School Rugby 2025
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Stopped in to watch Kelston Boys play St Peters this afternoon
Kelston Boys far too strong for an out of sorts St Peters team that struggled to get anything going eventually winning 29-8
Was really impressed with year 12 first five from Max Talbot from Kelston who is a left footer , tall and rangy once he gets his running game going he has all the skills to get to a higher level he nailed his first 4 penalties one from 55 metres on the angle , but what is just as impressive is his kicking out of hand and the distance he carves off , just sat in the pocket distributed when he needed to and all the kicking options were spot a superb kick to the corner for Kelston winger to touch down .
Pretty much a faultless performamce from the 10 as well as 7 from 7 off the tee
One to watch in the future only 16 years old -
Super 8
Hastings BHS 33-34 Rotorua BHS
New Plymouth BHS 29-5 Gisborne BHS
Napier BHS 40-29 Hamilton BHS
Tauranga BC 29-34 Palmerston North BHSSo Palmy looks like the team to beat now. I had thought TBC would win at home.
CNI
FDMC 14-44 Lindisfarne College
St Peter’s Cambridge 24-12 St John’s Hamilton
Feilding High School 35-7 St Paul’s Collegiate
St John’s Hastings 0-88 Wesley College -
Super 8
Hastings BHS 33-34 Rotorua BHS
New Plymouth BHS 29-5 Gisborne BHS
Napier BHS 40-29 Hamilton BHS
Tauranga BC 29-34 Palmerston North BHSSo Palmy looks like the team to beat now. I had thought TBC would win at home.
CNI
FDMC 14-44 Lindisfarne College
St Peter’s Cambridge 24-12 St John’s Hamilton
Feilding High School 35-7 St Paul’s Collegiate
St John’s Hastings 0-88 Wesley College@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
So Palmy looks like the team to beat now. I had thought TBC would win at home.
I watched the game, as I was curious to see who would come out on top between these two. Tauranga had the bulk of territory and possession throughout the match but PNBHS is a team which seems very comfortable in defence, having very few weaknesses across their defensive line. They’re a side who are especially deadly on counter-attack, with players like Jamie Viljoen, Hunter Kennedy, Cole Cullen and Cayden Pardey all looking like they possess a lot of pace. The forwards were able to soak up most of the pressure from Tauranga and then the backs were able to strike efficiently on turnover ball.
Tauranga do look like they have another level to go to, as their speed of play in the opening 20 minutes of the game shows what they’re capable of. Their goal will be to keep up this pace for longer periods of the game, as, once this pace subsided, Palmerston North looked quite comfortable. Tauranga don’t have the amount of gamebreakers they did last year (Lasaqa, Draiva, Spratley, Riley, Sinton) so they’ll need a cohesive, collective effort to defend their Super 8 title.
The first fives
There were a lot of interesting match-ups in this game but I was especially interested in the two 10s. I’ve been impressed with Ivan Ward in the games that I’ve watched: he’s a 10 who’s very involved, constantly demanding the ball in his hands and directing the play. He varies his selection of passing nicely and he’s shown an ability to construct line-breaks across multiple phases. His kicking game, both in open play and at goal, is reasonably polished as well.Ward’s biggest hurdle at the moment looks to be his (in)ability to speed up his execution, getting the ball away quicker to his outsides. His movement – both in attacking the line or passing – can still be a bit laboured, which makes him susceptible to being caught behind the gainline or his pass being intercepted, like it was in this game. I’m not sure how much athletic development can still be expected of Ward but a bit more physical dynamism would probably go a long way.
Viljoen, on the other hand, is a typical 10/15: a player who is perhaps not as dominant in directing play on a phase-to-phase basis, he will instead look to inject himself into the line at pace when an opportunity arises, stressing opposition defence in midfield and out wide. He looks very comfortable attacking from deep on counter-attack, working very well together with Kennedy. Viljoen is also a player who seems to thrive in the big moments, whether it’s an important kick from the side line or a last ditch tackle on the goal line. He looks to be a mentally strong player, with an impressively complete defensive game.
