First XV 26 vs 30 Auckland Grammar
The First XV suffered a heartbreaking 26 - 30 defeat against Auckland Grammar School in the annual fixture at King's College at home on Saturday.
King's started slowly for the second time in as many weeks and were behind 0 - 17 after only 15 minutes.
Auckland Grammar quickly showed why they’re unbeaten in this year’s 1A competition with some smooth interplay between forwards and backs that laid the platform for their early points.
It took some time, but King's were eventually able to retain some possession and they got on the board in the 27th minute when wing Kahu Cotterill (Year 13, School) scored.
Fullback Harrison Martin (Year 13, Selwyn) added the sideline conversion, much to the delight of the vocal home crowd, who turned out in droves. That try sparked King's, who continued to play inside Grammar’s half as the first stanza wore on.
The territorial advantage turned into points when hooker Charlie Burn (Year 12, School) scored, meaning King's went into the halftime break trailing 12 - 17.
Grammar made a fast start to the second spell when they added another converted try to go further ahead 12 - 24.
But King's refused to lie down and fought their way back into the game again as Burn added his second try as part of a strong individual performance.As the clock ticked past 50 minutes, the King's front row continued to lead the charge with prop Sione Manuopangai (Year 12, Peart) scoring. Marco Miln’s (Year 12, Selwyn) second conversion of the half gave King's the lead 26-24, marking the first time they were in front on the scoreboard.
But that advantage was short-lived as Grammar quickly answered back with a penalty goal. With 10 minutes remaining, King's trailed by one point and were forced to make plenty of tackles, but they held firm on their line. Ill-discipline did prove costly though and when Grammar were awarded another penalty, the visitors took the points, extending their lead to four.
Despite getting their hands on the ball in the final stages, King's could not get out of their own half as Grammar retained the Cooper-Greenbank Cup.
King's coach, Ian Robinson, said he was proud of the team’s performance and grateful that many supporters came to watch the game. “The big thing at the end of the day is our boys are competing at a high level and we are there or thereabouts,” he said.
By scoring four tries and losing by less than seven, King's grabbed two valuable bonus points, which leave them in fifth place on the 1A ladder.
The First XV's next outing is an away trip to St Peter's College on Saturday 22 June with kick-off scheduled for 2.30pm.
Tries: Charlie Burn (2), Kahu Cotterill, Sione Manuopangai
Conversions: Marco Miln (2), Harrison Martin
Second XV BYE
1R Maroon 25 vs 10 Glendowie College
The 1R Maroon rugby team travelled to Glendowie College on Saturday to play at the earlier kickoff time of 11.15am to allow everyone to get back to school, shower and change into their No 1s for the annual First XV match vs Grammar.
We had already played Glendowie in a pre-season match and they were tenacious and gritty. This was the case again this weekend and it took some sound defence and determination to eventually grind them down. The match was filled with errors and we made the job hard for ourselves with a number of dropped balls, forward passes and knock-ons that allowed Glendowie to stay in the race. When we did manage to hold onto the ball, however, and string some phases together, we scored some good tries and we went into the halftime break leading 15 – 0 following tries to Evan Nathan-Patuawai (Year 12, School) and Oliver Gregory (Year 12, Selwyn), as well as one conversion to Dom Lunjevich (Year 13, Averill) and a penalty to Nathan-Patuawai.
The second half was just as dour and took us a long time to get on top with further handling errors and some poor execution. We did, however, score a further two tries to Alex Hawkins (Year 13, Greenbank) and Johnny Wilson (Year 12, Parnell) to earn ourselves a bonus point victory that sees us still sitting in second place on the table after three rounds.
Given that we had seven of our usual starting lineup unavailable yesterday through injury or illness, the BYE round next weekend will provide us with some welcomed time to allow for rehab and recovery before we tackle St Peter's and St Kent's to round out the term.
