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Rongotai College supporters celebrate their team’s opening try today. Photo: Andy McArthur.
- By Steven White, Adam Julian and Scott MacLean
Updated Wednesday night: There were three First XV matches played today amongst Wellington region schools – two Premiership competition matches and a standalone traditional.
In these contests, St Pat’s Silverstream defeated Rongotai College 46-17, Wellington College beat St Bernard’s College 67-10 and Whanganui Collegiate defeated Rathkeale College 25-17.
There was also a girls First XV clash this afternoon between St Mary’s College and Sacred Heart College. St Mary’s won this fixture 47-17, while their U15s won 70-0.
Silverstream go five from five with win over Rongotai College
St Patrick’s College Silverstream has stretched their unbeaten streak in the Premiership to five matches with a 46-17 victory over a gritty Rongotai College.
Encouragingly, for Rongotai they scored the most points that they have in this fixture since their famous 20-14 win against Silverstream away in 2016.
Rongotai only has four returning players from last season, and they started with gusto with a Garryowen kick fumbled by Silverstream and from the following phases hooker Liko Sialava’a rumbled over for a try.
A kick-off error gave Silverstream possession, and they responded instantly with a try to centre Abraham Smith following a cut-out pass by first five Fletcher Cooper. Cooper delivered a number of sweeping passes to create space, and he had a hand in the next two tries, scored by left wing Ashton Steere and then one to himself after hooker Riley Browne went within a whisker from a lineout move following a Cooper kick.
A break by fullback William Davis midway through the first half led to a try to openside and captain Elijah Solomona, and suddenly it was 22-7 to Silverstream. Rongotai’s first five Jarrell Sagoke-Mears was yellow-carded at this point in the contest.
Cooper kicked a 50-22 at the start of the second half. Silverstream won the subsequent lineout and right wing Lochie Jackson bumped off three defenders and scored to make it 27-7.
Replacement halfback Blake Miscall scored next, following a break by replacement forward Jordan Russell, who had a big impact off the bench and scored a later try throwing the Rongotai fullback off with disdain. This made it 34-7 to Silverstream.
Midway through the second spell, Rongotai enjoyed their most sustained period of attack in the game. They had Silverstream under scrum and lineout pressure and hooker Sialava’a rumbled over for his second try to make it 34-12.
Silverstream regrouped and lock Ryder Thompson scored a try from the lineout before rampant Russell dotted down from another Cooper break.
Rongotai had the last say when first-five Sagote-Mears concluded an eventful outing with a try. He has a booming punt which at times he would be advised to put away, but otherwise he was easily Rongotai’s most lively back. Flanker Xenos Hiotakis and fullback Aston Burwell-Garratt never stopped trying and made try-saving tackles for Rongotai. There were some stinging shots by tighthead prop Levi Aukuso and No.8 Roman Faatofe.
Silverstream never looked likely to lose the match but weren’t as slick as they have been in previous Premiership outings.
Silverstream and Rongotai have played a traditional fixture since 1957. In that time there have been 66 matches. Silverstream has won 44, Rongotai 19. The last of three draws was in 1976.
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Wellington College too strong for St Bernard’s
Wellington College bounced back from their one-point defeat to St Pat’s Silverstream last Wednesday with a mostly clinical 67-10 win over St Bernard’s this evening.
The match was played under dim floodlights at a still but greasy and increasingly steamy NZCIS field.
Wellington College opened the scoring in the seventh minute with their opening try from a lineout drive to hooker Seb Hopkins in the far corner, before going wide and going ahead 12-0 with a try to halfback Bentley Faulkner. This soon became 19-0 with a second try to Hopkins from a scrum penalty, before St Bernard’s replied with the first of their two tries. Following scrum inside the 22, first five Arlo Cross laid on a nicely executed crosskick out wide leading to a try to centre Mariri Tai.
Wellington College then hit back with their bonus point try, disrupting a St Bernard’s lineout 40 metres out and lock Laifone Kamoto galloping away to score a try in the corner to make it 24-5.
They scored twice more before halftime, both tries coming from sustained attacking play and building continuity and phases. Halfback Faulkner finished off the first and Seb Hopkins, who had his red card and suspension from last week rescinded, scored for his hat-trick after almost two minutes.
Wellington College attacked left from a scrum early in the second half and wing Tom Hughson went over for their seventh try, ahead of St Bernard’s scoring their second try to prop Fonoto Tau-James, after a penalty and lineout and series of pick and goes by the forwards. This made it 43-10.
Wellington College fullback Navrin Campbell ran back a kick in general play and scored a solo try, followed by replacement first-five Archie Sims slicing through to bring up the half century. Sims started on the bench with Ryo Kosaka at 10 and later halfback when Faulkner went off. Another feature of their backline was brothers Ben and Carisma Faitala linking up in the midfield.
The black attack would cross twice more, including a popular try to replacement forward Cyrus Aiono and a second try to left wing Hughson.
Whanganui Collegiate win tight match in Traditional
The Wairarapa-based arm of Club Rugby was in the middle at Rathkeale College, as Whanganui Collegiate left it late to claim victory in their Traditional clash. Conditions were near-perfect for the match, which saw Collegiate captain and midfielder Jonathan Solomona crash over in the 70th minute to seal a 25-17 victory, ending an arm-wrestle where both sides showed plenty of endeavour.
Earlier Collegiate had opened the scoring through an early penalty and dominated possession, but with the host’s first real opportunity a strong carry from lock Eddy Weatherstone set a platform that loose forward Kaieyn Hawkins profited from. Collegiate were able to rebuild and scored twice to carry a 15-7 lead into the break as firstly lock Charlie Mabin burrowed across before replacement hooker Ben Karatau did his best Dane Coles impression in a 15m sprint to the line.
The second half proved tighter than the first as both sides could make inroads but struggled to find an end product. Rathkeale eventually did, as firstly No8 Jone Ralulu – who had moved into a hybrid role in the second half in an attempt to contain Solomona – crashed through a trio of tacklers before winger Carlo Mitchell produced an acrobatic finish in the corner to give his side the lead with a little under 10 to play. But with half that time remaining the hosts conceded a penalty in front of their posts which Collegiate kicked to go back in front, before Rathkeale botched a last throw of the dice from a tryline dropout which led to Solomona’s score.
Solomona was the game’s outstanding figure and at the heart of everything his side did. He was ably supported by his stocky midfield partner Jack Amon along side undersized but gritty No8 James Olds. Fullback Oliver Toohey looks a good prospect as well with more than a whiff of former Collegiate star Harry Godfrey about him. Rathkeale’s best moments came from when Weatherstone, Ralulu, and prop Rupeni Koroi got their hands on the ball, but they missed the breakdown presence of Brandon Matthews – out with concussion – and it remains a mystery to this correspondent why they seem keen to remove Weatherstone and captain Zane Apiata as early as they do.
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The Wellington First XV Premiership draw for this coming Saturday is:
- Scots College v Wairarapa College, Scots 1, 1.00pm
- St Pat’s Town v Rathkeale College, Evans Bay Park, 1.00pm
- Hutt International Boys’ School v Tawa College, NZCIS, 2.30pm
