2020 School Rugby

[Stargazer]

The preseason game between St Pat's Wellington and Auckland’s Botany Downs on April 4 has ben cancelled.

[Bovidae]

On the TV3 news they reported that there will be no NZ Schools team this year, presumably due to the uncertainty of when 1st XV rugby will start again and cost-cutting from NZR.

The year 13 players will be gutted.

[Stargazer]

[Bovidae]

So the big carrot this year will be the regional competitions, assuming they are played in some capacity.

[Stargazer]

@Bovidae The media release says "local":

NZSRU Chairman Garry Chronican said the early decision meant schools and organising committees can now prioritise running local competitions.

“The Top Four championships have traditionally been the culmination of the secondary school rugby year. We’ve seen the start of school rugby disrupted already and now local secondary competitions can plan for a full season.

I really hope they mean the likes of Super 8, and not really local (as in limited to schools from own province). In Hawke's Bay, the only really interesting game is between Napier and Hastings Boys. The rest are training runs.

[Bovidae]

May is usually for preseason/traditional rivalry games with the 1A, Super 8, etc starting in June. They are already going to be 1-2 months behind their normal schedule. It will be a short season for teams outside of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch if it is really local.

[Stargazer]

Bryn Hall's biggest regret: 'To this day, it still really hurts because we had such a great team and it's unfortunate that we didn't get the job done'

Bryn Hall has experienced unprecedented success since moving to the Crusaders in 2017 but it's one of his earlier experiences, well before the move south, that is one of the halfback's most deeply etched memories.

[Stargazer]

[Bovidae]

The CNI Competition has been proposed to split into two sections - North and South, pools of five followed by cross over semi-finals and final.
The season will start on Saturday 25 July 2020.

North
St Peter's Cambridge
St Paul's Collegiate
St Johns Hamilton
Wesley
FDMC

South
Whanganui Collegiate School
Rathkeale
St John's Hastings
Lindisfarne
Feilding HS

The draw will be confirmed after the Government's announcement.

The North section will be so much stronger.

[Stargazer]

@Bovidae Whanganui or Feilding the top favourites to win the South section, I think.

Edited to add that if last year's standings are anything to go by, the North section will be stronger but not by a big margin.

[Bovidae]

@Stargazer

Historically, only Feilding HS has been one of the stronger teams from the South, while 4 of the 5 teams from the North could win the competition. Whanganui Collegiate weren't that strong until last year.

[Stargazer]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/300016610/coronavirus-schoolboys-considering-repeating-final-year-if-1xv-cannot-be-played

[Bovidae]

This shows the high stakes for a schoolboy rugby player now. Players repeating their final year to make rep teams is not unusual but not on this (potential) scale.

[Bovidae]

The info I have is that Super 8 will start in late July with the SFs and final in September.

[Bovidae]

For anyone who wants to watch two of the best Auckland schools play, St Kents are hosting King's College at 2:30 pm on Saturday.

[Stargazer]

@Bovidae That game will be livestreamed on https://www.facebook.com/KCFirstXVLiveStream/

Edit: this livestream has been cancelled

[Stargazer]

Preseason games to be played on Sat 13 June 2020 (there may be more):

St Kentigern College v King's College @ St Kent's - 2.30pm (the livestream has been cancelled)
Sacred Heart College v Tauranga BC @ Sacred Heart - ??
St Kevins College v Roncalli College @ SKC - 1pm
Feilding HS v New Plymouth BHS @ Waverley - 1:30pm
Auckland GS v MAGS @ AGS - 2.30pm
St Bede's College v Christchurch BHS @ SBC- 2:30pm (2nd XV at 1.00pm)
St Thomas CC v Shirley BHS @ St Thomas - 12.30pm
St Andrew College v Lincoln Combined @ STAC - 12pm
Wanganui Collegiate v Manukura @ WC - 12pm
Lindisfarne College v Hastings BHS 2nd XV @ LC - 12pm
Freyberg HS v Hato Poara College @ FHS - 12:30
Timaru BHS v Kings HS @ TBHS - 12pm
Wakatipu HS v Dunstan HS @ WHS - 1pm
St Peter's College vs Liston College @ The Cage - 2:30pm

[Bovidae]

St Kents 33 - King's College 24
AGS 40 - MAGS 0

[Stargazer]

Fixtures Saturday, 20 June 2020:

Preseason/traditionals:

• Rotorua BHS v St Peter's Coll - 12.00pm, RBHS
• St Kent's v Hastings Boys - 1.00pm, Owen Delany Park, Taupo

Auckland 1A
1st XV - 1A (Promotion Relegation - 1A/1B)

• Dilworth School v One Tree Hill Coll - 2.30pm, Dilworth 1
• Botany Downs SC v Liston Coll - 2.30pm, BDSC 1
  Competition starts 27/6

Harbour 1A
Starts 27/6

Central North Island
starts 25/7

Super 8
starts 25/7

Wellington Premiership
starts 25/7 (until then: grading games)

UC Championship
Round 1

• Nelson College v Mid-Canterbury combined - 11:00am, Nelson college
• Shirley BHS v Waimea combined - 11:55am, Rawhiti Domain
• Marlborough BC v St Thomas College - 12:00, MBC 1
• Timaru BHS v Christ’s College - 12:00pm, Alpine energy stadium
• Aoraki- Roncalli combined v Rangiora HS - 12:00pm, Roncalli college
• Christchurch BHS v Lincoln combined - 12:00pm, CBHS 1

SKY SPORT MATCH: Sky Sport 1

• St Andrews College v St Bedes college - 2:45pm, STAC 2

Otago Premier Schools (Premiership)
Round 1

• John McGlashan Coll v Southland BHS - 1.00pm, Johm McGlashan 1
• Dunstan HS v King's HS - 1.00pm, DHS 1
• Mt Aspiring Coll v Otago BHS - 1.00pm, Mt Asp 1

.
There will - no doubt - be more traditionals/preseason games.

Edited to add that, obviously, some of these games may be cancelled if the weather doesn't improve. Some grounds may be turning into swimming pools at the moment.

[shark]

Hope the big game at STAC isn't canned, am heading along