1st XV Rugby 2023 Wrap 

Not since 2011, has the St Paul’s College 1st XV competed in the Auckland 1A Rugby Competition, arguably the most competitive rugby competition in the country. 

Preparation had started in late 2022, with preseason starting earlier than normal, to ensure our players were prepared for the rigors and demand of the competition. Our place in 1A, at this point was conditional, we had to win a promotion-relegation game against Aorere College. The team, led by returning prop and prefect Richard Faleono (Year 13), would go into this game with a little bit of confidence, after a strong win over St John’s College in their final preseason game in Hamilton. 

The promotion game was played in front of a strong, vocal crowd. From the outset, St Paul's looked organised and clinical. Forward dominance, led up front by Noah Hetutu-Davis (Year 12) and captain Richard Faleono, set the platform for backs Jonathon Fifita (Year 13) and Jeriko Filipi-Talisau (Year 13) to score a try each in the first half. This continued for most of the game, with Aorere, having no answers to the relentless attack and tough defense. The final score, 53-3, a convincing win that would seal St Paul’s place in the 1A.  

The following week saw the start of the official season. A challenging draw that featured top 7 teams in consecutive weeks, starting with two time champions Kelston Boys in round one. On a wet day out west, St Paul's started strongly, applying pressure through the early exchanges, and being able to adapt to the speed as well as the physicality of the game. A number of crucial errors in Kelston half, turned possession over, and with it, opportunities. St Paul's battled away, but discipline and fundamental errors forced the team to defend large parts of the game. Kelston proved to be too good in the end, winning 53-0. A tough start to the season, and a reminder to the team, of what lies ahead.

The second game against St Kentigern's saw improvements as they played a fast brand of rugby, St Paul’s in the first half, worked hard to adapt to the speed, having repelled wave after wave. A try to Sio Kali (Year 13) for the team's first try of the season, the score at 15-7 to St Kentigern's at halftime. However, unlike the first half, the team struggled with the speed at which St Kentigern's played, as well as discipline, putting the team on the back foot for most of the second half. In the end, St Kentigern's came out convincing winners, 55-7.

The third round was against our fellow Marist Brother school Sacred Heart. It had been over 10 years, since the schools last met in a rugby match. Playing away at Sacred Heart, who were rated as competition favorites going into the season, it would be another tough encounter. Heavy rain and strong winds would play a huge role in the outcome of the game. Brave supporters watched on as both teams performed their school haka - a pregame ritual that is only performed when the two schools meet. As expected, the conditions made it hard for both teams to control the ball. Errors and turnovers were the theme in the first half. First opportunity for St Paul's, came in only the second minute of the game, when Sio Kali ran down the sideline from a midfield scrum, with a clear line in front, passed the ball to a supporting Jeriko Filipi-Talisau. However, the pass went behind Jeriko who attempted to catch it, but forced a knock on with the line begging. There were plenty of opportunities to score for St Paul’s, but the inability to convert these opportunities would come back to haunt the team. Sacred Heart's strategy to target the ball paid off, as a couple of loose carries were turned over in the tackle, only for the tackler to strip the ball and run the other way to the try line to score the team's first two tries. Sacred Heart went on to score 6 unanswered tries going into half time, 26-0. Errors and the inability to get good field position against the wind proved costly. However, a strong second half performance, showed the team had the fight to compete to the very end of the game. A consolation try to Vincet Maafu (Year 13) ended the second half score 10-7 to Sacred Heart. Final score 36-7 to Sacred Heart. A much more determined second half by St Paul's, as the team slowly started to adapt to the fast paced competition.

The following two rounds were against a couple of Catholic heavyweights, De La Salle and St Peter’s College at home. While St Paul’s suffered defeats in both games, St Paul’s started to play with a bit more confidence and clarity. A tough way to learn, but nonetheless the boys were showing signs of improvement each week. 

