Monday 15 June 2026
First XV 27 vs 52 Auckland Grammar School First XV
Our First XV showed immense character and attacking flair in a high-scoring 27–52 defeat against a formidable Auckland Grammar School side in the 215th chapter of this historic rivalry.
The match opened with both teams trading tactical kicks to secure crucial territory. King’s found early reward for their pressure, slotting two clinical penalties to establish a promising 6–0 lead. However, the visitors soon found their rhythm. Leveraging a dominant and powerful forward pack, Grammar struck back with a devastating three-try burst in a ten-minute window to take a 6–21 advantage. King’s refused to let the game slip away early, opting to kick a penalty to the corner. The bold decision paid off as the forwards rallied to send Finn Thompson (Year 12, School) over the line, with Ricoh Wilson (Year 12, Greenbank) adding a beautiful sideline conversion. Yet, Grammar’s relentless pack struck once more before the break, leaving King's with a 13–26 deficit at halftime.
Grammar continued their clinical form early in the second half, crossing for two quick tries to extend their lead to 13–40. Despite the mounting pressure on an overworked forward pack, King's sparked a brilliant resurgence in the 50th minute. A flowing string of passes from Ricoh Wilson and Jamie Ludbrook (Year 13, St. John's) unleashed Leo Kirkland (Year 13, Selwyn) on a spectacular 50-metre burst. Stopped just short of the line, the forwards reset, allowing Josiah Fifita (Year 12, Averill) to power over. Grammar responded with two further tries of their own, but King’s answered with the play of the match. A deceptive pass found Ludbrook, who produced a brilliant kick-and-chase while being tackled, allowing a chasing Kirkland to outpace the defense and score under the posts.
The final moments of the match saw King's playing their best rugby of the afternoon. Refusing to take a backward step, the side launched a series of determined attacking runs, threatening the Grammar line in search of a final consolation try as the referee blew the whistle on a highly entertaining derby. The 27 points that King’s scored were the most that Grammar have conceded this year.
"Hugely proud of the boys," said Head Coach Ian Robinson after the final whistle.
"Another massive fixture in the King's rivalry. The biggest thing for me is they pitched up, gave everything, scored 27 points, and it was a bloody good game. Grammar is a good side - they're unbeaten for the season and have beaten teams by comfortable margins, but we tested them. There were moments where a couple of mistakes cost us, and without those, we could have been a bit deeper in that fight. But the way the school supported us, and the pride we have in the boys, is amazing. Something good will happen for this group.”
The team go again next weekend against St Paul’s College at home.
Second XV 12 vs 14 Mount Albert Grammar School 2A
King's made an encouraging start in the opening exchanges, coming out of the blocks well and scoring the opening try. MAGS responded quickly, utilising their backs effectively and moving the ball with purpose to work their way back into the contest.
Despite enjoying periods of possession, King's were unable to fully capitalise on their scoring opportunities. Poor discipline at crucial moments continually allowed the home side back into the game and relieved pressure when King's looked to be building momentum.
Recognising the need for a change in approach, MAGS adopted an effective tactical kicking game that kept King's pinned in their own half. The strategy proved successful and paid dividends when MAGS crossed for a converted try to take the lead midway through the second half.
King's continued to battle hard and pushed strongly in the closing stages. Their efforts were rewarded with a try from the final play of the game, setting up a difficult conversion attempt to level the scores. Unfortunately, the kick drifted wide, leaving MAGS to claim a deserved victory in a closely contested encounter.
It was a close and frustrating loss for the lads. The focus this week will be on improving several key areas as they look to bounce back against traditional rivals Grammar next Saturday.
MVP: Kenau Nathan (Year 13, St John’s) for demonstrating excellent work rate and physicality in the tight and loose.
Colts XV 17 vs 17 Sacred Heart College 2B Open
The Colts XV played an inspiring game at home on Saturday, bringing high levels of energy and enthusiasm on a dreary foggy morning to entertain the supporters and spectators. Our first challenge was that we were without an official referee. Thankfully, Mr. Paul Morris, father of No. 8 Jack Morris (Year 11, St John's) was available to step in to officiate the match.