So they’re very different players, each with their own point of difference: Ward is an excellent option when you’re looking to play a possession game, going through the phases and building pressure. Viljoen, on the other hand, is something what the French would call “un petit général”: a leader in both defence and attack who is able to inspire his team through his energy and physical commitment, despite his relatively modest size. It’ll be interesting to see how both players will be able to build and develop their (already quite advanced) game.
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@Bovidae To be fair the referee (looks like it might have been Jono Bredin judging by his hairdo) was on the other side so had no view of the incident but somehow the touchie managed to miss it. Probably would have just been a reset scrum Rotorua ball as it looked like it was coming out of the same channel. Whether it had actually "come out" or not is the main point to ponder over as if it hadn't then clearly should have been a Hastings penalty.
@Higgins said in School Rugby 2025:
@Bovidae To be fair the referee (looks like it might have been Jono Bredin judging by his hairdo) was on the other side so had no view of the incident but somehow the touchie managed to miss it. Probably would have just been a reset scrum Rotorua ball as it looked like it was coming out of the same channel. Whether it had actually "come out" or not is the main point to ponder over as if it hadn't then clearly should have been a Hastings penalty.
Was it Graham Purvis who pulled that trick in the 90s. NPC semi-final v Auckland IIRC. Can't remember the year. Waikato scored from it I think.
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Further to that ...
Reckon it was 1991. And I was at the game with some club mates (memory is slow). From where we were (supporting Akl) we were quite impressed that Gatland took a clean tighthead and someone made the comment he'd be doing somersaults. Wasn't till later later we found out it was skulduggery by Purvy. Kind of respect the balls to cheat so blatantly.
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Saw the Southland U16 boys training squad. 41 players from SBHS. Talk about a one school union.
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Sky TV's live game today was St Patrick's College Silverstream versus St Patrick's College Town. The home team dominated to win 38-17. Some Stream old boys were there to watch - Aumua, Higgins and Lakai.
@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
Sky TV's live game today was St Patrick's College Silverstream versus St Patrick's College Town. The home team dominated to win 38-17. Some Stream old boys were there to watch - Aumua, Higgins and Lakai.
Tjay Clarke was with them as well.
Just watched the replay of this game. I’ve heard plenty about this kid but have never been able to see him play apart from a couple of highlights - Fletcher Cooper (Year 11) was very very impressive. Kicks off both feet better than most professionals already. If I were the Canes I’d be trying to sign this kid up now. Has a lot of Stephen Larkham about him and still has two years left of college. Crazy.
Another player that shone was Riley Browne, he looks very much like a young Dane Coles. I’ve popped a try snippet of one his tries, but he also set up an even better try later in the match.
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@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
Sky TV's live game today was St Patrick's College Silverstream versus St Patrick's College Town. The home team dominated to win 38-17. Some Stream old boys were there to watch - Aumua, Higgins and Lakai.
Tjay Clarke was with them as well.
Just watched the replay of this game. I’ve heard plenty about this kid but have never been able to see him play apart from a couple of highlights - Fletcher Cooper (Year 11) was very very impressive. Kicks off both feet better than most professionals already. If I were the Canes I’d be trying to sign this kid up now. Has a lot of Stephen Larkham about him and still has two years left of college. Crazy.
Another player that shone was Riley Browne, he looks very much like a young Dane Coles. I’ve popped a try snippet of one his tries, but he also set up an even better try later in the match.
@Canes4life Yeah, there was another guy with them, who I didn't recognise.
Browne was MOTM and along with the co-captain Solomona was their best player. I'd say those two will be in with a good chance of making the NZS or Barbarians teams. Cooper is definitely one for the future.
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@Canes4life Yeah, there was another guy with them, who I didn't recognise.
Browne was MOTM and along with the co-captain Solomona was their best player. I'd say those two will be in with a good chance of making the NZS or Barbarians teams. Cooper is definitely one for the future.
@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
@Canes4life Yeah, there was another guy with them, who I didn't recognise.
Browne was MOTM and along with the co-captain Solomona was their best player. I'd say those two will be in with a good chance of making the NZS or Barbarians teams. Cooper is definitely one for the future.
Yeah I've heard Solomona is potentially linked with the Warriors but could be wrong.
