The boys are back in green...Not only are they back...they are divisional winners!

For the first time since 2018, Burnside High School had a 1st XV Rugby team and a Junior Boys (BHS Tī Kōuka) team entered in the Canterbury Metro Rugby competition. It has been a long journey to this point and we are very proud to have two teams playing under the Burnside High School name and in the school colours.

2024 proved to be a very successful season for the two teams with both teams making their division finals. The 1st XV went undefeated all season winning their final in emphatic style against Cashmere High School 41 - 26. The Tī Kōuka team also made all the way to their divisional final scoring the most points against the STAC Bravehearts than any other team had all season, this was a real testament to the spirit in which the boys played the game.

We were very lucky to have Kieran Manawatu join the programme as the lead coach. Kieran is a highly experienced youth rugby coach, having played rugby to a very high level himself and he ran a youth development programme in Germany after his international playing career was cut short by injury. Find out more about Kieran's outstanding coaching career here. Kieran was assisted in his role by Gordie Lloyd (Tī Kōuka Coach & BHS PE Teacher), Marcus Contrucci (1st XV / Forward Coach) and Kelvin Upjohn (1st XV / Coach).

1st XV

The focus for the 1st XV team was to rebuild the programme, make sure we got the culture right and ensure the boys were playing great rugby in the right grade for the team. With this is mind, we entered the Senior Boys (Year 11, 13 & 13) grade rather than the 1st XV Championship. The team were placed in the 2nd Division of the Senior Boys grade, had it not been for a grading game where we let the opposition get away from us, we would likely have made the first grade. Joining the 1st XV Championship is still very much the team's goal, one we hope in achieve in the very near future. Word on the street is that we could be invited to join as early as the 2025 season!

We had quite a large squad at the beginning of the season but this was very quickly reduced by injury and illness, and players often had to show their versatility playing across a number of positions throughout the season. As is often the way with situations like this we had almost a full squad well for the play offs and the coaches had the difficult task of naming teams, with not all players being able to take the field as game day team numbers are capped at 22 by the CRFU. The team culture really shone through at this point with every player who wasn't named in a starting 22 still attending games and supporting the playing 22. Every player in the squad had been a part of the journey to the final and the win belonged to every player in the squad, not just those on the field.

The successful season for the 1st XV was capped off by a trip to Westport to play the Buller High School 1st XV. A series of events lead to Buller High School being unable to field a team on the scheduled day of play, so we ended up playing a Buller U18 team with players coming as far away as Waimea College. The change of day saw the players stepping out of the vans after a 5 hour journey and playing in near monsoon conditions. The rain was so heavy the game had to be moved to the Town Square where the Heartland Rugby games are played due to the club fields being under water. A bit of a slow start after a long trip in the vans let Buller get a healthy lead on us. It was 24 - 5 at half time. A gutsy second half from our lads made the final score 29 - 19. We were really unlucky not to make it 29 - 26 after we spent the last 5 minutes camped inside their 10 metres right under the posts but we just couldn't get across the line. Winning the second half of this game really displayed the grit and determination that this team have shown all throughout the 2024 season, many of their season wins came from their refusal to drop their heads and let the other team take the W.

Tī Kōuka

The Tī Kōuka team was also competing in the second division of the Junior Boys (Year 9 & 10 ) grade. The Junior Boys grade had an extended period of grading in an effort to ensure the teams got a meaningful competition but it did mean that they were only able to play one competitive round before the finals. The Tī Kōuka team only lost two games in their competitive pool, including the final, and both were to the STAC Bravehearts.

The improvement this team showed throughout the season was outstanding, it was their first season together and for many their first season playing teenage rugby. The gains they made in their Rugby IQ and skills were a real testament to their dedication to the team and themselves, and the skill of their coaches in developing young talent.

We look forward to welcoming a good number of this team into the 1st XV ranks next season.

Prizegiving

Our very successful foray back into Rugby was celebrated at a prizegiving in the BHS Staffroom. It was wonderful to see the players, parents, supporters and coaches sharing some kai together and celebrating the season.

In keeping with tradition, we capped all our players who played 12 games for the 1st XV throughout the season. And in a slightly less traditional move, we also capped all our Year 13 players as they were all in primary school the last time we had a 1st XV, making the opportunities to make 12 games in the 1st XV limited for these players. It also celebrated their efforts in helping to grow rugby at Burnside High over the last few years and lead to our success this season.

Congratulations to the following award winners:

• Biggest Contribution to Back Play Junior Rugby - Duce Taufa

• Biggest Contribution to Forward Play Junior Rugby - Zac Chalmers

• Most Improved Player Junior Rugby - Siua Sau

• Most Valuable Player Junior Rugby - Zeke Taufa

• Most Improved Forward 1st XV (Burnside Rugby Club Cup) - Bertrand Fidow

• Most Improved Back 1st XV (Burnside Rugby Club Cup) - TJ Williams

• Biggest Contribution to Forward Play 1st XV (Burnside High School Trophy) - Alex Guillemot

• Biggest Contribution to Back Play 1st XV (Burnside High School Trophy) - Shannon Rochester

• Tackling Award First XV (Smith-Taylor Trophy) - Kade Thomson

• Player Of The Year First XV (Fattorini Trophy) - Joseph Leuta

• Players' Player of the Year First XV (Mark Bennetts-Robertson Memorial Trophy) - Joseph Leuta

Thank you to all our players, parents, supporters, managers and coaches for such a successful season - Bring on 2025!