Wellington College and St Pat’s Town to meet in final on Sunday

Will the curse of the top qualifier be lifted this year when season frontrunners Wellington College take on defending champions St Pat’s Town in Sunday’s 2016 WelTec Premiership final at Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua?

The last time the best team in the round-robin of Premier One in Wellington won the overall title was in 2009 Wellington College beat St. Pats Silverstream 43-7. That day present All Black Lima Sopoaga started at first five-eighth for Wellington College.
 
On Sunday another Sopoaga will start at flyhalf for Wellington College. Toko Sopoaga will be a key figure in determining the outcome of the 2016 final.
 
Who will win?
 
Wellington College beat Town 20-16 in the round-robin of the Premiership which suggests there will be nothing in it, but Town got their only try in the last minute that day.
 
Wellington College boast tough and durable forwards who have got better with every game this season. Town are up and down, but have serious potency on a roll, especially with NZ Schools prop Xavier Numia.

Recent form is hard to gauge, in part because there hasn’t been much rugby for either side lately. Both had quarter-final byes after the two-week school holiday break, while Wellington College had a full month off before overcoming Wairarapa College 29-0 in heavy underfoot conditions on their home turf last Saturday.

St Pat’s Town returned from the school holidays at the end of July to lose 10-43 to St Pat’s Silverstream on a Wednesday afternoon in their final match of the round-robin season. Silverstream then lost to Rongotai College in their quarterfinal before St Pat’s Town defeated Rongotai 24-3 last Saturday in the semi-finals.

In the seven-game round-robin series that ran from the end of May to the end of July, Wellington College were unbeaten and St Pat’s Town prevailed in five of seven encounters. Wellington College scored 190 points and conceded 53, while St Pat’s Town, playing on a hard and fast home surface, scored 293 points and let in 113.

Head-to-heads

Here are four key clashes in the final.
 
Naitoa Ah Kuoi v Keelan Whitman - Ah Kuoi brings a big reputation to this game having represented the Hurricanes U18 side, but Whitman is a real scrapper who has bothered most opposition this season.
 
Gus McPherson v Xavier English - Xavier is the son of the finance minister and will be hoping to balance the ledger against a tough and unassuming Wellington College openside flanker.

Toka Sopoaga v Grayson Whitman - Both players have shown maturity beyond their years in 2016. The pivot who reads the conditions best and attacks the defensive line with authority will go a long way to deciding the game.

Xavier Numia v Qualen Asi - Numia is a NZ Schools loosehead who peaked at this time last year after injury. He has been injured in 2016, but had a storming game against Rongotai College in the semi-final and appears to be back to his best. Asi is nicknamed the Cube and has been rock solid for Wellington this season. Can Numia dominate at scrum time again or will the Cube hold firm.

Match-day commentary

The team at Te Upoko - Gordon Noble-Campbell, Adam Julian and possibly Wellington Lions captain Brad Shieds, will be commentating the final live on air at 1161AM. 

Kick-off is at 2.30pm on Sunday. 

The Teams

Wellington College: (1-15): Michael Heyworth, Tom Hoskin, Qualen Asi, Taine Plumtree, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Callum Watts-Pointer, Gus McPherson, Junior Foaitua, Adrian Seumanufagai, Toka Sopoaga, Connor Fuli, La’au Finau, Stone Warren-Robinson, Josh Morgan-Ranui, Reece Plumtree. Subs:  Bronson Aiono, Ollie Dawson, Sam Green, James Watkins, Cam Robinson, Ish Perkins, Mellenniumma Leota.

St. Pats Town: (1-15): Xavier Numia, Meinrad Fitismanu, Ethan McQuinlan, Leo English, Keelan Whitman, Tom Horan, Xavier English, Kevin Fauatea, Luke Georgeson, Grayson Whitman, Nuri Kaya, El Nino Peniamina, Siosaia Paese, Elija Filipo-Fonoti, Sam Baylis. Subs: Jasper Stone, Adam McLean, Andre Hart, Tom Scott, Setafano Paese, Connor Fitzsimons, Zac Aldridge.

Lower Grade college semi-finals

As well as the Premiership final on Sunday, all other college grades are at either the semi-final stage or playing their last round-robin matches tomorrow ahead of next Saturday’s finals day at St Pat’s Silverstream.

In Premier 2 both semi-finals are up the coast. Paraparaumu College earned top qualifier status and tomorrow will host the Silverstream 2nds – who they beat 27-22 in the round-robin – in one match, while for the second week in succession Tawa College will head to Kapiti College, where they will be looking to repeat their 22-16 win from last Saturday. Both matches are 2.30pm kick-offs.
 
In Premier 3 Onslow College were the top qualifiers and host Coed Cup winners Hutt Valley High School in one semi-final while the other is between home side Naenae College and the Wellington College 2nds both at 1pm; while the Under 15 division 1 semi-finals pit Silverstream against Scots College and St Pat’s Town against Wellington College, both at 11.30am.
  
As with last year both sides will progress through to the Hurricanes regional qualifiers for the National Top 4. That starts tomorrow when Te Aute College – this years ‘challenger’ using the place available to any Hurricanes-region school that doesn’t compete in either Wellington or the Super 8 competitions – takes on Napier Boys’ High School, who finished second amongst the four Hurricanes-region sides that compete in the Super 8. 
 
The winner of that will then travel take on the Wellington winner next Saturday. The loser of Sunday’s match will face a tough assignment, an away trip to take on Hastings Boys’ High School who are amongst the top handful of sides in the country, and tomorrow host Hamilton Boys in the Super 8 final.