For a year 11 Cooper is mature beyond his years, not many players run the show for their First XV at that age. The fact he was barking orders as well shows that he's not afraid to tell the older lads in the team what to do.
He's already in the Hurricanes Under 18 squad at 16 years old so by the time he's year 13, he'll be super comfortable. I'm sure plenty of teams will be after his signature when he leaves school. I'm just hoping he lands with Wellington and the Canes.
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@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
@Canes4life Yeah, there was another guy with them, who I didn't recognise.
Browne was MOTM and along with the co-captain Solomona was their best player. I'd say those two will be in with a good chance of making the NZS or Barbarians teams. Cooper is definitely one for the future.
Yeah I've heard Solomona is potentially linked with the Warriors but could be wrong.
For a year 11 Cooper is mature beyond his years, not many players run the show for their First XV at that age. The fact he was barking orders as well shows that he's not afraid to tell the older lads in the team what to do.
He's already in the Hurricanes Under 18 squad at 16 years old so by the time he's year 13, he'll be super comfortable. I'm sure plenty of teams will be after his signature when he leaves school. I'm just hoping he lands with Wellington and the Canes.
@Canes4life said in School Rugby 2025:
Yeah I've heard Solomona is potentially linked with the Warriors but could be wrong.
He and others have been selected for RL age-group teams so I guess he has a decision to make. But Solomona looked like a rugby no.7 as he has good instincts at the breakdown and regularly wins turnovers.
For a year 11 Cooper is mature beyond his years, not many players run the show for their First XV at that age.
It's not that unusual though. Ajay Faleafaga led St Peter's to the Top 4 title as a Y11. Taha Kemara was the Hamilton BHS 1st 5 from Y11.
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@Canes4life said in School Rugby 2025:
Yeah I've heard Solomona is potentially linked with the Warriors but could be wrong.
He and others have been selected for RL age-group teams so I guess he has a decision to make. But Solomona looked like a rugby no.7 as he has good instincts at the breakdown and regularly wins turnovers.
For a year 11 Cooper is mature beyond his years, not many players run the show for their First XV at that age.
It's not that unusual though. Ajay Faleafaga led St Peter's to the Top 4 title as a Y11. Taha Kemara was the Hamilton BHS 1st 5 from Y11.
@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
@Canes4life said in School Rugby 2025:
Yeah I've heard Solomona is potentially linked with the Warriors but could be wrong.
He and others have been selected for RL age-group teams so I guess he has a decision to make. But Solomona looked like a rugby no.7 as he has good instincts at the breakdown and regularly wins turnovers.
For a year 11 Cooper is mature beyond his years, not many players run the show for their First XV at that age.
It's not that unusual though. Ajay Faleafaga led St Peter's to the Top 4 title as a Y11. Taha Kemara was the Hamilton BHS 1st 5 from Y11.
Oh wow, didn't realise they were so young either.
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@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
@Canes4life said in School Rugby 2025:
Yeah I've heard Solomona is potentially linked with the Warriors but could be wrong.
He and others have been selected for RL age-group teams so I guess he has a decision to make. But Solomona looked like a rugby no.7 as he has good instincts at the breakdown and regularly wins turnovers.
For a year 11 Cooper is mature beyond his years, not many players run the show for their First XV at that age.
It's not that unusual though. Ajay Faleafaga led St Peter's to the Top 4 title as a Y11. Taha Kemara was the Hamilton BHS 1st 5 from Y11.
Oh wow, didn't realise they were so young either.
@Canes4life said in School Rugby 2025:
@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
@Canes4life said in School Rugby 2025:
Yeah I've heard Solomona is potentially linked with the Warriors but could be wrong.
He and others have been selected for RL age-group teams so I guess he has a decision to make. But Solomona looked like a rugby no.7 as he has good instincts at the breakdown and regularly wins turnovers.
For a year 11 Cooper is mature beyond his years, not many players run the show for their First XV at that age.
It's not that unusual though. Ajay Faleafaga led St Peter's to the Top 4 title as a Y11. Taha Kemara was the Hamilton BHS 1st 5 from Y11.
Oh wow, didn't realise they were so young either.
Mika Muliaina was leading the Southland Boys 1st XV as a 15 year old I believe.
