New ten-team First XV competition underway this weekend

While club competition has been in full swing for some time, Saturday see the first full weekend of competition games across the college ranks.

At the top end the Premiership has been expanded to 10 teams this year. As normal in recent years last year’s semi-finalists – Wellington College, St Pat’s Town, Rongotai College and Wairarapa College – returned by right, and have spent the past three weekends playing in the Tranzit Coachlines-sponsored First XV festival. However it wasn’t a vintage year there for the Wellington schools, winning just one of the 12 matches.

The remaining six places were found using a new qualifying system. Few would have been surprised that St Pat’s Silverstream and Scots College eased their way through that, but last weekend’s matches found four teams that few would have picked a month ago.

Defending champions Wellington College were the only one of those playing in the Tranzit Festival to notch a win (over Gisborne BHS in the first weekend in Masterton), but lost to Napier BHS and Palmerston North BHS, and were humbled by a rampant Hastings BHS the weekend prior to that. Just seven players return from last year, so there are plenty of new faces and it’s perhaps something of a transition year.

They’ll lean a lot on some experienced heads, chiefly led by lock Naitoa Ah Kuoi who was selected for the NZ Schools Barbarians last year and this year captains the side. Loose forwards Mellenium ‘Baba’ Leota and Fergus Murray and prop Michael Heyworth will be key members of the pack while fullback Josh Morgan-Ranui is the senior figure in the backline.

Runners-up St Patrick’s College have endured a somewhat miserable start to the year, having lost to Christchurch’s St Bede’s, Auckland’s Dilworth, and then to Palmerston North and Napier bookending the humiliation of conceding 100 points to Hastings, but did get into the winners column in beating Hastings’ school St Johns 43-14 yesterday.

Lock/loose forward Keelan Whitman is their standout figure despite ‘only’ being a Year 12, having played in the side last year alongside his older brother. Centre/wing Jeremiah Lokeni played at this level for Bishop Viard College last year and another newcomer is lanky fullback Boston Hunt who has come over from Aotea College.

Wairarapa and Rongotai each played in the Tranzit event for the first time. Both took their lumps in losing all three games but will equally be the better for the experience.

Rongotai College have had perhaps more turnover than most, with the Karl Brownlie-led core of the team from the past couple of seasons having moved on. Like Wellington College their strength is in their loose forwards and the trio of Shaquille Fiso, William Rua, and DJ Taiopu. Halfback Steven Va’a and centre Jason Tuitama are worth keeping an eye on in the backs.

Wairarapa College will again be counting on home advantage being a significant factor, with teams having struggled after making the journey over to Masterton. They are a young side so perhaps next year is where they’ll make a real splash with loose forwards Sam Smith and Adam Gordon, fullback Shaiane Daniels all able to return next year, along with 15-year old prop Tafa Tafa.

After both falling in the quarter-finals last year Silverstream and Scots found themselves having to go through the new qualifying process, and having accomplished that without much issue they were able to rest up while the other sides in action last weekend.

St Patrick’s Silverstream accounted for Kapiti College (53-21) and Bishop Viard College (77-0) in qualifying, then beat New Plymouth BHS 46-17 yesterday in New Plymouth and may wear the favourites tag going into the season. They have a number of players returning who performed well last year and one advantage they’ll possess is a sizeable midfield in Chris Aumua and Albert Polu which shapes as an imposing combination, and have plenty up front with props Stanley Paese and Luke Mannix, hooker Frederick Sunia, and loose forward Teagan Harawira. Harrison Boyle will run the side from first-five with First XV veteran Todd Svenson at the back.

Scots College had an even easier time of it in qualifying with Wainuiomata College defaulting to them and then seeing off St Bernard’s 78-0. They’ve already had an extensive series of pre-season matches as well as their Presbyterian Quad (where they lost to St Andrews College before beating Lindisfarne) so should have little rust heading into the competition. One thing they’ll have is experience; prop Werdna Maligi-Leota is in his fifth year playing First XV rugby (three of those at Aotea) and halfback/utility Malo Manuao is in his fourth year with Scots. Others to keep an eye on are centre Tai Neli and fullback Jack Gray.

Then there are the four new teams, each of who are an unknown quantity and battled through qualification to reach this grade; and all will be looking to take at least one big name down along the way.

Tawa College last played in the Premiership two years ago, where their only win came against fellow strugglers Hutt International Boys’ School. In qualifying they rebounded from a first up loss St Bernard’s College to overcome Mana (59-15) and Wainuiomata (60-7) to secure their place. Props Manu Tinei and Zeph Neru will look to create havoc up front and captain Kyle Preston will run the show from halfback. Fullback Maui Wallace has attracted attention for his rugby league exploits and could be their star turn.

It’s been a longer wait for Kapiti College, who last played in the top-flight in 2009. Last year they were the pacesetters in Premier 2 for most of the season, but fell to Tawa in the semi-finals; this year they followed up an opening loss to Silverstream with wins over Taita (53-7) and Aotea (15-10). Their base is a core group that has been targeting this year to make the Premiership, and now having done so they’ll be looking to kick on. Their strength is likely to be their pack, led by captain Liam Tooman who plays hooker but gets around the field like an openside flanker, but may struggle with a backline that is on the small side.

Porirua College was one of the surprise packages of the qualifying series. After finishing mid-table in Premier 2 last year they beat Mana 32-20 and HIBS 29-19 before drawing 17-all with St Bernard’s College last Saturday, and progressing on the basis that they scored three tries-to –two. The school last played in the Premiership in 2013 where they won just two games, but those were notable scalps in the form of St Pat’s Town and Rongotai.

Finally there’s Hutt Valley High School, who stunned almost everyone in becoming the first school in recent memory to make the jump from Premier 3 (where they were beaten semi-finalists) in one year to the Premiership the next. They did this impressively as well, beating both Aotea College (24-22) and Naenae College (29-21) away from home, then accounting for 2016 Premiership school Bishop Viard College 39-22 to qualify. Their players to watch are Xavier Manson who switches between centre and loose forward, and Year 12 hooker Tai Bryce.

The opening weekend’s matches have Silverstream hosting Kapiti for the second time in three weeks, Wairarapa make the journey down to face Hutt Valley HS, Tawa welcome Rongotai, and Porirua are at home against Scots with all four matches kicking off at 2.30pm. The fifth match of the round is at Evans Bay next Wednesday when St Pats Town and Wellington College play their annual Traditional match.

Nine teams will contest Premier 2 this season; the Bishop Viard, St Bernard’s, Aotea, Naenae, Hutt International, and Taita 1st XV’s, along with the 2nd XV’s from St Pats Town, Wellington College, and Silverstream. Premier 3 consists of 10 teams; the Paraparaumu, Mana, Upper Hutt, Wainuiomata, Newlands and Onslow 1st XV’s, alongside the Rongotai, Scots, and Tawa 2nd XV’s and the Silverstream 3rds.

(Note: The author acknowledges the assistance of Herschel Fruean from High School Top 200 towards this article)