Close defeats against Liston and Grammar where the team gave away a 19 point head start inside the first 12 mins, before finishing the game strong to equalise the second half with one try a piece, the score ending 26-7 to Grammar. This showcased the team’s ability to compete with the big schools right to the end. With the last four games remaining, the spirit of the team remained strong, boys continued to put in the work in training, despite not getting the results. Improving with each game, it was only a matter of time before the team would secure their first win. Two close losses to Mt Albert Grammar, going down by 3 points, 22-19, and also Dilworth 17-14, showed the team wasn’t too far. 

The following game was against King’s College at home. While the last two rounds were close, the boys felt confident, knowing the final two games will be played at home. From the kick off, St Paul's, started off with strong surges through the King's forward pack, direct and physical, with Noah Hetutu-Davis falling agonizingly short of the line, as he reached out to score. However, it wouldn't take long for the next opportunity, this time, the ball went wide, to Atapana Su'a (Year 12) who slipped and weaved through defenders, before offloading a pass inside to a supporting Sio Kali to score the game's first try. A couple of penalties to keep the scoreboard pressure on King's College, took the score out to 13-0 to St Paul’s at halftime. Second half, a revitalised King's College came back, with constant possession, St Paul's were forced to defend for long periods. Poor discipline led to two players getting carded, leaving the team to play the final 15 mins with 13 players. King’s College closed the gap with two tries of their own, before kicking a penalty to equalise the game. With the two players back from their sin bin offense, and both teams fighting to the finish, King's were in possession of the ball, and they went wide in search of their winger. St Paul's, however, replied with an aggressive defensive line, led by John Matini (Year 12) who made the tackle of the day on the opposing centre, whose pass went astray and into the hands of an opportunistic Sebastian Smith (Year 11) who sprinted 60 metres to score the match-winning try. With the try converted, the game ended with a 20-13 victory to St Paul’s. The team's first of the season, and the first over King's College since 2005. A milestone victory that would be remembered for years to come!

The team's final round was against Tangaroa College. The team went into the final week, full of confidence from their famous win, but also, knowing it would be the last game for our Year 13 cohort, the team ensured a performance that was fitting for their last game. As it turned out, St Paul's stormed home to end the season against a much bigger Tangaroa team 36-7. Finishing the season on a high, and a huge reward for a team that remained resilient and patient throughout the year. 

On behalf of the players, coaches and management, we would like to thank all our supporters, teachers, students, families, and Old Boys for their support over the course of the season. It’s been a tough journey, but one that our school can be extremely proud of.

AIMS Games

Basketball - 5 - 4 (9 games)
The team started the Zespri AIMS tournament very well beating Carncot 40-18, a team effort with high scoring from Jett Nash. 

In the second game, the team fell short to a well-coached St Kentigern's 48-22. 

The next day we faced Kaitao Intermediate beating them 31-14, another great display of team work, using the offence well and controlling the game from the tip off.

Our 4th game saw us play Highlands Intermediate, who finished 3rd in 2022, this game was and is by far out best game of basketball all year. A very close loss saw us lose 32-28, we competed all game, using a mix of transition and set plays to score. It was a wonderful 31.52 minutes of basketball until the final 8 seconds where two turnovers became costly, with Highlands scoring off both. 

Our final pool game saw us play Wa Ora Montessori School, this game was another full team effort with the bench, winning this game 46-11. Highlights of this game came from 6th man, Kingston Fonua who had 5 blocks, and our deepest 3 pointer. 

This put us 3rd in our pool, and into the next round, facing Te Puke Intermediate. In a very close game, we pushed into overtime, where the first team to score won. They managed to defend well but were unable to finish our shot attempts, and lost the game on free throws. The game ended 17-15 to Te Puke Intermediate. 

Moving on to play Papamoa College in another nail bitter, the team managed to win by 1 point as time ran out, the game finished 25 -24. A very close game where the team showed how to cope with pressure and maintain composure making good decisions and taking care of the ball. 

A devastating Pick and roll form starting point guard Cairyn Robarts and centre Abner Maafu, proved to be the winning formula, one that Papamoa couldn't handle.  

The final day of our games, saw us up early to play Kaitaia Intermediate School, who played very quickly and with captain Jett Nash out we struggled to keep composed and keep up with the pace of the game, ultimately losing 24-8. 

We bounced back in our final game to beat Whangarei Intermediate 31 -26. 