1R Gold 33 vs 14 Sacred Heart College
Sacred Heart College scored the first points of the match. However, King's quickly responded, with loose forward Jimmy Berry (Year 12, Parnell) darting over to score. The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with Sacred scoring again to make it 14 - 5. King's continued to build up the pressure and scored again with a try by Berry. By half-time, King’s had established a 19 - 14 lead by a try to Arch Kennedy (Year 12, St John’s), which was placed in the corner. This was converted by Daniel Chitty (Year 12, School).
King's 1R Gold spent much of the time defending during the second half. Their lead was extended when Cassra Haghi (Year 13, Major) scored. Chitty again converted this.
Finally, Dayton Ng Wun (Year 11, Greenbank) crossed a great individual try. Oli Kittle (Year 12, Parnell) played well throughout the game, defending gallantly, while Denver Olde (Year 12, School) made another solid performance with the ball in hand and on defence.
Tries: Jimmy Berry (2), Arch Kennedy, Cassra Haghi, Dayton Ng Wun
Conversions: Daniel Chitty (3), Koby Shaumkell
5A 20 vs 0 St Peter's College
Another week in this highly competitive 5A grade, and this week, it was playing St Peter's at Mays Road. With all the bad weather at the week's end, it looked like it would be a wet game. However, the rain moved away and conditions, whilst damp underneath, were good for open rugby.
King's took advantage of the slight wind in the first half and instantly put pressure on St Peter's forcing them back into their half. After five minutes, King’s scored first from a planned front of the lineout move where Finn Jones (Year 11, Parnell) took the ball and bulldozed his way over in the corner. The try was unconverted, leaving the score 5 - 0 to King's.
The improvement in King's control at ruck time was a step change from the previous weeks, which gave the halfback and backs a clean, controlled ball, ultimately opening more space for the backs. James Shaw (Year 11, School) made multiple incisive runs into the backline from fullback, opening up the St Peter's defence. At the 11 minute mark, King’s scored again with a try to Hugo Olde (Year 11, School). With the conversion missing, King's led 10 - 0.
As with past weeks, the period soon after a King’s score is the time where the opposition has been capitalising and this week was almost no different, with St Peter’s making a break and nearly getting over the line but a last-ditch try-saving tackle by CJ Hooker (Year 12, Parnell) and the resulting knock-on saved King’s from giving away points.
At the 25 minute mark, after some of the best team rugby we have seen all season, Jones, after 12 phases of controlled offloads and rucks, finished off for his second try in the right corner. A great sideline conversion from Kasey Lewis (Year 11, Greenbank) brought the score to 17 - 0 for the King’s, which is how the first half ended.
With the wind increasing in the second half this meant, for King's playing into it, territory would be at a premium and defence and doing the basics well was key. The forwards continued to provide clean ball to the backs and with a strong display of zone based kicking from Matt Cunningham (Year 11, Greenbank), King's were able to keep St Peter’s away from their line.
A penalty from Cunningham on the 43 minute mark made it 20 - 0 to King's. The last 17 minutes was well controlled by King's and the game finished at 20 - 0.
Outstanding performances across the whole team, with special mention for the Players of the Day being Lucas Kidd (Year 11, Selwyn) for his defence and being immense at ruck times and Shaw for his positional play and running lines throughout the game.
Great team performance and a solid win.
Tries: Finn Jones (2), Hugo Olde
Penalties/conversions: Matt Cunningham, Kasey Lewis
6A 22 vs 0 St Peter's College
King's came out on top in a tough encounter against a determined and physical St Peter's side who pushed them hard throughout.
King's went on the attack from the kick-off, making good ground through their forwards before a break from Hugh Smithies (Year 10, Parnell) was stopped just short of the try line and turned over by the St Peter's forwards. The following 20 minutes were very evenly fought, with neither side managing to break the other down. Eventually, King’s managed to take control and strong carries from the forwards. Notably, Harry Rutherford (Year 11, School) and Harry Lyus (Year 10, Major) got King’s on the front foot before good hands from the backs enabled Jarel Samasoni (Year 10, Averill) to shrug off the cover defence and score in the corner to make it 5 - 0. King's were on top for the remainder of the first half and the pressure eventually told with the last play of the half with good interplay between the backs and the forward creating space out wide for Smithies to dive in to score. The tough conversion just missed, making the score 10 - 0 to King's at half-time.
