7 September 2024
More was on the line on Day 2 of the 2024 NZRL National Secondary Schools Tournament. Teams looked to cement their positions in the standings and make their way through the knockout games, and by the end of it we found our finalists across all divisions.
The Boys Premiership started with the top two teams in both Sections playing, all with two wins from two yesterday. St Thomas of Canterbury took on De La Salle while Rotorua Boys High School were up against St Pauls College.
While De La Salle were in the mix in the first half, mistakes deep in their own territory proved costly. St Thomas were able to capitalise dotting down three tries to take the game 24-14. In Section B, while St Pauls took the early lead, Rotorua came back strong in the second half to take out the game against last year’s finalists 22-18.
Manurewa High School were able to put their first win on the board over Aorere College, while another tight one saw Southern Cross take their first win also, beating Mt Albert Grammar.
In the semi-finals we had a 2023 finals rematch with St Thomas versus St Pauls, with St Pauls igniting the game straight away going over the line off the first touch of the game only for it to be called back having gone in touch. They were still the first to score however, but St Thomas took the lead 6-4 just before half time break. Ultimately, St Thomas took their opportunities and closed out the match clinically in the second half, 24-4 the final score.
In the other semi-final Section B winners Rotorua High School took on De La Salle in a 2022 final repeat. De La Salle won convincingly back then, and the margin was only slightly closer this time round, Rotorua High School finding themselves on the wrong side of the 34-4 scoreline.
Manurewa High School held the lead against Mt Albert Grammar for most of the game only to go down 18-20. That was Mt Albert Grammer’s first win of the tournament with it taking them into the playoff for 5th and 6th place tomorrow. They’ll face off against Southern Cross Campus who managed to hold on against Aorere College, the extremely tight final score sitting at 24-22.
The Girls Championship kicked off Day 2 with a 2023 finals rematch between Auckland Girls Grammar and Southern Cross. Southern Cross put the pressure on early, scoring first but Auckland Girls Grammar were able to fight back late in the first half to even it up 4-4. The second half was a different story with Southern Cross dominating with four tries giving them early bragging rights, the final score 22-4.
Hamilton Girls High saw off a fight back from Wesley College after leading 16-0 at half time to put their first win on the board, while in Section B both McAuley High School and St Mary’s College knocked up strong wins to stay in the top two on that side of the draw.
As we headed into the semi-finals, Southern Cross were too good against St Mary’s College winning 20-4. Auckland Girls Grammar faced off against McAuley High School in a closer match. After leading 10-0 at half time, McAuley crossed the line first in the second half to keep their final hopes alive. Auckland Girls Grammar proved too good in the end, making it into the final for the third straight year and setting up a 2023 final rematch.
Tokoroa High School beat Hamilton Girls for their first win of the tournament 18-14, meaning they’ll progress to the 5th and 6th place playoff tomorrow against Wesley College who saw out Tauranga Girls 12-0.
After grading games yesterday, the top 8 headed into the quarter finals of the Shield, the next 8 into the Bowl, and the final 8 into the Plate.
Some notable first matches on Day 2 included Te Wharekura fronting well against Day 1 leaders Otahuhu College, taking the game convincingly in the end. Whangaparaoa and Onehunga High School got their first wins of the tournament against Trident and Papatoetoe high schools respectively. Meanwhile, James Cook High School handed Sir Edmund Hillary their first loss of the tournament as did Westlake Boys to Hornby.
Later in the day, Westlake headed into the semi-finals against Te Wharekura keeping them scoreless for a convincing 30-0 win. They’ll meet James Cook High School in the final, after they edged out Whangarei Boys 14-12. Both will go into the final on a high, with each looking to take the Championship crown for the first time.
After Hornby saw off Otahuhu College, they’ll come up against St Bede’s College tomorrow for 5th and 6th place after St Bede’s put 40 on Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate. After sitting top two on the standings at the end of Day 1, Otahuhu will play Sir Edmund Hillary for 7th and 8th place.
Southern Cross Campus continued their winning streak at the tournament taking out Putaruru College early in the morning. They put them into the semi-final against Manurewa while Putaruru faced off in against St Pauls in the other semi.
The two top teams from Section A/B, St Pauls College and James Cook High School had an early 10-10 draw, but James Cook High went on to beat Rotorua Boy’s High 18-16 in another tight affair, meaning they’ll play off for 5th and 6th tomorrow against Tamaki College. Tamaki College had initially lost to Te Wharekura 12-18 during the day but come knockout time reversed the result with a 20-12 win.
St Pauls were looking to reach the final for their second year in a row and did so after beating Putaruru College well 20-0. Lining up opposite them will be Southern Cross after they put Manurewa High School to bay 34-14.
For all draw and results updates visit sporty.co.nz
All grand finals tomorrow will be live streamed on YouTube
