2018 School Rugby
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It's not money, it's prestige.
No school pays boys to play, that I know of, so private schools have no advantage over a Boys High. Sure they can say the scholarship is "worth" $50,000 a year, but to the kid it is the same -- a free education.
So if the school is good academically, as HBHS is, then what do they gain by going to the private? They lose playing for a better team and often a terrible social time ( I've taught a fair few kids at a private school on scholarships who hated it -- fish out of water).
It's a winner take all situation. Because HBHS is the best (quite possibly in the world) lots of ambitious kids want to go there. Kudos to the school to get there, but it does strip the rest of the Waikato of talent with which to compete.
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@chester-draws
Agree that success breeds success, and that kids of any sport will be attracted to a school that offers them the best chance to succeed in sport and academics.My comment about money was related to being able to have first class facilities and top level coaches. I do know that HBHS lost at least one 1st XV rugby player and a 1st XI footballer to other schools (in the Waikato and Auckland, respectively) via a scholarship in recent years.
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@ploughboy said in 2018 School Rugby:
hamilton boys players dont seem to have much success post school though?
Fair comment, and probably a reflection of the lack of success of Waikato in the NPC in the last 5-6 years. Coaching? Waikato hasn't had much representation in the Chiefs either, irrespective of what school the players went to.
There are a number of ex-HBHS players in the current Waikato squad, and a few in other teams (NH, BOP, Canterbury). You've also got Ware and Webber in the NZ sevens but TKB is the last Waikato-schooled AB.
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@bovidae said in 2018 School Rugby:
@ploughboy said in 2018 School Rugby:
hamilton boys players dont seem to have much success post school though?
Fair comment, and probably a reflection of the lack of success of Waikato in the NPC in the last 5-6 years. Coaching? Waikato hasn't had much representation in the Chiefs either, irrespective of what school the players went to.
There are a number of ex-HBHS players in the current Waikato squad, and a few in other teams (NH, BOP, Canterbury). You've also got Ware and Webber in the NZ sevens but TKB is the last Waikato-schooled AB.
Have many come through the NZSS and U20s recently? Might we expect to see more Hamiltonians in 1st class rugby in the next few years?
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@nepia said in 2018 School Rugby:
Have many come through the NZSS and U20s recently? Might we expect to see more Hamiltonians in 1st class rugby in the next few years?
I have high hopes for Alaimalo, and Tupaea has already graduated from last year's NZSS team. There were also a couple of front rowers from St Pauls in that squad. All of them are in the Waikato U19s. Add in Roe and McWhannell (St Peters) from this year's U20s. Sullivan too, although he's one of yours via Auckland.
I forgot about Leger at C-M.
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@bovidae said in 2018 School Rugby:
@nepia said in 2018 School Rugby:
Have many come through the NZSS and U20s recently? Might we expect to see more Hamiltonians in 1st class rugby in the next few years?
I have high hopes for Alaimalo, and Tupaea has already graduated from last year's NZSS team. There were also a couple of front rowers from St Pauls in that squad. All of them are in the Waikato U19s. Add in Roe and McWhannell (St Peters) from this year's U20s. Sullivan too, although he's one of yours via Auckland.
I forgot about Leger at C-M.
Is Alaimalo related to Solomon? Solomon didn't got Hamilton though did he? He went to a Chch school IIRC?
Edit: Didn't know Sullivan was originally from the Bay.
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@nepia said in 2018 School Rugby:
Is Alaimalo related to Solomon? Solomon didn't got Hamilton though did he? He went to a Chch school IIRC?
Solomon went to St Bedes.
Charles is his younger brother, so from Chch. He was at Ham BHS, the starting 6 in 2016-17.
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@bovidae said in 2018 School Rugby:
@nepia said in 2018 School Rugby:
Is Alaimalo related to Solomon? Solomon didn't got Hamilton though did he? He went to a Chch school IIRC?
Solomon went to St Bedes.
Charles is his younger brother, so from Chch. He was at Ham BHS, the starting 6 in 2016-17.
He was pretty awesome in the games I saw him play last year (against Hastings).
