The article below was first published on College Sport Wellington in early August 2023.
When the Hutt International Boys' School (HIBS) First XV rugby team had a goal setting session on an Australian pre-season tour in Cairns in March many players in the squad were doubtful reaching the Premiership was a realistic goal. Essentially the entire backline from 2022 had departed and a lack of size in the forwards was a major concern. On Saturday HIBS qualified for the Premiership semi-finals for the first time in their history. A bonus point in a 12-14 loss to St Pat’s Town was enough to secure fourth place with a 5-4 winning record. HIBS went within a whisker of toppling Town. Ahead 12-0, they conceded two converted tries in the last five minutes. "I didn't see the game ending how it did," HIBS captain Tom Devery said. "We were confident during the week we could beat Town and our defensive effort was outstanding but credit to Town they regrouped and responded when they had to. "We had our chances and there is no one to blame but ourselves." Honesty has been at the heart of HIBS season. The team nickname themselves 'The Battlers' with their gritty resolve discovered in Cairns. "We played a couple of games against a Cairns Invitational XV stacked with bigger league boys. It was a real test of our defence, and we had some pretty intense fitness sessions in the heat," Devery said. "Australia was massive for all of us. We built a culture, confidence and purpose that has served us all season." HIBS comfortably won their grading games to reach the Premiership. Early success against St Bernard's College and Rongotai College paved the way for the historic semi-final push. "St Bernard's has been a make-or-break game for us the past couple of seasons and we've dropped it twice. Beating them was a big mental and physical relief," Devery said. "Rongotai was the same thing. We know we're not the biggest team, so we back our fitness to attack the edges and really attack the rucks especially late in the half to try and cause disruption." Devery is a quality No.8 with excellent distribution skills and the ability to be dominant on defence. Those attributes will be required to topple top of the table Scots College in the semi-finals this weekend. Despite a brilliant early try to first-five Sean Carter, HIBS was soundly beaten. "I feel the score didn't reflect how close the game really was. Their No.8 Harry Irving is a really talented player and they've got some big boys who are hard to stop if they get a role on. We are going to have to knock them over and back ourselves on the edge," Devery theorised. Tom's dad, former Wellington Lions lock and loose forward Richard Devery is HIBS head coach. "It's pretty awesome having Dad as coach. He brings a lot of knowledge and though sometimes you wish rugby was left at rugby the conversations never stop. Mum loves it too." HIBS: The Road to the semi-finals: · Round 1: Bear St Bernard’s College 11-7 · Round 2: Beat Rongotai College 8-7 · Round 3: Beat Tawa College 34-15 · Round 4: Lost to St Pat’s Silverstream 48-0 · Round 5: Lost to Scots College 65-21 · Round 6: Beat Mana College 44-3 · Round 7: Beat Wairarapa College 33-21 · Round 8: Lost to Wellington College 5-0 · Round 9: Lost to St Pat’s Town 14-12 Premiership Semi-Finals this weekend (both matches at 12.30pm) · Scots College (1) v Hutt International Boys’ School (4) · St Pat’s Silverstream (20 v Wellington College (3) St Mary’s College year 13 rugby player Justine McGregor had no inclination of her selection in the Black Ferns XV rugby team that was named at the start of this week.
“It was a shock, and I didn’t know that I was part of their plans and that they were talking about me,” said Justine. “I felt like there were elements of my game in the recent Farah Palmer Cup playing for Wellington where I had performed well and expressed myself, but I didn’t know that I was in the selection frame for this team.” Justine heard of her call-up, which is the Black Ferns development team and thus a stepping-stone towards full international honours, when she answered her phone at home and it was coach Whitney Hansen on the other end who told her the good news. The team assembles for a week between 17-24 September and plays a one-off international against a Manusina (Samoa) XV on Saturday 23 September at Pukekohe. Justine is one of five teenagers in this squad and is the youngest, aged 17. Her Petone club teammate Harmony Kautai (aged 19) is also selected. Her selection is little surprise to those around her as she has been a rising star in Wellington women’s rugby for a couple of years and recently spent her second season playing for the Wellington Pride, impressing with her skill and maturity on the wing or in the midfield and appearing in all six of their competition matches. This year she also played her second full season of club rugby, transferring from Marist St Pat’s to Petone, and producing several eye-catching performances that belied her youth. “I enjoyed my season of club rugby this year for Petone, stepping up more and going into games with more vision and confidence. We had a really good team culture and even though we didn’t win the title there were plenty of highlights.” Justine played at centre for Petone in the Wellington Women’s club rugby final, marking two former St Mary’s College players and later Pride teammates in the midfield, Monica Tagoai and Drenna Falaniko. MSP won the decider 36-32. Justine has played 20 club rugby matches for MSP and Petone combined and has scored 16 tries, including scoring a hat-trick on debut last season for MSP against Poneke. Her move to Petone this year was to be nearer to home (Lower Hutt) and in large part to be coached by Shannon Nightingale, who has also been the St Mary’s coach for the past three years. “Shannon has helped me a lot on my rugby journey, and I wouldn’t be where I am to this day and wouldn’t have accomplished what I have without him. He tells me to stay humble and to be the hardest worker in the room and he not only wants me to succeed on the field but off it too.” Justine was part of a group of St Mary’s players who played for the club under Nightingale this year. She also thanked strength and conditioning coach Joel Marshall. “Joel helps me with my speed trainings, my gym sessions and my fitness and his help over the past few months has been invaluable for me.” Justine’s preferred position is centre. “I love being busy on the field and challenging myself and working with and communicating my ideas and always learning.” She captained the St Mary’s team this year to the Wellington title, and they split their matches towards the end of the season with rivals Manukura, but lost the match that counted, the Hurricanes final and Top 4 qualifier. “We lost that game, but I’m really proud of the team and the players. For a school that doesn’t have a field I feel for girls just hustling their way to get to trainings outside of school we do well.” She also enjoys sevens rugby and plans to go to Condor 7s at the end of this year as her final school tournament. Last December, she played in the New Zealand Under 18 Girls Sevens Team at the World Schools 7s tournament, alongside former St Mary’s player and Pride teammate this year, Arene Landon-Lane. Justine learnt a lot from that team playing in a high-level environment, as well as playing in the Farah Palmer Cup this year with the Wellington Pride. “Personally, I only got half a game last season, but being in the squad really playing pushed me to do better and I took every opportunity I could this year. “It was a difficult season results-wise, but we weren’t far off, and people don’t see the hard work that the players put in. The Pride will come back stronger in the future. Justine started playing Rippa rugby several years ago. “My uncle took me down to the Wainuiomata club where I started, and him and my cousins were a bit shocked when I picked up a ball and ran and immediately took to the game!” From there she moved over the hill to the Hutt Old Boys Marist Junior club and subsequently kept playing through to secondary school. Her first sport was softball, while she has also played netball, touch and rugby league. “From year 12 I just wanted to focus on rugby and sevens, so I dropped all other sports.” Justine is still working through her plans for next year when she leaves school, but what is certain is that rugby won’t be far away from anything she does. |
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