2013 School Magazine Dec, 2013 | Page 54

1st XV The 2013 1st XV was a fairly young team, many of the players being year 12 and some at year 11. Throughout the season, we had many players join and leave. This was reflected in the way the boys played. Our first win of the season was against Taradale High school 1st XV which gave the boys some confidence as it was the first time in years they had been beaten. Through the season there were a few upsets, such as when the captain, Caleb Higgs, broke his ankle and had to take the rest of the season off so that it would heal for next season. As our supporters would have observed, our end score in games did not truly reflect the quality of game that we produced. Every game, we had brilliant moments and then a few silly mistakes in defence or other areas of play, the score was stretched. I am very proud of the boys for their endurance and their ability to hold their heads up right to the end. Tawa had rebuilt their team from last year and produced a great game to play and for supporters to watch. There was no tournament week for rugby this year because Fielding High school pulled out of the tournament. In a rush The manager of the team, Shelley Smith, and the sports coordinator, Geoff Morrison, organised for the tournament to be held at our school. But because of the lack of interest, nothing came of it. My thanks go out to all the boys who played throughout the season, and to the support staff, Ms. Smith, Mr. Morrison, Stuart Hancock, and Wayne Smith. Extra thanks to Stu and Wayne for being great coaches and great mates to all the boys this season. They put in hours of their own time and loads of effort to get the team where it is now. Ms Smith, who also put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes, deserves lots of credit. Finally, thanks to the parents who have been great supporters throughout the season and to the boys for a fun season. To all the boys staying on next year, I wish you all the best! Sean Jex ‘