2 October 2024
With rain hammering the fields in parts for Day 1 of the NZRL National Boys Youth Tournament in Rotorua, nailing the basics was going to be key for teams looking to start the competition strongly.
The growth of rugby league is evident with 25 teams competing this year compared to 20 last year’s competition. Counties Manukau are looking to do the three-peat in the 18s having beaten South Island both times, whereas in the 16s South Island are the ones looking to defend their title.
In Section A, last year’s winners South Island got the win they needed against Northland to start their campaign well after a bye earlier in the day. Also in the pool, Bay of Plenty also got the win against Northland, albeit Northland held both teams to a tight 8-point difference, which will give them some confidence going into Day 2.
Section B/C saw Canterbury reenter the Boys Youth fold after several years away. And they opened their campaign with a win over Waikato before succumbing to Auckland later in the day 18-8. Auckland also got up against Mid Central to take two from two, as did Counties who saw off both Coastline with a convincing 28-0 win, and Mid Central at 32-10.
Lastly, Section D saw a number of one-sided matches with Akarana and Wellington piling on the points against Manawatu and Gisborne Tairawhiti. Akarana ended the day top of the pool thanks to points difference, but their head-to-head match up tomorrow will be crucial in seeing who takes out the pool.
Section A standings:
South Island
Bay of Plenty
Northland
Section B/C standings:
Counties Manukau
Auckland
Canterbury
Waikato
Coastline
Mid Central
Section D standings:
Akarana
Wellington
Manawatu
Gisborne Tairawhiti
Last year’s finalists South Island and Counties both found themselves in Section A/B. Both teams saw off Coastline well, however encountered stronger tests against Mid Central and Northland respectively. In the pool, Bay of Plenty had a strong start, also adding two wins to the board. With barely anything separating them, Day 2 will again be where the teams will look to make their mark and secure their pathway to the semis and finals.
Section C/D only saw two teams take out both wins – Wellington and Akarana – with Wellington keeping a clean scoresheet for both games. Both Auckland and Canterbury added one win to the tally each, the match off between the two a tight at 16-10 contest, Canterbury coming off the victors.
Section A/B standings:
Section C/D standings:
For all draw and results updates visit sporty.co.nz
On Day 2, Field 4 will continued to be live-streamed on YouTube
