Taranaki Daily News

St Kents: A tale of dominance

- Andrew Voerman

The numbers don’t lie – under-fire St Kentigern College is the dominant force in Auckland first XV rugby.

At the end of 2010, St Kentigern had won the Auckland

1A title once, in 2001.

In the eight years since, it has won it five times, losing in the final in 2014 (to Auckland Grammar) and in the semifinals in

2016 (where Mt Albert Grammar went on to win) and 2018 (where St Peter’s went on to win).

Using data from collegerug­by.co.nz, it’s possible to look back at results from the past six seasons of the 1A competitio­n.

Considerin­g only round-robin matches – where teams have identical schedules – St Kentigern’s record stands clear above all its rivals.

It has won 59 of its 66 matches since the start of the 2013 season, 10 more than the next-best team – Sacred Heart.

Four other teams have won more matches than they have lost – St Peter’s, Auckland Grammar, Mt Albert Grammar, and King’s College.

Across its 66 matches over the past six seasons St Kentigern scored 32.8 points per game, only slightly more than King’s (31.5), followed by Sacred Heart (29.6), and Auckland Grammar (27.3).

Defensivel­y, St Kentigern have allowed just 9.3 points per game, two fewer than King’s (11.4), followed by Sacred Heart (12.3), and Mt Albert Grammar (12.6).

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from New Zealand