St Peter's came out strongly at the start of the second half, putting King's under pressure in their 22. Some strong defence kept the attacks at bay before the ball was turned over and spread wide for Caleb Francis (Year 10, School), who made a strong break up the left side of the field and into the St Peter's half. The ball was kept alive brilliantly before unfortunately being knocked on just short of the St Peter's line. As in the first half, King's began to take control as the half went on, with subs Olly Bayley (Year 9, School) and Oscar Eriksen (Year 9, School) making an impact after coming on and carrying strongly around the fringes. Rutherford picked up from the back of a scrum on the St Peter's 22 and went through untouched to score King's third try of the day, which was well converted by Liam Parker (Year 10, Parnell). King's were now dominant and came close on several occasions before Liam Parker got the final try. With the conversion attempt just missing, the game finished 22 - 0 to King's.
Tries: Jarel Samasoni, Hugh Smithies, Harry Rutherford, Liam Parker
Conversion: Liam Parker
U15R 19 vs 15 Howick College
In their third game of the season, the King's College U15R Rugby team, captained by Hudson Hooker (Year 9, Parnell), demonstrated resilience and determination to secure their second win of the season in a thrilling match against Howick College. After a tough previous match, King's were eager to make a strong comeback, and the game began with an exciting run from Karter Harris (Year 9, Peart). However, Howick quickly responded by scoring the first unconverted try of the game.
King's didn't let this early setback discourage them. In the 17th minute, Noah Plowman (Year 9, Selwyn) broke through Howick's defence to score a try, which was successfully converted, putting King's in the lead. The momentum continued with the fiery Taylor Kijowski (Year 9, School) adding another try in the 23rd minute, though the conversion attempt was missed. Just before halftime, Howick managed to score another try, keeping the scoreline tight at 12 - 10 in favour of King's as the teams headed into the break.
The second half began with both teams displaying excellent skill and determination. It wasn't until the 45th minute that Hugh Henshaw (Year 9, Peart) extended King's lead with a crucial try, followed by a precision conversion from the far side of the pitch by Santi Barton (Year 9, School), bringing the score to 19 - 10. Howick scored again in the 50th minute, showing great resilience, narrowing the gap to a tense 19 - 15.
As the match neared its conclusion, Howick surged forward and nearly snatched victory, but they fumbled the ball as they crossed the line. King's second half captain, Remy O'Neill (Year 9, Averill), made a strategic play to secure possession, ensuring the game ended in King's favour.
Notable performances included Karter Harris, who made several strong runs, Arthur White (Year 9, Greenbank) and Jake Heatherbell (Year 9, Parnell), who delivered multiple robust tackles. The backs also demonstrated impressive passing sets, contributing significantly to the team’s dynamic play. Barton's exceptional kicking was crucial in securing the win.
The final score of 19 - 15 highlighted a hard-fought victory for King's College. This match showcased the team's ability to work together as a team.
White was deservedly named Man of the Match for his perseverance and relentless efforts throughout the game. It was not an easy match for either side, but it marked the second win of the season for this great team.
U15 Open 17 vs 22 Sacred Heart College
Report coming soon.
U14 Open 53 vs 0 Otahuhu College
The U14 Open played Otahuhu College in their fourth competition game of the season. They started well and moved the bigger Otahuhu College players around.
The field. As our game plan dictates, the tries were scored on the outside, with Ben Leith (Year 10, St John’s) scoring three tries and Mana’ariki Kea-Cameron (Year 9, Selwyn) and Jonny Avery (Year 9, Selwyn) being rewarded with two tries each for the good work done in the central part of the field. Matthias Petelo (Year 9, Marsden) and Kavelle Wiki-Rawiri (Year 9, St John’s) scored the other tries.
After being up 27 - 0 at half-time, we were eventual winners by 53 - 0.
