October 29 – Bay Of Plenty November 4 – Canterbury November 6 – Taranaki Note: Otago BHS, Wesley College, Palmerston North BHS and Feilding HS (boys/girls) are among the teams to have already qualified.  St Mary’s College, perched on the top of the hill overlooking Wellington’s Thorndon motorway, is currently in the fast lane of secondary school sport.
This time last year they didn’t have a First XV rugby team. Recently they came second in the country, beaten by Southland Girls’ High School in the Top 4 final. In the first week of the school holidays they came ninth at the NZSS AA Basketball Championships. Last week they came fifth at the NZSS netball championships and four of their players made the tournament selection - Saviour Tui, Renee Savai'inaea, Lyric Faleafaga and Ainsleyana Puleiata. This week College Sport Media caught up with three of those four players, Renee Savai'inaea, Lyric Faleafaga and Ainsleyana Puleiata, who are also all in the St Mary’s rugby team. Renee also plays in the school’s basketball side, while Ainsleyana played in the school’s volleyball team that finished fifth in the NZSS Division 1 Championships in April. College Sport Media: What year are you all in and what positions do you play in rugby and netball? Lyric: Year 12 and I play right wing in rugby and goal keep in netball Ainsleyana: Year 11 and I play left wing in rugby and centre in netball Renee: Year 12 and I play lock in rugby and goal defence in netball College Sport Media: How long have you been playing sport for, including rugby and netball? Lyric: Rugby was my first sport; my dad got my sister and me [Dhys who is No. 8 in the St Mary’s rugby team] into rugby when we were five. We then had a break and it was netball since until last year when I started playing rugby again. Ainsleyana: I started playing basketball first and then I went to netball with Lyric. I played the two together, but netball started becoming my main sport and then rugby come along. Renee: I’ve been playing basketball and netball together the whole time, and now rugby, so continue to play all three together. College Sport Media: What are the crossover benefits of all the sports you play in? Lyric: I think the netball and basketball fitness helps a lot for rugby. Netball is a lot of running. For me, the rugby playing experience also helps on the netball court when it gets physical sometimes. Ainsleyana and Renee: Building up and maintaining our fitness is the same for both sports so the crossover there helps a lot. College Sport Media: Tell us about a favourite rugby match you’ve played in this year? Lyric: I think it was winning against Aotea College in the Wellington final as that has been our hardest competition. This season there was heaps of back and forth. We played them three times and only lost twice and won once. People doubted us, because of the loss, but we all showed heart in the final and wanted to win. College Sport Media: What about your 58-12 win over Feilding High School to win the Hurricanes region final? Lyric: I know that 15s and 7s are different, but we had beaten them earlier in the year in the final of the Gordon Tietjens 7s. Plus we had seen them play 15s when they played Aotea College so we knew what to expect when we met them. Renee: Our win over Hamilton Girls’ High School [22-17 on the opening day of the Top 4 tournament] was also special, especially when our captain [Monica Tagoai] got sin-binned near the end. College Sport Media: What about having All Black Ardie Savea as one of your rugby coaches: Lyric: Ardie Savea and Tuga Mativa [wing for Ardie’s club Ories] together have been really good. They can work with us and understand our fitness levels and help us out. Ainsleyana: They have been great for us; they have definitely helped us improve this season. College Sport Media: Congratulations on you all making the tournament team at last week’s netball championships. Tell us about the highs and lows of the tournament as a team? Lyric: We were naturally disappointed to lose to Epsom Girls’ Grammar School in extra time and then to MAGS later that afternoon on the second to last day. Our team went through a lot this year, even with losing players, but we think it was just another obstacle that we had to overcome. Also all the older players in the team made sure that we kept our heads high after we missed out on the top four games. Ainsleyana: The St Margaret’s game on the second day [won 38-18] stood out as a positive match for us because before that we weren’t really connecting as a team but we started playing in that game how we normally play. Lyric: We lost a player in that game to injury [goal attack Dana-Jayne Mills] but Emma Ticklepenny came on played really well. College Sport Media: It goes without saying you are all really busy with sport, but what subjects do you like at school? Lyric: I like history and biology as favourite subjects. Ainsleyana and Renee [together]: P.E. – so we can keep playing sport in class!  New Zealand Schools captain and No. 8 Brayden Iose and prop Tim Farrell with the Trans Tasman Trophy this afternoon. The New Zealand Schools and Barbarians teams beat the Australia and Fiji Schools teams respectively this afternoon.
