Columba College First XV may have come off second best on the scoreboard but certainly demonstrated what it means to wear the dove and represent our school with pride, upholding our values honourably in the Secondary Schools Girls Rugby final on Wednesday night.

Facing our local rivals St Hilda's, Columba started the game with a lack of possession and unfavourable field position which the opposition managed to use to their advantage capitalising on 3 occasions by dominating territory. Down 21-0 at halftime. 

Columba made a rapid change and looked like a completely different team in the second half. Controlling the speed and taking care of the ball was crucial in setting up their first try off a Niamh Paterson drive to the line. St Hilda's weren't making it easy and often pushed the offside boundaries before eventually being handed a yellow card and 10 minutes with only 14 players. Columba made use of their number advantage off a classy Maia Joseph kick into space, followed by the speedy Olivia Fowler impressively regaining possession off a precision pick up and forced the tackler into contact before flicking an offload to Cheyenne Flockton from the breakdown who perfectly timed her dive over the line to score the try! 

The game eventually ended at a 28-10 scoreline in favour of our friends down the road. Not the exact result we had hoped for although Columba could hold their heads high, completing a strong season overall and exceeding the expectations of many.  Onward and upwards the girls now set their sights on the SISS Sevens Championships in Timaru, on 19/20 October when they return from a well deserved holiday break.

Big thank you to coaches Bob Sinclair and Mel Fowler. Without their support, encouragement and knowledge this team would not have been in the position they were. The vast improvements shown from week one to week twelve were inevitably distinct and the basic fundamentals lacking at the beginning were non existent throughout the final weeks of play - big ups to you both and we look forward to seeing what you can do with another season under your belt next year! 

Also the students would like to thank TIC Ms Hope for her dedication to the sideline and organisational skills. Not to mention the gorgeous ball boys she brought along to yell and share the lollies. Mr Everett also helped immensely with the statistics and offering heaps of game advice, which the team is very grateful for.

Bring on the 2020 Season.