Hastings Boys’ High School set the bar high in New Zealand Secondary Schools rugby this year winning the Top Four unbeaten and contributing half a dozen players to the national team. Hastings’ success is rewarded with two selections in this year’s list, but Hastings weren't the only ones flourishing on the field in 2017.

Our contenders are below for our third annual Champion of Champions series – vote in the poll below.

​Leicester Faingaanuku (Nelson College) - Nelson College became the first team since Hamilton Boys’ High School in 2009 to retain the Moascar Cup for an entire season. Faingaanuku was a central figure in this achievement. He scored tries in the one point victories over Christ’s College and Timaru Boys’ High School. Additionally he was selected for the Crusaders Under-18’s and New Zealand Secondary Schools teams, scoring a try in the later fixture and going very close to winning man of the match.
 
Devon Flanders (Hastings Boys’ High School) - The strapping No.8 was an integral part of Hastings National triumph. A robust carrier and defender, Flanders was named man of the match in the National top four final and then went one step better when he was acknowledged as the Jerry Collins Bronze Boot award winner for his display in the New Zealand Schools’ 34-11 win over Australia in Sydney in October.
 
Kini Naholo (Hastings Boys’ High School) - The younger brother of All Black Waisake Naholo) scored 41 tries for the national champions, capturing the attention of One News with his prolific scoring feats. His big hauls included six tries against St Pats Town (subbed at halftime), five against Wellington College and Palmerston North Boys’ High School and three against Kelston Boys’ High School, Wellington College, King’s College, Rongotai College and Mount Albert Grammar School. Naholo was selected for the New Zealand Schools’ who won all three matches on their Australian tour. Naholo was named Sky Sport’s First XV player of the year.
 
Rivez Reihana (St Kentigern College) - The Year 12 first-five was an integral part of St Kentigern College capturing their fifth 1A title in seven years. Reihana was named Man of the Match in a televised fixture against Auckland Grammar School and was later promoted to the New Zealand Secondary Schools team where he was the starting pivot for the internationals against Fiji and Australia, keeping Hastings Year 14 general Lincoln McClutchie on the bench.
 
Josh Southall (St Pat’s Silverstream) - The only Year 12 in this list had a remarkable season going from a Wellington B selection in 2016 to a New Zealand Schools openside flanker. Southall was at the forefront of Silverstream’s historic season which saw them score a school record 982 points and win the Wellington championship for the first time since 2012 and all six annual traditional fixtures for the first time since 1988.
 
Quinn Tupaea (Hamilton Boys’ High School) - When Tupaea was injured in the National Top Four semi-final against Southland Boys’ High School it was a major blow for Hamilton’s title aspirations. The captain and midfield linchpin was the Super 8 champions best in 2017 and was sorely missed in the decider which Hamilton narrowly lost to Hastings. Tupaea wasn’t forgotten by the New Zealand selectors. He was chosen to captain the team on their unbeaten tour of Australia.

The Champion of Champion series is not intended to be a definitive list of the ‘best’ athletes in each code, rather it celebrates many of the leading athletes and teams in each that College Sport Media has followed this year. Preference has gone to those individuals/teams that CSM has interviewed and profiled in 2017. Got a story? Email [email protected]

The players have been selected for the New Zealand U17 & U18 Girls Sevens Wider Training Group, to prepare for a development camp in Auckland in mid-December followed by selection in one of the teams to participate in the second annual World School Sevens tournament on Saturday 16 December.

The squad is bristling with talent and excitement and includes a number of players who have already made their marks with their schools at regional and national level, in both sevens and 15s rugby.
​
Of note, several players already have Farah Palmer Cup Women’s NPC experience, including a small group of players in the Counties Manukau and Canterbury squads, who, if selected, could be playing in the Women’s NPC final this weekend. 

