Monday 17 August 2026
U14A 45 vs 7 De La Salle College U14A
A top-of-the-table clash against the neighbouring rivals — and the boys delivered when it mattered most.
Travelling to De La Salle and playing on their number one field was always going to be a significant test. A beautiful day was offset by a week of rain and heavy use of the pitch beforehand, leaving the surface muddy and slippery throughout. With a couple of players unavailable, King's went in short on reserves — just three on the bench compared to De La Salle's ten — but as has become a hallmark of this team, they rose to the occasion.
The game opened with a fierce haka from De La Salle, which the King's boys watched with composure and readied themselves. From the first whistle, King's were in a mood. They bashed and smashed their opponents from the outset, forcing turnovers consistently throughout the game. The first two tries came from sharp backline speed in defence, pouncing on loose possession and converting immediately.
The first half was defined by strong defence and powerful forward play, led by the inspirational Brooklyn Collins (Year 9, Averill). Outstanding support from Sammy Fifita (Year 9, Averill), Brock Biddles (Year 9, School), Kaal-el Tautari-Clarke (Year 9, St John's), Harrison Cunningham (Year 9, Marsden), Emanuera Schaafhausen (Year 9, Parnell), Tu-Ao Hau (Year 9, St John's), and Freddy Payne-Smith (Year 9, Parnell) gave King's the bulk of possession and territory. Some 50-50 passes and errors at key moments prevented the scoreline from blowing out further, but King's went into the break firmly in command at 19-0.
De La Salle came out after the break with renewed intent, but it was quickly extinguished. The King's defence was determined and brutal, and the team grew more confident with every phase. Around the ten-minute mark, all three reserves were introduced and immediately made their presence felt, injecting further momentum into an already dominant performance.
Tries to Brooklyn Collins, Willoughby Wheldale (Year 9, Peart), and Niko Tipping (Year 9, Selwyn) kept the scoreboard ticking. At 45-0, De La Salle launched a wave-after-wave attack in a sustained ten-minute period and, to their credit, never stopped trying. King's defended it almost entirely but continuous penalties eventually took their toll and De La Salle crossed the line to end their drought.
Player of the Day: Freddy Payne-Smith — his best game in a King's jersey, absolutely outstanding!
Second XV 31 vs 24 Sacred Heart College 2XV
King’s College Second XV played their final competition game of the season against Sacred Heart in glorious conditions on the number one field.
King’s came out of the blocks strongly in the opening exchanges, with some excellent interplay between the forwards and backs, creating space and opportunities in attack. This pressure was rewarded with four well-worked tries in the first half, as King’s controlled possession and territory and played some of their best rugby of the season.
The forwards provided a strong platform, while the backs capitalised on the opportunities created by quick ball and effective phase play. There was a good balance between tactical kicking and expansive attack, which at times allowed King’s to put pressure on the Sacred Heart defence.
Sacred Heart came out strongly in the second half and used their big ball carriers to good effect, putting King’s under significant pressure for sustained periods. Despite conceding three second-half tries, King’s responded with a further try of their own and produced some excellent defensive sets when the game was on the line.
The final whistle brought a memorable victory for King’s against a previously undefeated Sacred Heart side. It was a fantastic way to finish the competition season and a performance that demonstrated the resilience, character and belief that this group has developed throughout the year.
King’s now look forward to replicating the result when they face the same opponents again in next week’s semi-final. The challenge will be to build on this performance, while recognising that Sacred Heart will be determined to respond strongly in the rematch next week.
MVP X2: Keanu Nathan (Year 13, St John’s) in forward, who provided excellent physicality in the tight and loose. James Shaw (Year 13, School) in back, being a constant threat with ball in hand and putting in some try-saving tackles at the back.
U15R 14 vs 36 Sacred Heart College U15R
This week’s game was a hard-fought, physical battle against a tough top-ranked Sacred Heart College side. Despite the final scoreline, our boys played incredibly well, with the forward pack putting together their absolute best performance of the season so far.
We traded blows early on, and Sam Williamson (Year 9, School) sparked the team with a fantastic first-half try, allowing us to head into the half-time break down 14-7 and well within striking distance.
In the second half, the boys truly brought their "A-game" and played some spectacular rugby, though maintaining consistent ball retention proved to be a challenge under intense pressure. Charlie Crighton (Year 9, Averill) showed his trademark pace once again, scoring a brilliant runaway try to close the gap and give the team a massive lift.
