A new era began for the Auckland 1A Championship last Saturday, with the usual hype and build-up somewhat nullified by the competition’s newly installed media ban. That didn’t deter from some eye-catching opening results though, with plenty of talking points appearing from the opening week of the competition. I’ll take you through a recap of all the first round results, alongside a brief summary of the happenings from the 1B Competition.
Sacred Heart College was the team on everyone’s lips last Saturday, as they kicked off the season with a 58-22 thumping of fellow powerhouses King’s College. Much had been made of King’s woes during the preseason, and this young 2023 side failed to lift for the opening round of the 1A proper. It was a contest dominated by Sacred Heart from start to finish, with Rico Simpson opening the scoring with an early penalty goal on enemy territory. A try from Ragede just moments later set the wheels rolling, and Sacred would go on to score three more first half tries for a 29-10 lead at the break. Josh Schaumkell gave King’s hope with an early try at the start of the second stanza to reduce the deficit to twelve, but the visitors quickly rediscovered their feet and scored four more tries to wrap up a 58-22 demolition. It ranks as one of King’s worst results in recent times, and serves as an eye opener to the potential struggles they may face with such an inexperienced side in 2023.
The most competitive match of the opening weekend saw De La Salle College snatch a late 25-21 victory away at Auckland Grammar School. The hosts look to have improved dramatically from the woes of their 2022 season, but it still wasn’t enough to get over last season’s semi-finalists from the South. Frank Vaenuku scored the only try of a closely contested opening half, handing La Salle a 10-6 lead at the break. Grammar would fight back though, and after trailing by nine midway through the second stanza, three points from Rios Tasmania, a Nemani Naciqa try, and a Monty Parkinson edged them in front by one with six minutes to play. De La Salle second-five Frank Vaenuku would end up stealing victory from the jaws of defeat for the Southsiders though, scoring his second try in the final minute of play to cap off a man-of-the match performance away from home. It may prove to be a vitally important result already so early in the season, setting De La Salle College up well as they fight for their first 1A title since 2007.
St Paul’s College were welcomed back to the 1A in humbling fashion by defending champions Kelston Boys High School. Notorious for their fierce rivalry on the rugby league field, it proved anything but with fifteen men involved as Kelston claimed a massive 53-0 win. Ezekiel Tavita opened up the scoring for the home side on Va’aiga Tuigamala Field, the first of two first-half tries for the right winger, before Xavier Leota and Paula Luau got in on the act as Kelston coasted to a 24-0 halftime lead. The one-way traffic continued in the second stanza, Tyson Parsons, Tianau Leota, Ren Sato, and Joshua Pasina, all adding tries as Kelston wrapped up a 53-0 rout. It’s a result that will ask more questions of the gap between schools in the 1A and 1B, pointing a hard finger at the depth of Auckland schoolboy rugby. St Paul’s have had the better of Kelston on the rugby league field in recent years though, and so this is a result that will taste sweet for the defending champions from out west.
Focused on claiming back the 1A title after their heartbreaking defeat in the decider last season, St Peter’s College began their campaign with a comfortable 35-7 victory over Tangaroa. They didn’t have it all their own way at times though, and were forced to muscle it out for just an 11-0 lead at the break. A converted try for Tangaroa’s center Sio Folau halfway through the second stanza even narrowed the deficit to nine, before the Otara school ran out of gas late on. Robson Falafea, Louie Kishimoto, and Leonardo Flores McAlpine, all dotted down in the final twenty as St Peter’s eventually won out by four-try margin.
It was also a smooth start for perennial heavyweights St Kentigern College, who ran out convincing 46-0 winners over Liston College on their pristine field in Pakuranga. Liston enjoyed one of their best seasons last year with two victories, but they failed to fire a shot against one of the big boys to begin the latest campaign in 2023. Lachlan Parr scored inside the opening sixty seconds, setting St Kent’s on their way as they ran out to a 22-0 lead at the break. It was more of the same in the second half too, with Rawiri Martin and Adam Morrison both completing a brace of tries as the East Auckland private school wrapped up a big opening day win.
The final contest of the opening round saw Mt Albert Grammar wrestle past Dilworth School for an ultimately comfortable 17-0 win. It was anything but for large portions though, with MAGS taken deep into first half stoppage time before scoring their first try and the first points of the match. That set up a 7-0 lead, and another converted try and a penalty goal in the second half proved enough for MAGS to begin their campaign with a solid four points away from home.
1B Wrap-Up
Last Saturday also saw the Auckland 1B Championship (the second division of Auckland schoolboy rugby) get up and running for another season. Macleans College were initially scheduled for a promotion-relegation game with Tangaroa College after finishing second behind St Paul’s College in the 1B last season. They decided to withdraw due to a lack of depth in 2023 though, citing more concern over the state of the 1B competition. Macleans kickstarted their latest season with a bang though, albeit in a scrappy 10-5 away victory over Sir Edmund Hiliairy College. There was also a win for Aorere College in their return to the 1B after being demoted, coming from behind to edge out a 24-19 away win over Avondale College. The pick of the opening round performances came from the Eastern schools, with Botany Downs Secondary School romping to a 53-0 win over Waitakere College, and Howick College demolishing Mangere College 56-5. Southern Cross Campus, Tamaki College, and Mt Roskill Grammar were the other 1B schools to begin their seasons with a win.
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