HAMILTON DOES IT TOUGH
Three finals of major First XV competitions were completed just before lockdown in August, and it was three powerhouse rugby schools that rose to the top, writes Campbell Burnes.
Hamilton boys’ High school is again the king of Super 8. The First XV, coached again by nigel Hotham and greg Kirkham, annexed its 14th super 8 in 16 seasons, a remarkable effort when one considers how every First XV loses a chunk of players every year.
There is a case to be made that Hastings boys’ High school was the best team over the entire round-robin competition, racking up seven straight wins, while Hamilton went 5-2 and only edged rotorua boys’ High school by virtue of beating the Moascar Cup holder 21-19 in the third round. The bonus point loss to Hastings at home in the final round-robin match was crucial in allowing Hamilton to take its place in the decider at Akina, home of Hastings.
It was some final and Hastings, as you can imagine from the 2016-17 champs, was right up for it.
The jerseys were very similar, and both defences were staunch. But the wind was blowing hard and Hastings made the most of it to claim a 10-0 halftime lead, courtesy of a Josh Leach try and two goals by Hoera Stephenson.
Hamilton scored twice within five minutes early in the second stanza to take a 12-10 lead off the back of an increasingly dominant scrum and tries to front-rowers Moses Mcgoon and sean Ralph, also the co-captain.
The score stayed 12-10 as Hastings hammered away, but errors crept in with the fatigue. The visitors had a late slice of luck when referee Josh strong opted not to penalise Hamilton for a clear knockdown when Hastings was pressing. Those are the breaks.
“I have some very vivid images in my head of the boys’ elation at fulltime,” says Hotham.
“we were underdogs, playing away from home and had some things that went against us. But it makes it all worthwhile. I get the same buzz at seeing boys who have set a goal and worked their butts off to achieve it. It’s a fantastic feeling when you pull it off.”
There was no sign of panic at halftime, which is always a hallmark of an assured and well-coached side.
“At 10-0 down, that wasn’t part of the plan, but there was still a very confident feeling among the team. We knew we were turning with the win behind us,” says Hotham.
Hamilton bhs principal susan Hassall, who travelled down on the team bus, presented the super 8 shield to the team, which was a nice touch. Old boys had sent messages pre-game, including sevu reece and Quinn Tupaea from the All blacks camp and regan ware and Joe webber from MIQ after the Tokyo Olympics.
There was no shortage of motivation for the First XV, with long-time manager Barb Clark diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemo during the season. She still fulfilled most of her managerial roles but could not travel to away games. She is clearly held in the highest regard by the boys, who dedicated the season to her.
The super 8 competition seemed to be much tighter this year, with 6-7 of the eight teams very competitive. Hamilton could count just three convincing victories, and lost (13-12) to Tauranga BC for the first time in several years, as well as dropping its last game to Hastings (1813) in Hamilton.
“some of those disappointments are your big lessons. You work hard to analyse and find solutions after a loss and that’s what happened to us after Tauranga,” adds Hotham.
“The Hastings round-robin game could have gone either way but they probably deserved the win because of the amount of errors we made. One of the focuses going into the final was to try and lower those errors. We play a kind of game with this team that if you do have high errors it does punish you.”
Key men for Hamilton in 2021 were lock Tahlor Cahill, openside flanker Oli Mathis, hooker Ralph, first five Taha Kemara,
‘There was no sign of panic at halftime, which is always a hallmark of an assured, well coached, side.’
wing Aki Tuivalala and fullback Payton Spencer, son of Carlos Spencer. Payton is taller than his Dad, but he can hit a gap in similar deadly fashion.
Hamilton’s major rugby goals always centre around super 8, as from there one can launch into the Top 4 qualifiers. sadly, that tournament, which was to have been held in Palmerston North from september 17-19, has been canned, for the second straight year, after the latest lockdown. But Hamilton’s depth and immediate future in 2022 looks good, its second XV going unbeaten in its Super 8 competition.
Otago BHS won a fourth straight Otago premier schools crown under the Forsyth Barr roof but was taken to the wire, 26-24, by old rival Southland BHS. Otago first five Finn Hurley had a blinder, kicking six goals, including two pots and the winning dropped goal at 70 minutes.
The Central North Island final was won, comfortably, by St Paul’s Collegiate, 33-10 over Whanganui Collegiate. This is St Paul’s sixth title in seven seasons but, as in the Super 8, it was not the best side throughout the season. That was neighbour St Peter’s of Cambridge, which shrugged off some internal issues at the school to pump out a 9-0 record until coming unstuck in surprising fashion, 19-17 in the semifinal, to fourth-ranked qualifier Whanganui Collegiate. St Peter’s had to settle for third, while other final day placing wins went to Lindisfarne (fifth), Wesley (seventh) and Francis Douglas Memorial (ninth).
The Auckland 1A season was suspended with one round to play (in 2020 it was after five rounds) with Kelston BHS on top with a 10-0 record from St Peter’s, King’s and MAGS. The semifinalists were set, with usual heavyweights Auckland Grammar, Sacred Heart and St Kentigern all outside the top four. It was a very tight competition in 2021, with only Liston well off the pace.
Finals in the Crusaders (Nelson v Christ’s) and Wellington (Scots v St Pat’s Silverstream) were postponed. North Harbour had to postpone its semifinals, which were to feature Westlake BHS, Massey HS, Manurewa HS and Whangarei BHS.