1st XV Match Report v Tangaroa College

After an historic win against Kings College, our first against perennial heavy weights since 2005, the 1st XV went into the final week of the 1A competition, full of confidence and eager to end the season on a high. 

The last game of the 2023 season was against South Auckland’s Tangaroa College. A team coming off a close-fought win against Dilworth.

Playing at home, the boys were very determined to send off our Year 13 students with a strong performance on what will be their last game on home soil.

The opening minutes were characterised by physical exchanges up front, both teams looking to insert early dominance. St Paul’s started off strong with excellent forward play, led by Malachi Filipo (Year 13) and Maselino Va'auli (Year 13), finding gaps in the Tangaroa defence to get valuable forward momentum. Tactical kicking on a soft field kept the pressure on Tangaroa, so struggled to exit their own half, making errors which gave opportunities for St Paul’s to launch a series of attack.

After 18 minutes, Bevron Smith-Nansen (Year 13) dodged three defenders to score the games first try after an incisive run by Sio Kali (Year 13) who offloaded to his winger for the first five pointer.

Constant kicking pressure and stubborn defence in the first half, made it difficult for Tangaroa to get any field position, forcing them to run from inside their own half. With field conditions not traditionally made for running rugby, Tangaroa’s backs struggled to find their rhythm and often made a number of crucial errors. With St Paul's in possession, and with a number of opportunities to score, it was only a matter of time before St Paul’s would score again. Quick thinking by Aleki Ettles-Langton (Year 11) who quick-tapped the ball, 5 meters from the try line, caught the Tangaroa forwards napping to score the team's second try. St Paul's would go into half time with a 12 nil lead. 

The second half continued much like the first, tactical kicking and determined defence kept Tangaroa outside of our half. The hardworking forwards led by Noah Hetutu-Davis (Year 12), started to gain ascendancy as the game went on, as Tangaroa’s discipline started to take its toll on their performance. Two more tries to Sio Kali and Waka Tate (Year 12) and the accurate goal kicking by Tyrone Hurt-Pickering (Year 12) kept the scoreboard ticking. Impact from the bench lifted the game to another level, adding energy and ensuring the game was all but sealed, as Macky Sosefo (Year 13) whose charging run to score under the post, secured a 36-7 victory, and in doing so, cementing St Paul’s place in the coveted 1A competition for 2024.

A special thank you to all our wonderful supporters, teachers, students and our families, for their continued support and wavering loyalty throughout the season. 

Football

St Paul’s football Colts head to Auckland Domain Field #1 this Saturday 12 August at 9am to play their last game of the season against Green Bay High School.

In beating Auckland Grammar last weekend, St Paul's ended Grammar's unbeaten season with a 5-3 win. This is an impressive result which means St Paul's may finish in first place!

In an exciting "end to end" game on a very small field, St Paul's started fast with Diego Osikai (Year 9) and Douglas Calvert (Year 9) putting St Paul's 2 nil ahead and Marseille Niuula (Year 9) keeping Grammar at bay with some strong goalkeeping. From a Ryan Halfpenny (Year 9) corner deep into the first half, Iverson Niuula (Year 10) towered over everyone in the box to score a header and contender for goal of the season, this put St Paul's 3-0 up! From there the team managed the game well as AGS put us under pressure. With some fast breaks on the counterattack, Diego grabbed another 2 goals to finish with a hatrick. All players put in a massive effort in our toughest game of the season with the midfield and backline very strong. There were some tired bodies at the end of a very memorable match.    

A team of 16 students, 11 of whom had never played the game before, came together this season to play a very entertaining and exciting style of football which has seen them score 37 goals in just 8 games. The team will be looking to finish the season strongly this week vs Green Bay High.

Marc Halfpenny, Football Colts Coach

Rugby League 

1st XIII
Our 1st XIII rugby league team has qualified for the grand final, held next week at Mt Smart Stadium #2 in a repeat of last year's final vs De La Salle. In a physical semi-final vs Manurewa HS, captain Jeriko Filipi-Talisau (Year 13) and his team had to work hard to earn a 20-12 victory, scoring 2 late tries to seal the victory against a determined Manurewa forward pack. Sio Kali (Year 13) was instrumental in the result, scoring tries and creating others, his humility was on display with unselfish play, a role model student who has led with his actions all year on the field, but equally disciplined in his commitment to academics. 

Under 15 Blue

Our Under 15 Blue team has likely qualified for their own grand final, playing against Under 15 Maroon! I have been so impressed with this team, their attitude, their commitment, their courage playing against older oppositions all season. The grand final next week is far from a one-sided contest with our Year 9 and 10 players reminding everyone what teamwork and effort can do, winning their final game vs One Tree Hill College 22-4.