While we ultimately came away with a 36-14 loss, the score doesn't reflect the immense heart and progress our boys showed on the field on Saturday.
Player of the Day: Zac Heatherbell (Year 9, Parnell) for his tireless work rate!
Standout Performances: Zac Heatherbell, Cade Hewett (Year 9, Major), and Alfie Mahony (Year 9, School) led the team magnificently in both attack and defence, with all three players delivering their finest games of the season.
1R Maroon 5 vs 21 Westlake Boys' High School 1R
The equation seemed simple — win our last two top-four matches and we would qualify for the final. We had played Westlake two weeks ago over at their school in the final round-robin match. They had scored a last-minute try to win the match by 4 points. We had trained well this week in preparation for the re-match against them here at King’s College, on our number one field. This would be the final match played at King’s College for our Year 13 boys and my boys were motivated and ready to ensure they won their last ever match in the Maroon jersey — especially on our number one field.
We played into a very stiff wind in the first half, however, the sun was shining, the field was in a good state and there was a good number of supporters in attendance. Westlake utilised the wind to pin us down in our own half for the first 15 or so minutes and they were awarded a penalty in front of our posts, which their kicker converted for a 3-0 lead. We continued to play running rugby and from one attacking movement, a long pass was thrown, that was intercepted by one of their players who ran 20-metres to score under our posts. Their kicker converted and Westlake now held a 10-point lead. They continued to use the strong wind and from another infringement by one of our players, they were awarded another penalty in front of our posts, which their kicker once again converted. We turned around at half-time, 13-0 down, but I told the boys that the margin was only two converted tries and that if we used the wind well, we could erase the deficit.
At the start of the second half, more ill-discipline down our end of the field allowed Westlake to kick another penalty to move out to a 16-point lead. Finally, we managed to finish off some good phases and left wing Charlie Robertson (Year 13, School) scored out wide. Matt Cunningham (Year 13, Greenbank) was unable to convert the conversion but we had started to gain the ascendancy. Not long after, in what would be a turning point in the game, we were awarded a penalty out in front of their posts, but instead of taking the 3 points on offer, to close the gap to just 8 points, a decision was made to take a scrum. We did not score from the scrum, they turned over the ball and ended up scoring an end-to-end try to move back out to another 16-point lead.
We tried in vain to score, but lacking accuracy and cool heads, we were unfortunately unable to score any further points and when the final whistle blew, Westlake had won 21-5.
We have one final game next weekend against Sacred Heart College, away, and we will do everything we can to try to end our season with one final victory.
6A 35 vs 19 St Peter's College 6A
King's 6A secured their fourth win of the season with an impressive 35-19 victory over St Peter's College on our home ground on Saturday.
Following the bye week and the return of several players from camp, the team came into the match full of energy and enthusiasm. However, the opening half proved to be a tight contest, with both sides locked in an arm wrestle.
King's opened the scoring through hardworking forward Freddie Shen (Year 10, St John's), who crossed for a well-deserved try. Tommo Edgar (Year 10, School) added the conversion to give King's an early lead. St Peter's responded quickly with an unconverted try of their own.
Our Player of the Day, Daniel Wu (Year 11, Major), then produced a brilliant individual effort to score, with Edgar again converting to extend the lead to 14-5. Lapses in concentration allowed St Peter's back into the contest, as they scored a converted try before halftime. King's took a narrow 14-12 advantage into the break.
The second half saw a much improved performance, with strong impact off the bench and better continuity through multiple phases of play. Wu continued his outstanding game by scoring two more tries to complete a deserved hat-trick. Edgar converted both efforts, helping King's establish a commanding three-score lead at 28-12.
Max Candy (Year 10, School), returning from camp, added another well-worked team try, which was converted by Jack Chapman (Year 10, School) to stretch the lead to 35-12 and effectively put the game beyond reach.
St Peter's scored a late consolation try, but King's had already done enough to seal a deserved 35-19 victory. The team achieved its goal of securing the win, and the result was a credit to the efforts of the entire squad.
Attention now turns to the final round-robin match of the season next Saturday against Sacred Heart College. The outcome will determine who earns the opportunity to face Auckland Grammar School in the 6A final, making for an important week of preparation ahead.
U15A 5 vs 13 Sacred Heart College U15A
For our final game of the season, the King’s boys came off a strong week of preparation, with coaches placing a clear emphasis on quality, preparation, and execution.
