RUGBY - BOYS 1ST XV
Back Row : Murphy Johnson , Tian Potgieter , Trenton Donkin Second Row : Austen Jones , Emmanuel Uili-Va ’ asili , Ayden Vibert , Dean Watkins , Joshua Hulena , Liam Franklin ,
Ryan Lindeque Front Row : Saxon Parr-Hutton , Alec Baker , Vinnie Williams , Nicholas Waitoa , Ollie Sowman , Levi Goldsack ,
J J Nuku-Stone
The boys 1st XV rugby team played a season of passion , excitement , victory , defeat , and brotherhood . The team was built up of many young players and a few older , more experienced players . Everyone brought a different set of skills to the team and , with the experience of the more senior players , the younger players were able to grow into better players and even taught the oldest players a thing or two . The team experienced many injuries in the first few games of the season , bringing the squad of 28 down to 22 and then further on in the season down to 18 . Everyone , regardless of injury , supported and gave the team their time , experience and mana . The 18 left at the end of the season played with passion and love of the game until the end . Our first game saw us take a loss to Wairoa College , a team we would eventually beat when we met again . The rest of the season saw us win over William Colenso , Hastings Boys 3rd XV , Napier Boys u15 , Napier Boys 3rd XV , and Wairoa College 1st XV . The boys all played with a passion and fire that came with genuinely enjoying the game regardless of the score and the result . The teamwork and brotherhood shown by all the boys were incredible and made you really love schoolboy rugby , irrespective of the grade or year level . We played five competition games and three preseason games and we finished the season with three competition wins and two losses . Despite being knocked out in the semi-finals , we still finished second based on points in our competition . Rugby at Havelock North High School has been improving year by year , and I can ’ t wait to see how they perform in the future with the new players coming through the school and a profound interest in a game that brings people together . I have thoroughly enjoyed the past four years playing rugby for the school . We have struggled with numbers and finding new players , but the mana and the culture built up by the players is what has set us up for the successes that we have achieved . All this would , without a doubt , could not have been accomplished without the time and effort put in by the players , coaches , parents , and teachers . I wish all the boys the best of luck in the future and with their future pathways , and I hope that they never forget the game of rugby .
Nicholas Waitoa , Captain
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