Rotorua Boys' rule the roost
School secures under-19 and under-15 Bay of Plenty titles to qualify for Condor National Sevens in Auckland
Western Heights High School 41-0, Tauranga Boys’ College 26-21, Gisborne Boys’ High School 29-5, Te Wharekura o Mauao 24-7 and Taupo¯ nui-a-Tia 14-7.
“It’s so exciting for us, as directors and as coaches, to see what they’re going to bring next year. We’ve got young guys out there making good decisions.
“Tome Poona we thought was an absolute standout and Te Hamana Te Aute was player of the tournament — he’s only a Year 9. There are some tough men in there as well with a physical presence, Tamakaimoana Whareaorere was strong.
“They all stuck to structure well, which is sometimes hard with young players but these guys really get it. They respond to instruction and they’re really coachable,” Muir said.
The under-19 side played three games. They started slowly with a 5-all draw against Tauranga Boys’ College, but bounced back to beat Western Heights High School 38-0.
They played Western Heights again, in a straight final, and came out on top 17-5.
Co-director of rugby Ngarimu Simpkins said the first game was a good wake-up call going into game two.
“We didn’t take Western Heights lightly, we’d played them a couple of times throughout the week at training, so we knew what they could bring and we’d been impressed by them.
“The boys really brought their A game in the second game and I think the biggest thing for us was the nil, keeping them scoreless. That showed our character and our want to put in a good performance.”
He said Western Heights stepped up and applied pressure in the final,
Bay of Plenty Secondary School Sevens Results
Rotorua Boys’ High School 1, Western Heights High School 2. Tauranga Girls’ College 1, O¯ po¯ tiki College 2. Te Puke High School 1, Trident High School 2. Rotorua Boys’ High School 1, Te Wharekura o Mauao 2. but he was impressed with his side’s composure.
“Our leaders really stood up for us. “Te Ahurei Epapara led from the front in the forwards and did some honest work up front, setting a nice platform. Tama Te Aute played quite well too.
“Going into nationals we’re going to have to do some good conditioning work — we know some of those Auckland sides are really fit. I think we’re a real chance up in Auckland, we’ve just got to really nail our own style and play to our strengths,” Simpkins said.