New Zealand Schools 32 (Ngane Punivai, Laghlan McWhannell tries; Harry Plummer 5 pen, dg, 2 con) beat Australia Schools 22 (Nick Wilkinson, William Eadie, Matthew McTaggart tries; Adam Doueihi pen, 2 con) New Zealand has retained the Trans-Tasman Trophy for the fourth consecutive year, defeating Australia Schools 32-22 at Auckland Grammar School this afternoon. The result reverses the 14-16 loss the last time the game was played at Auckland Grammar in 2012. New Zealand used the breeze to great effect in the first half, keeping Australia trapped in the north-eastern corner and building a 22-3 lead at halftime. First five-eighth Harry Plummer kicked four penalties and a dropped goal and the New Zealand forwards dominated the set-piece, especially at scrum time where loosehead prop Tim Farrell won two penalties. The first try for New Zealand was scored by fullback Ngane Punivai after openside flanker Sione Havili made a thumping tackle, jolting the ball free. Plummer kicked the ball ahead, retained it inside the Australian 22 and New Zealand went swiftly to the right side where Punivai touched down. Australia amplified the pressure early in the second half, their impressive centre Nick Wilkinson scored by stepping off his right foot twice and dodged a pair of defenders. Tim Farrell then dropped the ball over the line with the score at 22-10. Australia equalised midway through the second half with two dramatic long-range tries, scored by right wing William Eadie and fullback Matthew McTaggart. Eadie dashed 40 metres down the right side of the field and McTaggart scored after the ball went through multiple pairs of hands and a kick through. At 22-22, New Zealand was down to their third halfback with Carlos Price going off and then replacement Tim Hogan went to the bloodbin, meaning regular flyhalf Lincoln McClutchie played halfback. New Zealand had great impact from their bench, with props Xavier Numia and Damon Abraham in particular adding value. The winning try was scored by lock Laghlan McWhannell, and Plummer kicked a penalty to seal a 10-point win. The standouts for New Zealand were the two locks, Waimana Reidlinger-Kapa and McWhannell, prop Farrell, No. 8 and captain Brayden Iose, centre Billy Proctor and Plummer. For Australia their replacement Fraser McReight won heaps of second half turnovers. New Zealand Barbarians 46 (Joe Johnston, Kaleb Trask 2, Danny Toala, Matene Ruawai, TeRa Whata, Jamie Spowart tries; Trask 5 con) beat Fiji Schools 20 (Villame Suwawa, Kaliopasi Uluilakepa tries; Laisa Bacau 2 pen, 2 con) The New Zealand Barbarians Schools beat Fiji Schools 46-20 in an entertaining clash in the early match at Auckland Grammar School this afternoon. The Barbarians eventually pulled away after Fiji was reduced to 12 players late in the game. Fiji started in sprightly fashion when an early break by tighthead prop Kaliopasi Uluilakepa and a chip and chase break by halfback Benedito Vakaruru forced the New Zealanders into retreat. However, the Barbarians scored the first try when right wing Connor Garden-Bachop broke down the narrow touchline from a scrum and turned a pass back on the inside to captain and openside flanker Joe Johnston to make it 5-0. First five-eighth Kaleb Trask extended their early lead to 8-0 with a 40-metre penalty. Fiji then enjoyed a period pressure and first five-eighth Laisa Bacau kicked two penalties to close the gap to 8-6. The Fijian right wing, Esala Nalobo, was red carded midway through the first half after a tip tackle. Initially this spurred on the Fijians, who strung together a period of converted attack. Lock forward Apisalome Bogidrau crossed but the try was disallowed for obstruction and Bacau shanked a penalty from directly in front. The Barbarians regrouped and Trask scored an outstanding try, stepping off