The tournament was filled with great team play, sharing the scoring and the ball in transition, with excellent execution of the half court offence. Our team and individual defence improved all week. 

The five returning players showed that experience is key and provided leadership for the team. Point guard Cairyn Robarts provided assist after assist in the game, controlling the ball and organising the team well. Our power forward Naea Williams helped to anchor the defence, grab rebounds and initiate the offence throughout the week too. 

Maselino Maselino came into games with unmatched effort and ball skills, crosssing up defenders and attacking the basket. 

From left to right: Maselino Maselino, Kingston Fonua, Anthony Fransham, Abner Maafu, Cairyn Robarts, Naea Williams, Ebenezer Asnake, Jett Nash, Gianni Williams-Fotu, Junior Fui

Carncot 18 - 40 St Paul's (W)
St Kents 48 - 22 St Paul's (L)
Kaitao 14 - 31 St Paul's (W)
Highland 32 - 28 St Paul's (L)
Wa Ora Montessori School 11 - 46 St Paul's (W)
Te Puke Intermediate 15 - 17 St Paul's (L)
Papamoa College 24 - 25 St Paul's (W)
Kaitaia Intermediate School 24 - 8 St Paul's (L)
Whangarei Intermediate 26 - 31 St Paul's (W)

Fustal
The futsal team made history for St Paul’s College by being the first futsal team to represent the school at a tournament. Not only that, but the team represented St Paul’s well, picking up a first ever competitive win, along with a few draws. Although the team ultimately lost their final game, the boys can hold their heads up high for representing the School with resilience and commitment. Above all, the team had a lot of fun. 

The 2023 futsal team was made up of Ignatius Veukiso, Komisi Chan Mow, Leeroy Skudder, Jasiah Leha'uli, Benjamin Murray, Meggy Al-Nuaimi, Nathaniel Phillips, Jan Maglangit, Augustine McClutchie, and Timothy Gray. The team was captained by Ignatius. 

In one particularly memorable match, St Paul’s were down 3 -1 at half time. When the second half started, the team was much more focused, and held within them the belief that the game was not over. Because of their resilience, Benjamin found the back of the net from the halfway line as he chipped the entire opposing team, catching the keeper off-guard, for the start of a well-timed comeback. Not much later, Leeroy, playing as a striker, scored a real poachers goal, one that Karim Benzema would be proud of. The game ended 3 - 3, and was one of the most entertaining games of the tournament. I would like to pass on a big thanks to the other St Paul’s AIMS teams who watched and cheered on from the sidelines. 

The team had many standout performances, such as Ignatius, who won a man-of-the-match by scoring a great individual goal. Other standouts include both of the futsal teams goalkeepers, Jasiah and Nathaniel. During our first victory, Jasiah put in a shot-stopping performance to keep a clean sheet and lead St Paul’s to a 2 -0 victory. During our final game, Nathaniel won himself a man-of-the-match award for his daring saves. 

That is not to say that the rest of the team did not do well. In fact, we had a few standout defensive performances from Komisi, Augustine, and Benjamin, and we had some impressive running on the wing by Jan and Leeroy. The tournament also would not have been a success without our forwards, Meggy and Timothy. On one occasion, for example, Timothy converted a cross into the bottom corner to the cheer of our AIMS rugby team. 

Rugby 7s
Played 12 Loss 3, Drew 1 Won 8

A fairly young Rugby 7s team entered this year’s edition of AIMS Games in Tauranga, the team of 12 boasted only five Year 8 students, with the remaining seven students coming from our new crop of Year 7 students.

After weeks of training and a number of scrimmages against local schools, the team had some big shoes to follow after last year’s team finished in the top 8. 