The players are (alphabetical order by first name):

Ainsleyana Puleiata (St Marys College)
Amy Du Plessis (Southland Girls High School)
Arorangi Tauranga (Hamilton Girls High School)
Ayesha Leti-l’iga (Oriental-Rongotai Football Club)
Azalleyah Maaka (Gisborne Girls High School)
Caitlyn Cox (East Coast Bays Rugby Club)
Carys Dallinger (Manukura)
Cheyenne Cunningham (Waitaki Girls High School
Cheyne Copeland (St Marys College)
Denae Te Huna (Manukura)
Dhys Faleafaga (St Marys College)
Emily Kitson (Waikuku College)
Georgia Ponsonby (Feilding High School)
Grace Brooker (Christchurch Girls’ High School)
Hannah Brough (Te Kuiti High School)
Hinemoa Watene (Howick College)
Honey Mokomoko (Lytton High School)
Iritana Hohaia (Opunake High School)
Isabella Carter (Rangi Ruru Girls School)
Isla Norman Bell (Howick College)
Islay Fowler (University of Otago Rugby Club)
Iva Livani (Howick College)
Jazmin Hotham (Hamilton Girls High School)
Jessica Fagan-Pease (Palmerston North Girls High School)
Julia Florence (John Paul College)
Kahurangi Sturmey (Feilding Old Boys Rugby Club)
Kalisi Longopoa (Mt Albert Grammar School)
Kalyn Cook (Manukura)
Kennedy Tahau (Cambridge High School)
Kiki Tahere (Kapiti College)
Kodi Barlow (Pakuranga College)
Kororia Heyblom (Rangiuru Sports Club)
Lauren Christie (Southland Girls High School)
Lisa Putt (St Kentigern College)
Lose Mafi (Marist Rugby Club)
Lucy Jenkins (St Margret’s College)
Mahina Paul (St Kentigern College)
Meg Breen (Columba College)
Meg Sycamore (Columba College)
Melanie Puckett (St Margret’s College)
Montana Heslop (College Old Boys - Victoria University)
Montessa Tairakena (Hamilton Girls’ High School)
Niamh Jefferson (Taikura Rudolf Steiner)
Ora Williams (Rangiuru Sports Club)
Renee Holmes (Gisborne Girls’ High School)
Renee Savai’inaea (St Mary’s College)
Rina Paraone (University of Waikato Rugby Club)
Risaleaana Pouri-Lane (Motueka High School)
Rosie Buchanan-Brown (Queen Charlotte College)
Saphire Abraham (Howick College)
Serai Murray-Wihongi (Whangarei Girls’ High School)
Sydnee Wilkins (Motueka High School)
Tahina Heta (Pukekohe High School)
Terina Wallace (Wesley College)
Tiana Davison (Sacred Heart Girls College)
Tynelle Fitzgerald (Trident High School)
Utumalama Atonio (Rosehill College)
 
Players that would have been selected but unavailable due to injury:
Abigail Roache   (Mt Albert Grammar School)
Jade Tuilaepa     (Rangataua Rugby Club)
Lyric Faleafaga   (St Mary’s College)

The Wellington Condor 7s rugby tournament qualifying tournament was held at Naenae College on Labour Day Monday. The four teams that qualified for the finals were Scots College and Rongotai College (Boys) and St Mary's College and Aotea College (Girls).

Results of knockout matches were:

Cup Quarter-finals
Boys: Silverstream: 59 v St Bernard's College: 7
Boys: Scots College: 61 v Taita College: 7
Boys: Rongotai College: 14 v Wellington College: 12 * More than 5 subs
Boys: St Pats Town: 34 v Porirua College: 0
Cup Semi-Finals
Girls: Aotea College: 17 v Poirurua College: 12
Girls: St Mary's College: 34 v Wainuiomata: 0
Boys: Rongotai 31 v St Pats Town: 7
Boys: Scots College: 22 v St Pats Silverstream: 12
Finals
Girls Cup: St Mary's College: 41 v Aotea College: 7
Boys Cup: Scots College: 21 v Rongotai College: 19
Boys Plate: Wellington College (2): 24 v Naenae College: 12
Boys Bowl: Wellington College: 21 v St Bernard's College: 0
Girls Bowl: Wainuiomata High School: 22 v Porirua College: 20

Video clips of many of the tries scored in the knockout rounds below: 

Josh Southall was in a perpetual state of injury last year. The openside flanker from St Pat’s Silverstream recalls his various ailments.
 
