Monday 28 July 2025
First XV 25 vs 20 Saint Kentigern College
Our First XV delivered a momentous performance on Saturday, defeating Saint Kentigern 25–20 in a thrilling encounter that saw both teams have big momentum swings throughout the match. The victory places King’s at the top of the 1A competition ladder.
The opening stages were dominated by King’s, who kept Saint Kentigern pinned in their half. However, it was the visitors who struck first, driving over from a lineout after earning a penalty deep in King’s territory (0–5).
King’s responded with an excellent attacking break, with Jacob Carter (Year 13, School) offloading the ball mid-tackle to Calvin Harris-Tavita (Year 12, Parnell), which was then spread to and finished by Johan Schamukell (Year 13, School). Marco Miln (Year 13, Selwyn) added the extra two points to give King's the early lead (7–5). Minutes later, a penalty in front of the posts extended King’s advantage to 10–5. But just before the break, Saint Kentigern’s forward pack powered over for an unconverted try, sending the sides into halftime locked at 10–10.
The second half began with both teams exchanging penalties and territory as momentum swung back and forth. A Saint Kentigern penalty put them ahead (10–13), but King’s quickly answered through Keneti Fanuatanu (Year 13, St John's), who crashed over after a penalty tap-and-go on the 5-metre line to regain the lead (15–13). Saint Kentigern struck back almost immediately, breaking through to reclaim a five-point advantage (15–20).
With time running out, King’s rallied. A world-class attacking stint saw Miln score in the left-hand corner to tie the match at 20–20. With 5 minutes left on the clock, Harris-Tavita broke the defensive line with his powerful tackle breaks and slick agility to run almost 50 metres before offloading to Spencer Capper (Year 13, Parnell), who crossed in the right-hand corner to seal the victory (25–20). A composed defensive effort in the closing stages secured an unforgettable win.
Head Coach Ian Robinson was full of praise for his team’s character and effort:
“Yeah, I’m really proud of the boys. It’s pretty special today, to be honest. We talked a lot about positivity and smiles on faces, and I’m glad we put smiles on plenty of faces today. The school is a special place, and this result was bigger than just us - it’s for all the people who support and care about us.
We’ll enjoy today, but come Monday it’s back to work as we prepare for our last round-robin home game against Botany College, which will also be a milestone 50th cap for one of our players. That will be a special occasion for the group.”
The victory not only secures King’s top spot on the 1A ladder but also almost certainly guarantees the team a home semi-final in two weeks' time.
The team now turn their attention to next weekend as they play Botany Downs College in the final game of the round robin matches. The game kicks off this Saturday, 2.30pm at home on the No. 1 field.
Second XV 12 vs 31 Auckland Grammar School
Facing an unbeaten Auckland Grammar side was always going to be a stern test, and King's rose to the challenge early. The opening ten minutes were evenly contested, with strong intent from the visitors. However, Grammar's powerful forward pack soon asserted control, driving in two tries before King's hit back with a well-constructed effort finished by Josiah Fifita (Year 11, Averill).
Grammar continued to use their size effectively, rumbling upfield and adding three more tries before the break. At halftime, adjustments were made, and the second half showed a far stronger King's performance - marked by greater defensive commitment and improved width in attack.
Pleasingly, Grammar was kept scoreless after the interval, while King's earned a deserved reward through Koby Schaumkel (Year 12, Selwyn), who powered over following patient pick-and-go phases.
Next week, we host De La Salle College with a mathematical chance to secure a top-four finish – everything to play for.
Tries: Josiah Fifita, Koby Schaumkel
Conversion: Felix Spary (Year 12, Selwyn)
1R Maroon 20 vs 50 Sacred Heart College
On Saturday, we came up against the top-of-the-table and undefeated Sacred Heart College (SHC) team at King's – played on our No. 2 field.
We had completed two very physical training sessions throughout the week in preparation for what I knew Sacred Heart would bring to the match. I told the boys that we would need to be aggressive, physical and accurate to beat SHC and we found out immediately that it would be a tough encounter. Sacred were very physical and defended strongly. We opened the scoring with a penalty to Daniel Chitty (Year 13, School) and also scored two very well-constructed tries to flanker Tommy Farag (Year 13, School) and right wing – Malcolm Barrow (Year 13, School). However, Sacred Heart scored five tries, three of which were converted and the half-time score was 31–13 to Sacred Heart.
After the halftime break, we scored another very well-constructed try to lock - Jack Jamison (Year 12, Peart), that Chitty converted and we closed the gap to just 11 points, but that is as close as we got and then Sacred scored another three tries, two of which were converted, and the final score read 50–20 to SHC. There was nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about, as they are a very strong and impressive team and it is easy to see why they have remained undefeated all season long.
Next week we have a Bye and then the following week, we play Mount Albert Grammar School at home in our final pool match – a must-win if we are to qualify for the semi-finals, where we will no doubt come up against Sacred Heart College again…
Tries: Tommy Farag, Malcom Burrows, Jack Jamison
Penalty: Dan Chitty
Conversion: Dan Chitty
1R Gold 5 vs 44 St Peter's College
We couldn't have asked for a better start to the game. From the opening whistle, our boys came out firing – applying constant pressure through sustained attack and excellent ball recycling between forwards and backs. For much of the early play, we camped inside St Peter's 22m, but despite several promising opportunities, we could not convert pressure into points.
St Peter's made the most of their first real possession. With some slick interplay between their forwards and backs, they broke through our defensive line and scored multiple tries in quick succession.
