Wellington College, St Bernard’s win midweek college games on wet afternoon

Wellington College halfback Bentley Faulkner scored the game’s first try and the first try of the second half in his side’s comfortable win over Rongotai College. Photo: Andy McArthur. 

• By Steven White & Adam Julian

Wellington College and St Bernard’s College entered the winners’ paddock this afternoon with wins in wet conditions in their traditionals.

Wellington College defeated Rongotai College 74-3 in their encounter which also doubled as a third round Premiership match. More on this game in the report below.

St Bernard’s College hosted Feilding’s Hato Paora College in Lower Hutt and won their U15 match 29-10 and their First XV game 36-12.

There were originally three Wellington Co-ed Cup games scheduled today. The Wainuiomata High School – Naenae College game was postponed yesterday, while the Porirua College – Aotea College fixture was called off and likely postponed for another day about 20 minutes prior to kick-off owing to the wet and windy conditions. A third, between Paraparaumu College and Newlands/Onslow College resulted in the Kapiti Coast school winning 52-12.

Wellington College account for Rongotai College 

Wellington College defied the gusty, wet conditions and punished numerous handling errors and missed tackles to crush Rongotai College 74-3 in their midweek traditional fixture at Dufferin St this afternoon.

Wellington College locked away the Heron Scarf and banked five competition points in the First XV Premiership inside the opening 15 minutes of play.

This early burst featured two tries following Archie Sims 50-22s and a brace to hooker Seb Hopkins from lineout drives.

Then it got worse for the visitors. Wellington ran in another five tries before halftime to lead 55-3 at the break.

Rongotai got some respite in the second half in the steadily worsening conditions, but the home side still crossed thrice more to complete their win.

Wellington College had the use of the wind in the first half and opened with the first try in the second minute, running back a kick in play and building phases. Eventually, second-five Lorenz-Markel Strickland-Rere made a break offloading to try-scorer and halfback Bentley Faulkner.

Rongotai won the next kick-off and soon won a penalty for their first – and only – points. Jarrell Sagote-Mears kicking the goal.

The home side then scored two quickfire tries to hooker Seb Hopkins, both off lineout drives in each of the corners of play. The first on the driveway side followed a penalty and a kick for the line. The second came after a 50-22 by first-five Archie Sims. Wellington College led 19-3 inside 10 minutes.

Sims made another 50-22 kick, lock Jack Robinson soared high to win the lineout, openside flanker Lazarus Webster made a midfield thrust and right wing Shea Boshier flew in to score their fourth and bonus point try. Sims’ conversion put them up 26-3 after 13 minutes.

Three minutes later, flanker Webster was over the line for their fifth try and Sims converted from in front of the poles to establish a 30-point lead.

This followed a carbon-copy of their third try, a 50-22, a lineout drive in the far corner and a third try to happy hooker Hopkins, as the terraces crowd was delirious. Sims’ conversion put the Firth XV up 40-3.

More constant pressure resulted in first five Sims finishing off the next try in the same terraces corner to extend the lead to 45-3 as the wind started to pick up.

Defying the elements, Wellington College surged ahead and 12 phases later blindside flanker Taniela Tuangalu crashed over to raise the half century.

A Rongotai College knock-on presented the home side with a scrum 40 metres out. They shifted it across to Boshier on the right wing, who kicked and chased and regathered to score their ninth try and put them up 55-3 at the interval.

Rongotai mishandled the opening second-half kick-off. Wellington College quickly went wide on the turnover ball and halfback Faulkner resumed proceedings by scoring his second and their 10^th try.

With steady rain settling in, right wing Boshier ghosted through the rickety midfield defence to score his hat-trick under the posts from another Rongotai mistake and scrum. Replacement Rio Kosaka kicked the extras to make it 67-3.

Rongotai enjoyed their best period of the game with a series of pick and goes and penalties in front of the line. But another knock-on in midfield dashed their hopes as conditions grew worse.

The try-scoring resumed in the 62^nd minute with a try to centre Taysian Davey-Tiotio, extending their advantage to 74-3, the full-time score as referee Van Berkel invoked the mercy rule by calling it off early.

Unlike Scots last Saturday, at least Rongotai showed up. Captain and prop Levi Aukuso and openside Soni Sola battled honourably.

Wellington College and Rongotai College contest the Heron Scarf, a rivalry dating back to 1988. Wellington leads the series with 28 wins to Rongotai’s nine.

H.A. Heron, after whom the trophy is named, refers to Harold Alexander Heron (1902 to 1984). A former student of Wellington College, he served as principal of Rongotai College from 1946 to 1951 and then returned to Wellington College from 1951 to 1963. He authored “The Centennial History of Wellington College, 1867-1967.”

Rongotai College first beat Wellington College in 1959 and enjoyed victories in 1960, 1963, 1966, and 1968. Today’s defeat represents Rongotai’s largest loss to Wellington, surpassing a 60-0 defeat in 2023.

The largest defeat Rongotai has likely suffered was in 2013 when they lost 88-3 to Scots College. In that match, Scots scored 14 tries and converted nine, with future Japanese international Malo Tuitama scoring five tries and former Hurricanes prop Alex Fidow adding two tries and two conversions.

Wellington College – Rongotai College recent Traditional results:

• 2019: Rongotai College won 23-20
• 2020: Rongotai College won 27-20
• 2021: Wellington College won 34-0
• 2022: Rongotai College won 25-24
• 2023: Wellington College won 60-0
• 2024: Wellington College won 47-13
• 2025: Wellington College 74-3

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