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The schools rugby season was brought to a thrilling and dramatic close with the Top 4 finals programme in early September which included one of the best games ever seen at this level says CAMPBELL BURNES.
MORE THAN one seasoned First XV observer commented after the national Top 4 final, which ended in a dramatic draw and thus a shared title again, that the Scots College versus Hamilton Boys’ High showdown was one of the best games at this level they had witnessed.
Other than the All Blacks-Argentina test, this decider featured some of the most compelling rugby of that early spring weekend at the usual Rotorua Boys’ High venue.
The upshot was that the 26- all draw meant a shared Barbarians Cup for the first- time Wellington champions Scots College and the 2013 defending champions Hamilton BHS.
Scots retain the Moascar Cup, which they won off Auckland 1A champions Auckland Grammar in thrilling style in the semifinal just two days earlier, and, courtesy of scoring the first try in the final, will be New Zealand’s representative at the 2015 Sanix world tournament in Japan.
Rotorua was bathed in sunshine for the weekend, making for perfect running rugby conditions. The teams did not disappoint.
In the final, Scots raced out to a 19- 0 lead at almost a point a minute, second five Thomas Umaga- Jensen slicing the Hamilton BHS to ribbons with his powerful surges, footwork and offloading.
They actually blew two other tries in these early exchanges which ultimately proved decisive. Year 11 wing Connor Garden- Bachop, son of Stephen Bachop, was the chief beneficiary, along with centre Malo Tuitama, of the irresistible fiveeighths combination of TJ Va’a ( voted player of the year) and player of the final Umaga- Jensen.
But tries either side of halftime brought Hamilton Boys’ back into the reckoning, and when bustling hooker Solomone Tukuafe scored his second from a lineout drive and the energetic Jahrome Brown finished a magnificent team try, Hamilton BHS were back level at 26- all.
At fulltime there was some confusion, but there is no provision for extra time in schoolboy rugby, and for the fourth time since 1982, but the first since 2008, the Top 4 title was shared.
Feilding High convincingly won the Barbarians Trophy for the co- ed title, casting aside Cambridge High 43- 10 in the final, posting six tries. Halfback Tom Stewart scored 18 points for the victors. No less than eight of the Feilding side have played for the Hurricanes Under 18s.
Tribute must be paid to the Barbarians club, which again sponsored the tournament. Club president Bryan Williams was justifiably effusive in his praise for the quality of rugby on the two match days.