Second XV 19 - 14 St Kentigern College
King’s College Second XV staved off a desperate St Kentigern’s College attempt to comeback in the dying minutes of a highly contested match of open rugby, walking away with a well-deserved win 19-14.
SKC 2A came out of the blocks firing, striking first with a converted try in the first 5 minutes of the match. After building momentum over 20 minutes, Centre Spencer Capper (Year 12, Parnell) and Halfback Freddie Gilbert (Year 13, Selwyn) scored two tries and they were dutifully converted by First Five-Eight Felix Spary (Year 11, Selwyn) Flanker Olly Chapman’s (Year 12, Selwyn) Houdini try from a set move off the back of the scrum was ecstatically celebrated by the whole team, which closed out the first half of the game.
Spary could not convert the try, leaving a halftime score advantage of 19-7 to King’s College. A gritty, determined start by SKC resulted in a quick converted try. Buoyed by their progress, SKC continued to use field position and possession to attack our line, but the boys worked hard in defence, holding steady to win the game, 19-14.
1R Maroon 53 - 7 Saint Kentigern College
1R Maroon had a big win over SKC, scoring nine tries and dominating them from start to finish. An impressive pre-season performance that sets the team up well as they start the season on May 18th.
Tries: Matt Hargrave (2), Evan Nathan Patuawa (2), Sacha Foenander (3), Blake Hayes & Dominic Lunjevich.
Conversions: Morgan Tapper (3), Dominic Lunjevich
U15 Open 22 - 17 Saint Kentigern College
The Under 15 Open side went into their first game of the term on the back of a great Pre-Season training day on Sunday 28th April, reinforced by a very positive first full week of training and preparation as a squad. The team started well and with great tempo and intensity, all of the action was in the Saint Kent's half for the first 10 minutes. This period of sustained pressure led to the opening score (by Reid Thompson (Year 10, School) and converted by Cale Ngatai (Year 10, Parnell)). The visitors worked their way deep into the King's half, through strong set-piece execution and powerful and incisive running, facilitated by some poor tackling and slow line-speed by King’s. At the 26-minute mark, Saint Kent's were 7 - 12 up, and things were looking slightly precarious. The new-look U15 side could have folded at this point, but they dug in to repel the onslaught and prevent any further Saint Kent's scores before half-time. The half-time chat was productive and with the injection of some very hungry replacements, the overall plan seemed to start falling into place. Aisea Ngata (Year 10, Parnell) and Jacob Heron (Year 10, Averill) led the charge and few positional changes also helped steady the set-piece. As a result, Saint Kent’s were put on the back foot. More importantly and encouragingly, the realisation that “basic hands” and the execution of a simple catch-and-pass strategy would lead to serious territorial gains (after the forwards had implemented the Pick-and-Go sequence accurately) was one of the highlights of the game.
After 10 minutes of the 2nd Half, the U15O were back on top to the tune of 17 – 12, with Ollie Anderson (Year 10, Greenbank) and Robbie Dunn (Year 10, Marsden) both grabbing a proverbial “Meat Pie” (Try) on the back of some great teamwork and instances of individual brilliance! This King’s “purple patch”, spurred Saint Kent’s into action and they came back into the game with some real venom. A visitor’s score at the midpoint of the second half squared the game and was 17 – 17. What followed was a frenetic exchange of possession, position and territorial advantage, with both teams succumbing to the pressure and making a number of frustrating errors. Penalties flowed and the rhythm of the game faltered. However, the U15O dug deep and executed effectively in both attack and defence at key times. At 22 minutes, Thompson picked up his second try, following some determined work by the forward pack, with every player contributing to the cause.
With 8 minutes remaining and Saint Kent’s not laying down, King’s needed to repel numerous challenges to maintain the lead. Some great defence in the dying minutes resulted in King’s emerging as the victors, 22-17. A good result from a spirited if mixed performance.
6A 44 - 5 Saint Kentigern College
6A were rampant on the No. 1 Field on Saturday, running in eight tries and playing some fine attacking rugby.
Back player of the day: Caleb Francis (Year 10, School)
Forward player of the day: Harry Rutherford (Year 11, School)
Coaches player of the day: Oscar Eriksen (Year 9, School)
U14 Open 12 - 41 De La Salle College
In the last of our preseason games, the Under 14s performed valiantly at times against a bigger opposition. A failure to get decent defensive line speed and some flash footwork by the opposition saw the home team down by five tries in the first half. However, honours were shared in the second half with tries to Manaariki Kea-Cameron (Year 9, Selwyn) and Caden Fuataima (Year 9, Averill) and a far more stoic defence. Final score 41-12 to De La Salle.