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Charles Alaimalo - the big nomad
This time last year Charles Alaimalo was playing rugby league in Melbourne. Twelve months later he returns to Australia as a member of the New Zealand Secondary Schools rugby team. The flanker/lock was a standout for Hamilton Boys’ High School who won the Super 8 title and narrowly lost the National Top Four final against Hastings Boys’ High School. Alaimalo explains how he ended up in the Waikato. “My Dad got a good job in Melbourne so that’s why we moved from Christchurch to Australia. I missed the atmosphere of First XV rugby in New Zealand. When my brother Solomon got in the Chiefs I decided to come home,” he says. In year 11, Alaimalo started every game for St Bede’s College who won the UC Championship. Since Alaimalo left, St Bede’s hasn’t made the top four.Solomon’s lifestyle in Hamilton wasn’t conducive for hosting a schoolboy. When the hostel at Hamilton Boys’ was full, Charles was homeless. “I was blessed to be taken in by the Gordon family. They have looked after me very kindly. I am grateful,” Alaimalo accalims. Former All Black Steve Gordon has three sons, Mac, Baxter and Arie, who have passed through Hamilton Boys.’ Hamilton coach Nigel Hotham was delighted to welcome Alaimalo to his squad, describing him as “a piece of gold that stumbled into our arms” and praising his worth ethic. “Charles is a great kid who arrived here after a year of no rugby. It took him a while to adapt to tough trainings, but he 'got it' by the middle of Super 8 and was consistently our hardest working ball carrier all season. We couldn’t keep him off the field even when he was injured,” Hotham praised. Alaimalo agrees there was a period of adjustment while settling into Hamilton. “It's different to St Bede’s, way more intense. We train eight times a week which is tough, but the hard work pays off.” Hamilton won the Super 8 by scoring a record number of points after a shock loss to Rotorua Boys’ High School in the Chiefs Cup final. “It took us a while to find our combinations, but we had a really good culture. I am real happy for Tauterangi marie Kapea and Quinn Tupaea who also made the New Zealand Schools.” Alaimalo enthuses. -
@ploughboy said in 2018 School Rugby:
hamilton boys players dont seem to have much success post school though?
The school's success is a reflection on making sure the squad has no gaps and thorough training. It's not particularly based on star power. It's quite noticeable that they are not a big side.
You simply cannot pick boys at age 12 knowing that they will be stars. So wisely the school relies on making the best of what they have.
The suckers in this are the kids, if anyone. Going through HBHS doesn't really make your chances of success after school much higher. That depends on your genetic gifts and work ethic. A school can't really give you either. But it can give you false expectations of how good you are.
You see the same with private schools and academic success. Because the teaching tends to be better, but especially the push to work harder is higher, many kids struggle when taken from that environment. They're used to others deciding how hard they should work. They find the distractions they were shielded from overwhelming.
I also suspect there's some cases of burn out. Some of those 1st XV kids are doing too much for their age.
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@bovidae That's a big score for a final. I wonder how many players from last year are still in the Hamilton GHS squad; they were quite impressive last year, also in sevens at the Condor 7s. I think two of last year's players made it into the Black Ferns 7s (Devleopment) squad, including Jazmin Hotham? Very talented player. May also go to the Youth Olympics next month.
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@stargazer Not as big as the Chiefs co-ed SF last weekend - Manurewa HS beat John Paul College (Rotorua) 82-3.
HGHS has had a very good team in recent years. Jazmin's father is the co-coach at Ham BHS. There are a couple of recent students in the Black Ferns sevens squad (Tenika Willison and Terina Te Tamaki).
Kickoff Times for Saturday (Host school listed first unless denoted).
Blues
Westlake BHS v St Peter's College - 1pm
Takapuna GS v MAGS - NoonChiefs
Hamilton BHS v Wesley College - Noon
St Peter's Cambridge v Manurewa HS - NoonHurricanes
Napier BHS v Hastings BHS- McLean Park - Noon
Feilding HS v Wairarapa College - Johnston Park (Feilding) - 12.30 p.m.South Island
Christchurch BHS v Otago BHS - 12:30pm
Gore HS v Rangiora HS - Noon -
So it seems, only the Christchurch BHS v Otago BHS will be televised (Rugby Channel). Bugger.
The Hamilton v Wesley game will be streamed here: https://www.sidelineapp.com/teams/hamilton-bhs-1st-xv/
Likewise, the Napier v Hastings BHS game - which will be played at McLean Park, Napier - can be watched here: https://www.sidelineapp.com/teams/napier-bhs-1st-xv/