“Early in the season I took a hit on my shoulder and was out for four weeks. Later I returned for the Rongotai traditional and their big centre Denny To’o stepped on my ankle so that was another four weeks. At the Hurricanes Under-16 tournament I got concussion. It was pretty frustrating,” he mourns.
 
This year Southall is relaxed and chatty having recently returned from Australia as a member of the successful New Zealand Secondary Schools team. Southall was one of only five Year 12 boys on tour. In 2016 Southall was a Hurricanes Under-16 Development player.
 
“My goal at the start of the year was to make the Hurricanes Under-18 camp that was the furthest thing I could achieve. I was shocked when they picked me to start the Crusaders match and when that went well I thought I was a shot at the New Zealand Schools,” Southall reflects.
 
Southall scored two tries in that Crusaders fixture. Scoring tries was something Silverstream’s First XV was extremely adept at in 2017. In 18 games the side crossed the chalk 157 times while recording 17 wins. Silverstream scored a record 606 points in winning the WelTec Premiership and swept their six annual traditional fixtures for the first time since 1988.

​“The boys have been together for a while and I think that experienced counted. Last year we were winning pretty much every game at halftime, but couldn’t finish the job. This year we were more composed and our coaches did a great job,” Southall acclaims.
 
Southall identified the 46-17 win at the Gully against New Plymouth Boys’ High School as his favourite.
 
“The Gully haka is awesome. I have never seen anything like it. That game was our first traditional and important for building momentum.”
 
The New Zealand Schools had plenty of momentum across the Tasman. All three matches were won by big margins. Southall was the victim of a disgraceful spear tackle coming off the bench against Fiji. He enjoyed a strong hour against the Australian Barbarians before a solid 25-minute cameo in the test against Australia.
 
“I was pretty happy with the amount of game time I got. I am only Year 12 and Jeriah Mua is an awesome player so I expected a lot less to be honest. It was a pretty intense trip. There was a lot of training and whiteboard sessions. If you weren’t switched on, you were found out pretty quick.
 
Southall was named Silverstream’s Forward of the Year, an award that somehow eluded Wellington NPC sensation Asafo Aumua. In the summer Southall will take a break from rugby and focus on Waka Ama.
 
His father Todd is a police office and mother Tracy works in kitchen design. Josh’s younger brother Mitch Southall was a member of the Hurricanes Under-16 development team that won the Saracens Cup in the last school holidays. 

New Zealand: 34 (Jeriah Mua, Tupou Vaa’i, Etene Nanai, Leicester Faingaanuku, Isaiah Punivai, Lincoln McClutchie tries, Danny Toala 2 con) Australia: 11 (Darcy Breen try; Will Harrison 2 con)

The New Zealand Secondary Schools’ have extended their unbeaten run against Australia to five consecutive years after winning the annual Trans-Tasman test 34-11 in Sydney on Saturday.

The hosts started brightly, forcing New Zealand to repel nine phases. Openside Jeriah Mua won a turnover inside his own 22 and a short time later scored the first try after a powerful burst by wing Leicester Faingaanuku allowed the New Zealand forwards to swing onto attack and finish emphatically.

In the 14th minute Tupou Vaa’i made an emphatic tackle which jolted the ball free from Australia’s grasp. Sixty seconds later another Aussie knock-on resulted in the big Wesley lock crashing over to double the Kiwis lead.
​
Two busts by centre Isaiah Punivai resulted in no profit for New Zealand, but Australian first-five Will Harrison punished two lapses in discipline by the tourists to make the halftime score 10-6.

Australia ventured into New Zealand territory to start the second-half, but another fumble was seized upon by fullback Etene Nanai who collected a spillage in the midfield and galloped 60-metres.