Despite the slippery conditions, a good start was made by the Colts with some early possession and territorial advantage. Handling errors, however, allowed Sacred Heart College to capitalise with a converted try. Followed not long after, by another unconverted one. But then the boys shifted up a gear. Ball in hand, Colts' forwards built momentum with strong carries up the middle of the field. Combining with backs out wide, they came close to scoring, but the SHC defence held firm. A quick tap-and-carry off a five-metre penalty by Morris set up quick ruck ball, from which Captain and First Five Eighth Ben Wilson (Year 12, Peart) weaved his way to dot down under the sticks. Centre Wai Lee-Lemon (Year 12, Parnell) kicked the conversion. Halftime score SHC 12 - Colts 7.
SHC scored an intercept try (unconverted) from open play in the first five minutes of the second half off. Undeterred, the Colts went to back on the grind. Working hard to maintain possession, and playing the percentages well, they slowly built momentum through the remainder of the half to exert their will over the visitors. The pressure paid off with an unconverted (Lee-Lemon) try by Second Five-Eighth Josh McEniery (Year 11, School). Desperate to defend their lead, SHC gave it their all and pressured our line with less that ten minutes remaining, but the Colts had ideas of their own. Going all out for the win, they took play downfield and in the dying minutes of the match were rewarded with a try by Brave Dolan (Year 12, School) to draw the match as the conversion was unsuccessful (Lee-Lemon).
Our gratitude and thanks again to Mr. Paul Morris for his outstanding work officiating the match.
5A 5 vs 50 Auckland Grammar School 5A
“You have to take the positives out of a defeat and go back to work. Improve to fail better .” — Stan Warinka.
The game runs for 60 minutes, but the final 15 minutes of the first half and 10 minutes of the second half show what this team is capable of. AGS are a good side and in spite of some spirited defence by Charlie Andrews (Year 10, Selwyn) and Diego Chen (Year 11, Selwyn) the hosts were out to a 17 – 0 lead after 15 minutes.
Then the switch was flicked and strong running by Freddie Dryden (Year 11, School) and Taylor Kijowski (Year 11, School) meant that Kings were camped in the AGS 22. Sammie Richardson (Year 11, St Johns) and James Cunningham (Year 11, Greenbank) were steady in controlling the plays and eventually Lennox Williams (Year 11, St. John's) powered over in the corner for a try.
Half-Time : Kings 5 vs AGS 17
Unfortunately the half time break served as an opportunity for Grammar to regroup and they came out swinging and scored 3 tries in the opening 8 minutes, effectively killing the game. There were positive performances from Jack Freeman (Year 11, School), Jack Kelt (Year 11, School) and Hudson Hooker (Year 11, Parnell). The most pleasing aspect was the "never say die" attitude from players such as Ethan Chatkeonopadol (Year 11, Parnell), who simply loves tackling, and Jake Heatherbell (Year 11, Parnell).
Edward Cormack (Year 11, School) provided excitement with an excellent run down the right wing, but ultimately, we were well beaten by a better side. The team's next game is against one of the division big hitters, St. Peter's. We had a heavy loss to them at the start of the season and this will be a good gauge of how much we have improved.
1R Gold 0 vs 52 Green Bay College
Tough game out there for the boys. Congratulations to Green Bay for their strong performance; it's back to the drawing board for us.
U15R 0 vs 40 Auckland Grammar School U15R
In this round of the competition, we faced a clinical and highly physical Auckland Grammar U15R side.
Our boys showed incredible heart from the opening whistle, coming up against a relentless opposition. The forwards worked tirelessly in the tight stuff to contest the breakdowns, and the backs scrambled brilliantly under immense pressure, showing great character in sticking together as a unit throughout a demanding first half.
The second half proved to be an uphill battle as Auckland Grammar managed to control the territory and capitalise on their opportunities. Despite the mounting pressure and a tough day on the scoreboard, our boys never let their heads drop. They dug deep, fought for every inch until the final whistle, and put together some promising defensive sets.
While a 0–40 loss is a tough pill to swallow, the scoreline doesn't reflect the pure grit and work ethic the boys put into every single phase of play.
Games against an opposition of this caliber provide the ultimate learning ground for us. This performance showed the resilience of this squad, and it serves as great motivation to patch up our mistakes and bounce back stronger in our next fixture!