The team had three games scheduled on the first day of competition, kick-starting the week against fellow Auckland school, Bader Intermediate. First game jitters as well as the early start, the boys looked nervous, and they certainly played like it in the first half. Bader scored three unanswered tries to go into halftime 15-nil ahead. After a spray of the team's magic water, the boys finally sparked into life, coming back by scoring 3 tries of our own, led by Jariyus Mauai-Makatuki (Year 8) and Lebron Loia (Year 7). No tries were converted, so the game ended with both teams leveled at 15 points each. Game 2 was against local school Papamoa Intermediate. Like the first game, the team started slow, giving away early possession which Papamoa took advantage of scoring first and heading into halftime with the lead of 14-0. Another big second half win from the team, where two unconverted tries were scored, going into the last minute 14-10 behind, before Papamoa finished the game with another try to seal the victory. The team went down 19-10. Last game of the day, was against Murrays Bay Intermediate, eager to finish the day on a high, the team played well with some strong runs again from Jariyus Mauai-Makatuki to go with a much resilient effort on defence eventually winning 25-17 to end the first day with the trifecta of results: draw, loss and a win. 

On the second day, the team was scheduled to play two games, to end the pool round and in doing so, determine where the team would play. Unfortunately, errors and basic fundamentals made it difficult for the team to get any flow against Matauri Bay, who had the nephew of 7s great Eric Rush, being pivotal to their plans. Our boys went down 17-0. The second game was not too different, although we showed some great defence and fought against a much bigger Otumoetai team, going toe to toe, with Sonny Nua (Year 8) making some great runs down the sideline to score the teams only try. However, the side was not able to chase down their 10 point lead losing 10-5. The second loss meant the team would finish 3rd in the pool, and given the highly competitive nature of our pool, we would go into the 33-46 placings. 

Day 3 was a huge day for the team, as we had to play four games. First game of the day was against Havelock Intermediate where the boys had their best start of the week, winning 19-0, after some strong performances from Jariyus Mauai-Makatuki who has had an outstanding tournament to date, with his blockbusting runs, and Jacob Turner (Year 8) whose tireless work around the park ensured our team had the ball, and also his work on defence. Second game would be the game the team was looking forward to all day, and that was against Liston College. The battle between our Catholic brothers was not lost on the boys. The intensity of the game went up another level, with strong ball carries and stubborn defense, proving frustrating for Liston. Roy Tuliakiono (Year 8) was a menace with ball in hand, committing at least two defenders each time he had the ball. Our best team effort to date led to tries to Israel McGlynn (Year 8), Jacob Turner and Septimus Leaoa (Year 8) resulting in a resounding 27-5 win. 

The team went on to win the remaining games, ending the day with 4 wins from 4 games, a successful day for the team that was starting to build confidence going into the final two of competition. The next day, the team had two more qualifying games, that would determine which playoff we would play on the final day. 

Two games and two more wins against St Columbus Catholic School (38-0) and Randwick Park School (43-5) meant the team would qualify for a return final against Otumoetai Intermediate, whom we had previously lost to during pool rounds.

On the final day of competition, the team played its final game against Otumoetai. Like the start of the week, the team started off slow, errors and pregame nerves, handed Otumoetai a 12-nil lead at halftime. Some tactical changes going into halftime allowed the team to get back into the match. Impact from our bench, sparked the game back to life, with mercurial Mapili Kali (Year 7) dancing through would-be defenders to set up one of the tries for Lebron Loia (Year 7) and the constant work effort from Finau Moala (Year 7) allowed the team to fight back, and with the final play of regular time, the team scored under the post to equalise the game at 12 all. However, we weren't able to convert the try, meaning the game would go into golden point extra time. 

After losing the coin toss, Otaumoetai elected to receive, meaning we had to kick off. Playing deep inside their half, desperate defence kept Otumoetai trapped in their half, causing an error and turnover of possession. A string of turnovers, handed both sides opportunities to score, however, with both teams starting to tire, it was a turnover ball from Finau Moala which went wide to Roy Tuliakiono who would run 40m to score in the corner in the match winner. The team went on to win the final game 17-12, finishing 33 overall out of 46 teams. 

2024 will be an exciting prospect for this young team, who showed the fighting spirit as young men of St Paul's. We are all very proud of them. 

On behalf of the management team, we would like to thank all our parents and families for their support over the past few months, as well as making the time to travel to Tauranga to cheer their sons. It’s been a pleasure looking after your young men over the week. 

Faafetai lava, soifua manuia. Confortare Esto Vir