School Rugby 2025

[Chester Draws]

@BMR323 said in School Rugby 2025:

both Schools with hostels with a widespread catchment.

I don't know about PNBHS, but Fielding manage to "catch" quite a few boys that aren't in their catchment area.

I can see why they put up the dates for the post-season fixtures, but it rankles me a bit that they give the Hurricanes ones the same billing level.

[BMR323]

@Chester-Draws
If that is a sides ambition why not set it down to target it?
Napier also guilty previously of being modest.

I'm sorry can you explain your manage to "catch" comment? That seems somewhat resentful.

[Bovidae]

Plenty of pre-season games have been played in the last few weeks. A couple of scores from the weekend which surprised me.

St John's Hamilton 7 - 64 Rotorua BHS
Hastings BHS 35 - 17 Westlake BHS

[BMR323]

@Bovidae The first one particularly so.
Rotorua had a young side last year - and went fairly well. Looks to be that they are going to be running hot this year. SJC forward park much the same as last year. New young backline looking at the names.

[Bovidae]

@BMR323 Yes, it was the margin of victory that surprised me, not that RBHS won. St John's have had a very good team in recent seasons too.

Speaking of RBHS, they play so many games before the Super 8 even starts.

[Bovidae]

I went to watch the Hamilton BHS-Westlake BHS game, which was a Moascar Cup defence. This was a game of missed opportunities, from Hamilton in the 1st half, and both teams in the 2nd half. The team with the wind behind them spent more time in their own half. The last 10 mins became a grind and squeaky bum time when Westlake scored a late try out wide.

Hamilton BHS 10 - 8 Westlake BHS (HT: 7-0)

Hamilton BHS now heads to Japan for the Sanix tournament.

[mikedogz]

Looking at the Hamilton BHS squad I see a young prop who went to school and played rugby with my son. He was like Tongan Thor when he was in junior rugby. The last of the Foote brothers has made it too.

[Bovidae]

The back three looks to have plenty of speed this year. I was impressed with the lock who unfortunately got injured in the Westlake game. I'm not sure if he went to Japan. I'll watch the livestream this afternoon.

[mikedogz]

Under 18 girls' North v South match and high performance camp announced

[mikedogz]

Manurewa High School is back in the Counties 1st XV Comp. Them and Pukekohe High School would be the strongest.

Tipene St Stephens are back after a 20 plus year break. They just have year 9 and 10 students for now but will be a team to look out for in a few years time.

[mikedogz]

Dale Budge  /  May 8

Bhana Family Farms Secondary School Rugby launch

[Bovidae]

CNI (Round 1)

Whanganui Collegiate 22 – 20 St John’s Hamilton
St Paul’s Collegiate 10 – 19 Lindisfarne College
FDMC 19 – 26 Feilding High School
Wesley College 7 – 31 St Peter’s Cambridge
St John’s Hastings - bye (Rathkeale College appears to have withdrawn from the competition)

[Boourns]

@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:

CNI (Round 1)

Whanganui Collegiate 22 – 20 St John’s Hamilton
St Paul’s Collegiate 10 – 19 Lindisfarne College
FDMC 19 – 26 Feilding High School
Wesley College 7 – 31 St Peter’s Cambridge
St John’s Hastings - bye (Rathkeale College appears to have withdrawn from the competition)

Rathkeale have joined the Wgtn comp, I believe that the travel factor appears to have played a part in the decision. Wgtn Coll beat Hastings 18-17, Stream beat Napier 31-5 over the weekend in preseason games, the reverse fixtures the week before saw the HB get the wins. Coll travel to Hamilton for a Moascar challenge, and Stream have a traditional v Palmy. While the comp starts next week. Interestingly Scots look to be weak at the moment, so they must have run out of money for scholarships (well over half the team in recent years) and returned to being very average at rugby again.

[Bovidae]

@Boourns I'm not surprised. Paerata to Masterton is a huge distance. It's still a lot of travel for the remaining schools, more so than the Super 8. The Miles Toyota is just as bad.

[Chester Draws]

Rathkeale are always going to have to travel, but going all that way to get quite a few hidings must hurt extra.