Despite the scoreboard pressure, our boys showed great resilience. At times, their scramble defence was outstanding, managing to contain what was a potent St Peter's attack. Our efforts were eventually rewarded with a well-earned try to Jake Peacoke (Year 11, Selwyn), who put in a strong performance across the park. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
There were also standout performances from Ollie Sinclair (Year 11, Greenbank) and Jiahong Liu (Year 11, School), who carried the ball with determination and worked tirelessly in defence. A special mention must also go to the Colts players who stepped up – they all made valuable contributions throughout the game.
In the end, we were well beaten by a very strong St Peter's side. However, there's plenty to take away from the match, and the team is eager to build on those lessons as we prepare for our next challenge against Selwyn College.
Try: Jake Peacocke
6A 7 vs 17 Auckland Grammar School
Yesterday's game against Auckland Grammar was intense. In the first half, the boys displayed significant control of the game but lacked coordination when connecting passes and controlling their emotions, which led to a series of lost opportunities. Despite that, the defence held strong and prevented Grammar from scoring significantly.
Grammar scored two tries, two conversions, and a penalty. King's scored one try by Noah Plowman (Year 10, Selwyn) and a conversion by Zak Anderson (Year 10, Greenbank).
The final score was 17–7 to Grammar.
Tries: Noah Plowman
Conversion: Zak Anderson
U15A 15 vs 13 Auckland Grammar School
With an early morning start, in a hazy shade of winter, the King's U15A side was soon jolted away from dreams of lying in their cozy warm beds, as Auckland Grammar School (AGS) started the match with speed and accuracy, scoring an unconverted try in the first three minutes of the game.
As has been the case all season, the team gritted their teeth and fought back, an attitude which has helped contribute to this side developing strong resilience.
From a dominant scrum, the team regrouped and launched their raid deep into AGS territory. A quick penalty tap and charge by Jack Morris (Year 10, St John's) got the ball close to the line before eventual man of the match Jamie Tauelangi (Year 10, Marsden) used his strength and speed to power over for King's first points. This try was unconverted.
The next 10 minutes saw both teams trying to exert dominance and following some bullocking runs from Ros-Alan Uepi (Year 10, St John's) and Te Hura Marsh (Year 10, School) we were awarded a penalty out in front which Manaariki Kea-Cameron (Year 10, Selwyn) kicked, giving us an 8–5 lead with time nearly up in the first half.
Following more surging runs from a now aggressive King's forward pack, Kea-Cameron was denied a superbly worked team try by what would turn out to be one of many controversial refereeing decisions.
The King's pack took out its frustration on the following scrum, gaining an important tight head, with bright pink headgear clad Donell Collins (Year 10, Averill) appearing like a marble launched from a sling shot back against the struggling defence to score a well-deserved try. This was converted by Kea-Cameron.
HT King's 15–5
The second half was a battle, with some uncharacteristic sloppy mistakes made by both forwards and backs in their decision-making, which allowed AGS to exert enormous pressure. Finally, the resolute King's defence broke and AGS scored both a penalty and an unconverted try to trail 13–15 deep into the match.
With time up and AGS red hot on attack inside the King's 22, Johnny Ford (Year 10, Selwyn) summoned his inner loose forward and gained a turnover penalty, allowing King’s to kick for touch and remain the only unbeaten King's team in 2025.
FT King's 15–13
In preparation for finals, the side will focus on discipline and tackle technique as we look to end the season on a high.
Tries: Jamie Tauelangi, Donell Collins
Penalty: Manaariki Kea-Cameron
Conversion: Manaariki Kea-Cameron
U15R 0 vs 28 Auckland Grammar School
U15R played their first game after returning from the holiday, against an undefeated Auckland Grammar team. The boys trained hard in the lead-up to this game and came to the game with energy and intent.
King's started with strong carries and tackles from the first whistle. However, Grammar opened the scoring early on, putting King's behind 0–7. Further to this early try, King's lost three key starters to injury inside the first 10 minutes. Despite these setbacks, the team continued to work hard and stick to our plan. Grammar used accurate kicking and continually forced us into our own 22, and ran in two more converted tries before halftime, leaving the halftime score at 0–21.
Despite being behind on the scoreboard, the King's team did not drop their heads and looked to work back into the game in the second half. Luke Leushcke (Year 9, Peart) tackled hard all game, and Miller Ward (Year 9, Parnell) threatened Grammar's defence numerous times. However, King's were starved of possession again and struggled to hold the ball for sustained periods to build attacking pressure.
Despite the prolonged kick and chase attacks from Grammar, the defence from the King's team was strong, and the team defended their line multiple times, only conceding one try in the second half (meaning the second half score was 0–7), leaving the final score as 0–28 to Grammar.
This was a tough result, but King's can be incredibly proud of their defence, especially in the second half, as Grammar dominated territory and possession. King's now has two remaining games, which must be won to ensure they are in contention for a semi-final spot.
U14A 7 vs 28 Auckland Grammar School
In by far the most complete performance of the season, the U14 Open team went down to Grammar 7–26. After conceding an early try, they held Grammar to 7 points at halftime and were unlucky not to convert plenty of territory into points. Three simple defensive lapses in the second half also conceded tries on each occasion. However, a try by William Collins (Year 9, Major) in the final minute was just reward for the industry and endeavour the King's College team showed.
Try: William Collins
Conversion: Dan Parker