School Rugby 2025
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That Rotorua team is quite incredible, played the conditions in both games perfectly too. From a Southland perspective re semis and 3/4 playoff, very happy with performances from Jimmy Taylor, Presley McHugh, Hammond-Siolo, Mason Coulthard, Luka Salesa, Josh Cairns, and Jack McKeay. Both midfielders went well too. Be interesting to see who kicks on to the three U18 rep teams.
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Just getting round to watching the Sunday games. One player that’s consistently impressed me this season has been the Rotorua tighthead, Cody Renata. Seems to always play 80 minutes, looks very solid in the scrum, has an incredible work rate around the field and even presents a real breakdown threat.
During the final, Renata also produced one of the best pieces of play I’ve seen from this First XV season, tackling the Feilding first five, Tyrese Tane, 5 metres from the Rotorua try line.
Renata with the try-saving tackle and the all-important second effort
It was as much the timing of the play as the effort. Feilding had all the momentum and would tie the game if Tane scored, yet Renata is able to stop him, immediately gets back on his feet and initiates the counter-ruck. Rotorua would get the penalty and score at the other end just a few minutes later, firmly steering the game in their favour.
It's good to see the most hardworking pack in First XV rugby get their rewards with a National Championship.
My First XV team of the season
This isn’t so much who I expect to be picked for the rep sides, but just who I thought were good when watching them play. As I’ve said before, I’ve not seen any 1A games and only the two Westlake games at the Top 4, so that’s why there’s no Auckland players there (with the exception of Cornelius). I fully expect players like Siale Pahulu, Nico Stanley and a whole host of 1A players to make the rep sides.
I quite like the side, even if I don’t think it’s a particularly stacked cohort this year. But there’s plenty of good talent in the side as well as more than its fair share of grunt. The only positions I’m not really convinced of are halfback and second row, both of which have lacked real standouts, in my view, throughout the season across the Super 8, Miles Toyota Championship, Wellington First XV, Southern Schools and Central North Island competitions (hopefully there are some quality locks and halfbacks in the 1A).
For the locks, players like Blake Robinson (CBHS), Hunter Weaver (RBHS), Brad Meek (SPC) and Ryder Thompson (St. Pats Silverstream) have looked good with their work rate and physicality but are often lacking in height. Cornelius, on the other hand, has plenty of height but can be (too) passive in the tackle. I’ve paired him with Coulthard from Southland Boys’, who looks like a very aggressive tackler and solid ball carrier.
As for the loose forward mix, I’ve shifted Te Ariki Rogers to the openside because he excels in his breakdown work, is a terrific support player and likes to chop tackle. Raviyawa brings the soft skills on attack and Mailulu is just the biggest blindside running around.
The backline is filled with ball players, with Francis Afolaufou being the best crash-ball merchant that I’ve seen (again, in the respective comps). Etuale has lightning feet, Morey has a good offload game and Owen is both combative and cerebral. Guerin hasn’t been as impactful this season but still has his outstanding pace and vision on attack.
There are 4 players from Rotorua, 4 from Southland Boys, 3 each from Feilding, Hamilton and Christchurch Boys’, 2 from Kings’ HS and single representatives from St. Peters, St. Thomas of Canterbury, and Palmy Boys. There’s no players from the Wellington comp, although both Elijah Solomona and Heath Tuifao could easily fit into this side. St. Pats Silverstream also has 3 of the more promising U16s in the country: first five Fletcher Cooper, lock Ryder Thompson and tighthead prop, Vaitupu Vaitupu.
All in all, a very entertaining First XV season and I'm looking forward to seeing how the rep sides are going to go.
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@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
I was disappointed with Raviyawa in the SF as he seemed to spend most of the time out wide and therefore didn't have as much impact as he should have. The Westlake and Rotorua halfbacks both looked good in the games I watched.
I agree that Raviyawa went missing for much of the semi-final, not only staying on the wing but making some poor decisions as well. He was better in the final, in my view, showing some nice touches out wide.
Raviyawa does make sense to me as an edge forward: he's fast, can beat defenders and has an offloading game. He's difficult to defend out there and he also doesn't strike me as a player who just wants to smash into his opposite. But it can be a frustrating watch when the forwards dominate possession in the middle and one of your best players is barely involved.
Agreed that the Rotorua and Westlake halfbacks were good. I suppose my point on the halfbacks was that there wasn't really anyone who massively stood out, in the way, for example, Sinton did for Tauranga last year. Not a lot of halfbacks who dominated with their leadership and play this year or, at least, not that I noticed.
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I checked and the RBHS halfback (Arthur-Pep Chisholm) isn't even amongst the Chiefs U18 Dev camp list, so maybe not rated that highly or still quite young. RBHS's strength in recent years has been their forwards, and in particular their lineout drive. Of the form team you selected, the one RBHS loose forward you didn't choose (Jake Hutchings) was in the NZS squad last year, so would be a very good chance again. Their hooker Bronson Van der Heyden was in the Barbarians U18s along with Fakava. They could be the NZS hookers this year.
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@Bovidae said in School Rugby 2025:
Of the form team you selected, the one RBHS loose forward you didn't choose (Jake Hutchings) was in the NZS squad last year, so would be a very good chance again. Their hooker Bronson Van der Heyden was in the Barbarians U18s along with Fakava. They could be the NZS hookers this year.
Hutchings indeed has a very good chance of making the NZS team, perhaps a better one than someone like Te Ariki Rogers who I think is still a Year 12. But I wasn’t always convinced of some of Hutchings’ decision-making and I thought his general work rate could improve as well. He’s definitely not a traditional openside, neither in the defensive nor in the breakdown sense. Should be a good blindside, though.
Bronson Van der Heyden is a good player. Probably a better thrower than either Fakava or Salesa and works hard around the field. But I was impressed with the physicality of both Fakava and Salesa, they look very strong in contact.
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Dam he looks like his dad...