his left foot four times to leave as many defenders in his wake. He converted his own try to make it 15-6. The Barbarians scored their third try right on halftime, when Trask chipped ahead to fullback Jamie Spowart who turned it on the inside to centre Danny Toala to touch down near the posts and make it 22-6. Fijian fullback Villame Suwawa beat two defenders and raced 35 metres to score an outstanding try to make it 22-13 at the turnaround. Fiji started the second half with brimstone, prop Uluilakepa bulldozed his way over for a try and further breaks went unconverted. Garden-Bachop had a great game for the Barbarians, constantly breaking the line and causing the defence problems. He was pushed into the corner flag when the score was 22-20. A short time later Fijian centre Timoci Tavatavanawai dropped the ball attempting an intercept with a clear run to the line. Tavatavanawai then rushed up out of the line and Barbarians left wing Niven Longopoa passed to blindside flanker Matene Ruawai to score to make it 27-20. Garden-Bachop made another break, leading to reserve halfback TeRa Whata scoring to make it 32-20. Fiji then lost two players to the sin-bin, including outstanding lock Bogidrau and New Zealand finished with a wet sail, scoring further tries to fullback Spowart and Trask. Standouts for the Barbarians included flankers Ruawai and Johnston and backs Trask and Garden-Bachop. For Fiji, Bogidrau, flanker Saimoni Ulunakauvadra, halfback Vakaruru and fullback Suawawa were good.  New Zealand Schools have made two changes to the side that surged to a 45-19 win over Fiji at Mount Albert Grammar School on Monday. Upfront, St Peter’s College lock Laghlan McWhannell has replaced the injured Hoskins Sotutu in the second row. In the backline, Leicester Faingaanuku has been promoted from the Barbarians side onto the left wing with Caleb Clarke switching to centre in place of Paul Roache. On the bench, Sam Dickson has been rewarded for a strong performance for the NZ Barbarians Schools against Fiji with inclusion in the number 19 jersey.
NZ Schools coach Jason Holland said he was happy with the win over Fiji but some improvements would have to be made to compete with Australia. “Some of our decision making and skills let us down for large parts of the game and we have worked hard to improve those areas. Our set piece was very good and will need to be again if we are to get a result against Australia on Saturday.” The NZ Barbarians side have made a number of changes to the side that overcome Australia 28-17. The changes have been made through both injury and players promoted to the NZ Schools team. In the pack Cameron Suafoa has replaced Sam Dickson while Matene Ruawai has switched from NO.8 to blindside flanker. There has been a reshuffle in the backline with fullback Kaleb Trask replacing first five-eighth Lincoln McClutchie, Connor Garden-Bachop switching from the left wing to the right wing and Danny Toala moving from wing to centre. Into the backline come fullback Jamie Spowart, left wing Niven Longopoa and second five-eighth Rameka Poihipi. New Zealand Schools Team 1: Tim Farrell (Napier Boys’ High School) 2: Bradley Slater (New Plymouth Boys’ High School) 3: Robb Cobb (Mt Albert Grammar School) 4: Waimana Reidlinger-Kapa (Mt Albert Grammar School) 5: Laghlan McWhannell (St Peter’s School) 6: Ajay Mua (King’s College) 7: Sione Havili (Auckland Grammar School) 8: Brayden Iose (C) (Palmerston North Boys’ High School) 9: Carlos Price (St Kentigern College) 10: Harry Plummer (St Peter’s College) 11: Leicester Faingaanuku (Nelson College) 12: Billy Proctor (St Patrick’s College Wellington) 13: Caleb Clarke (Mt Albert Grammar School) 14: Mosese Dawai (Feilding High School) 15: Ngane Punivai (Christ’s College) 16: Flynn Thomas (Southland Boys’ High School) 17: