A slick Scots College team ran out deserved winners in this afternoon’s Wellington Secondary Schools Condor Sevens tournament at Naenae College, beating Wellington College 24-17 in their Cup semi-final and then St Pat’s Silverstream 31-12 in the Cup final. ?
For the second consecutive year, Scots College will represent Wellington at the National Condor tournament in Auckland at the end of November.
Scots College will be joined at the tournament by Wellington East Girls’ College, who beat St Catherine’s College 10-0 in the girls’ Cup final.
Scots College pulled clear of St Pat’s Silverstream in the second half of the final with three unanswered tries and 19 points after Silverstream’s Josh Robertson-Weepu had scored in the corner at the start of the half to lock scores up at 12-12.
Scots College captain and playmaker Malo Tuitama was the star of the final, scoring two first half tries including a 70 metre runaway from a turnover. Tuitama also made a key tackle near the touchline with the game in the balance early in the second half.
Team spokesperson Varani Komosava was delighted with the side's performance afterwards, with limited preparation heading into the day.
“We hadn't done much training before this tournament, we’d just been doing passing drills so we’re pretty happy to have defended our Wellington title today,” said Varani.
Still catching his breath a good several minutes afterwards, Varani said both Wellington College and St Pat’s Silverstream were tough to play.”We’d been watching them all game and they were looking sharp so we knew we had to be at our best at the end.”
Varani praised his teammates, especially Malo Tuitama. “He was fantastic for us, a great all-round player on both defence and on attack. He was big for us.”
In the morning's play, Scots breezed through their Pool section, defeating Taita College 41-0, Bishop Viard College 46-0 and Porirua College 43-0. They then defeated Aotea College 48-0 in their quaterfinal. In six matches, Scots scored 231 points and conceded 29.?
Wellington East, who won the Girls Plate final last year, were also deserved winners over St Catherine’s in their final, scoring two first half tries and keeping their bigger opponents at bay for the rest of the match.
Aotea College beat St Pat’s Town 31-29 in the Boys Plate final, Manaia Thorne outflanking the defence out wide to score the match winner with the last play of the game.
Rongotai College beat St Bernard’s 31-12 in the Boys Bowl final.
Scots College defeated Wellington College 24-17 in one Boys Cup semi-final and St Pat’s Silverstream defeated HIBS 42-0 in the other. Scots College made Wellington College pay for early mistakes in their semi-final, streaking to a three tries to nil lead late in the first half.
Wellington College answered with a key try to New Zealand Secondary Schools midfielder Wes Goosen, cutting Scots’ lead to three tries to one at halftime.
Scots struck first after halftime through Tuitama, Wellington College replied with two consecutive tries and it was game on. But Scots College kept their cool and ended the game attacking inside the opposite 22.
St Pat’s Silverstream’s Chase Tiatia scored two of six tries against HIBS. Silverstream were always in control on the scoreboard, but HIBS were gallant.
HIBS had? previously defeated St Pat’s Town 20-19 in their quarterfinal, handing St Pat’s Town the first two of last-gasp defeats.