The rampant Faingaanuku was held up as New Zealand punched regular holes in the Australian defence; however the hosts would soon close the gap to 17-11 when reserve flanker Tom Kibble made a storming charge and prop Darcy Breen touched down out wide.

Down 17-11, Australian optimism further increased when wing Albert Hopoate pulled his finger out and boldly ran 50-metres from his own in goal area.

However Kibble was yellow carded three minutes later for a head high tackle on Faingaanuku and Australia would concede two tries undermanned.

Faingaanuku exacted his revenge by ploughing through close to the posts and Punivai barley dived a metre in supporting a destructive carry by substitute wing Danny Toala.

Punivai created the last try for reserve pivot Lincoln McClutchie after a deft touch realeased the Hastings Boys’ flyer in to the clear.

No.8 Devan Flanders was named winner of the Jerry Collins Bronze Boot award as New Zealand’s player of the test. Locks Vaa’i and Naitoa Ah Kuoi were busy and abrasive and blindside Charles Alaimalo grew in stature after a tentative beginning.

Punivai oozes class and Faingaanuku would never be short of lunch money.

​New Zealand won all three matches on tour scoring 137 points and conceding 24, after previously beating Fiji Schools’ (54-7) and Australian Schools’ Barbarians (49-6).

New Zealand Schools’ coach Jason Holland said he was pleased with the way his team continued to attack a strong Australian team.

“I think we wore them down. At halftime we encouraged the team to use the width and it was satisfying to see they backed themselves and it came off in the second half,” said Holland.

Holland agreed with the choice of Flanders as Player of the Match and commended his performance.

“Devan is a workhorse. He does a lot of things people don’t see; his tackle count was huge and he carried well throughout the match,” said Holland.

The New Zealand Under-18 Maori have ended their week together with a 38-26 victory over Tonga Schools at Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua.
 
The fixture followed a similar course to the Tongan’s match against the New Zealand Barbarians last Thursday.
 
Tonga was tentative from the outset and fell behind 19-0 after ten minutes and 26-7 at halftime before fighting gallantly in the second-spell to reduce the deficit and earn the respect of their superiorly resourced opponents.
 
In the first minute Tonga fumbled the ball meekly on halfway and were made to pay when fullback John Cooper crossed in the corner supporting a bust by centre Austin Brown.
 
A few moments’ later first-five Stewart Cruden kicked for wing Coel Kerr to snaffle inside the visitors 22. New Zealand recycled swiftly and prop Jonas Pomare crashed over.

A hiding looked like a distinct possibility when lively halfback Shamara Brooks darted over for try number three, punishing more hapless handling from the visitors.
 
However Tonga rallied and powerhouse prop Hiliau Latu opened the tourists account after 15 minutes when he muscled over near the posts. Latu has exhibited exceptional form for Tonga in starting all three internationals.
 
New Zealand’s fourth try was exceptional. The ball was juggled and parried hurriedly close to the sideline, but remained in play for powerful No.8 Terrell Peita to claim a meat pie.
 
New Zealand blindside Keelan Whitman scored a soft fifth try and Kerr was gifted the sixth after Tonga made a hash of an attempted defensive clearance.

Tongan reserves Heimuli Taufa and Nawruz Kanongata’a were rewarded for their toil finishing robust and sustained forward surges and Alofaki Fihaki strode 30-metres for the last say in an outstanding solo effort.
 
New Zealand will be pleased to win, but the real story is Tonga. No.8 Apitoni To’ia was a superb captain for a side that has delighted and surprised supporters with their infectiously positive, organized, aggressive and competitive approach to the game.
 
Tonga was assisted in the coaching department today by All Black Vaea Fifta. 

Video highlights of the tries below:

New Zealand Schools’ will be looking to make it three from three in their 2017 campaign when they meet Australian Schools’ in Sydney tomorrow (kick off 3pm NZT).

A great video by the Waterboy featuring the skills and talents of Tau Kapea. Make sure you subscribe to Waterboy by clicking here