Xavier Numia (St Patrick’s College Wellington) 18: Damon Abraham (Sacred Heart College) 19: Sam Dickson (Otago Boys’ High School) 20: Naera Tipoki (Gisborne Boys’ High School) 21: Tim Hogan (Otago Boys’ High School) 22: Lincoln McClutchie (Hastings Boys’ High School) 23: Scott Gregory (Whangarei Boys’ High School) New Zealand Barbarians Schools Team: 1: Kianu Kereru-Symes (Hastings Boys High School) 2: Ricky Jackson (Otago Boys High School) 3: Tevita Mafileo (St Kentigern College) 4: Naitoa Ah Kuoi (Wellington College) 5: Cameron Suafoa (St Peters College) 6: Matene Ruawai (Palmerston North Boys High School) 7: Joe Johnston (C) (King’s College) 8: Kaylum Boshier (New Plymouth Boys High School) 9: Folau Fakatava (Hastings Boys High School) 10: Kaleb Trask (Rotorua Boys High School) 11: Niven Longopoa (Mount Albert Grammar School) 12: Rameka Poihipi (Hamilton Boys High School) 13: Danny Toala (Hastings Boys High School) 14: Connor Garden-Bachop (Scots College) 15: Jamie Spowart (Kings College) 16: Perry Karati (Burnside High School) 17: Samuel Matenga (Gisborne Boys High School) 18: Suetena Asomua (Wesley College) 19: Tupou Vaai (Wesley College) 20: Tom Florence (New Plymouth Boys High School) 21: TeRa Whata (Rotorua Boys High School) 22: AJ Lam (St Peter’s College) 23: Hayze Perham (Rotorua Boys High School)
6/10/2016
MAGS First XV captain Reidlinger-Kapa looking forward to NZ-Australia Schools Test "I think honesty is the best attribute I bring to leadership. I like to be straight up," Waimana Reidlinger-Kapa says.
The Mount Albert Grammar School First XV captain guided his team to a third National Top Four title this season and was selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools' team. Palmerston North Boys High School No. 8 Brayden Iose was selected as the New Zealand captain. Is the MAGS lock forward disappointed he isn't the captain? "Not really. There were stronger candidates. I am happy to be in the team and giving it my best," he says. MAGS were the best First XV in New Zealand. They won 18 out of 19 games on course to National glory. The previous season MAGS failed to make the 1A playoffs. What was the major difference between the 2015 and 2016 sides? "We worked as a team. Last year there were a few individuals in the team who didn't play structure and listen," Reidlinger-Kapa reflects. MAGS’ success was built around a monster forward pack and turning their home field into a fortress. Props Michael Palmer and Robb Cobb joined Reidlinger-Kapa in the New Zealand training squad. "MAGS is a really prestigious field. There is a lot of history and pride playing there. The ground has a bit of a slope to so we like to use that to our advantage," Reidlinger-Kapa says. MAGS were the only team to beat Hastings BHS. What are Reidlinger-Kapa memories of the Top Four final? "It was a tough game, but it wasn't hugely different from the hard games in 1A. We had to keep mistakes to a minimum and stick to the game plan. It was a great feeling to win the Top Four. It made all the hard work worthwhile," he says. MAGS destroyed Auckland Grammar School 50-0 this year. On Saturday New Zealand hosts Australia at Auckland Grammar. Can New Zealand achieve a similar result? "Australia will be a tough side. We need to stick to our structures and play smart to win," Reidlinger-Kapa says. On Monday Reidlinger-Kapa started in the 45-19 win against Fiji. "Fiji was a typical Fijian side. They were very physical and played with a lot of flair. I expect Australia will be different," Reidlinger-Kapa says. Reidlinger-Kapa is the son of a Maori father and German mother. He has a brother who is a carpenter and sister a student. He in uncertain of where he is heading in 2017. International Schools rugby on Saturday:
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