Facing a top-four Sacred Heart side, we knew the challenge ahead would be significant. The King’s team rose to it, producing a heartfelt and respectful performance.
In the first half, our defensive effort was outstanding, forcing Sacred Heart to take points through penalties rather than converting pressure into tries. The forwards laid a strong platform, which was rewarded with a well-earned try to Leo Waide (Year 10, School).
Holding a lead at halftime, the contest became a true mental battle. Sacred Heart applied sustained pressure in the second half and eventually broke through with a well-worked try in the corner, edging ahead to take the match 13–5.
The Hitman: Thomas "Turbo" Taylor (Year 10, Selwyn) for continuous pressure.
The Viking: Josiah Lea’aetalafo’ou (Year 10, Averill) for resilience.
The Cowboy: Wiremu Waitai (Year 10, School) for strong backline defence out wide.
While the result didn’t go our way, the boys can be proud of their efforts, not just in this match, but across the entire season. They have built a strong culture and laid a solid platform for the future. We now look ahead with excitement to the Whangārei tournament in a couple of weeks.
Colts XV 10 vs 12 Kelston Boys' High School 2B
The Colts XV saved their very best for last on Saturday for the end of season match versus Kelston Boys School 2B. In an exciting and entertaining match with a nail biting finish, they came oh-so-very close, but alas no cigar.
Despite some decent possession and territorial advantage for a good part of the first half, Kelston scored an unconverted try in the dying minutes of the first half then came out of the half-time break firing on all cylinders scoring a quick converted try to extend their lead to 12-5.
The Colts then set about mounting a comeback, throwing everything they had at the opposition. Off the back of tactical play inside the Kelston 22-metre line, Fullback Will Osborne (Year 12, School) scored a try, unconverted by Fullback Wai Lee-Lemon (Year 12, Parnell). With Colts hot on attack again in the the strike zone, Lock Benson Edwards (Year 11, Selwyn) smashed through a desperate Kelston Boys' High School defence to score on the dying seconds of the match. Halfback Liam Parker (Year 12, Parnell) was unable to convert the try to tie the score. Despite a heroic effort in overtime minutes, Kelston were able to hold out to take the win.
Some final words from Colts XV Coach, Silao Nansen:
"For their final game, the boys definitely saved some of their best rugby for last, throwing everything they had at the opposition. They battled hard for every metre and never gave up, pushing hard right to the final whistle. Despite an incredible effort, they came away on the wrong side of history but the scoreboard doesn’t tell the full story of the fight, heart and commitment they showed on Saturday. They can be incredibly proud of how they finished the season and more importantly, of the young men and leaders that they have become along the way.
It has been an up-and-down season, filled with plenty of challenges, growth and, most importantly, fun. Throughout the season, the boys have developed not only as rugby players but as young men, learning the importance of leadership, resilience, teamwork and supporting one another both on and off the field. There have been plenty of laughs, tough moments and lessons along the way, but watching the boys grow in confidence and character has made the season a special one. Virtus Pollet."
5A 0 vs 61 St Peter's College 5A
"The whole point of the White Stripes is the liberation of limiting yourself." — Jack White.
The lead character in the movie 'The Odyessey' is Odysseus. While our King's warriors showed great heart, ultimately we were put to the sword by a well-drilled and ruthless St Peter's team.
There were solid tackles from Edward Cormack (Year 11, School), and Jack Kelt (Year 11, School) was tenacious in lining up and hitting players considerably larger than him. Ethan Chatkeonopadol (Year 11, Parnell) continues to develop and Freddie Dryden (Year 11, School) and Jack Freeman (Year 11, School) contested every ruck with real determination. There were also good runs from Lennox Williams (Year 11, St John's) and Noah Plowman (Year 11, Selwyn).
St Peter's scored two tries but it was the try just before half-time that appeared to take the wind out of our sails, with the half-time score settling at 0-21 to St Peter's College.
St Peter's scored a try within the first minute of the second half and King's never recovered from this. Sammie Richardson (Year 11, St John's) worked away manfully but was under constant pressure at the base of scrums and rucks. Zac Ogg (Year 11, Selwyn) and Jake Heatherbell (Year 11, Parnell) manfully soldiered on and never stopped trying.
In the end we were well-beaten by a very good side, but we need to ask the question, 'Are we 40-points worse than St Peter's?'
We have a final week of training before we head to Sacred Heart College next Saturday looking for a full 60-minute performance and to cross the line and score.